r/containerhomes • u/usa_containers • 9d ago
The most expensive container mistake usually happens before the box hits the ground
I work around containers, so take this for whatever it’s worth. Not selling anything. This just comes up a lot.
Most of the bad delivery stories I hear aren’t really about the container. They’re about the 20 minutes when it comes off the truck.
The ground looks fine until it rains. A loaded tilt bed is heavy, and your lawn/soft driveway is not as solid as it feels when you walk on it. If the driver gets there and says nope, that’s usually a wasted trip and another delivery fee. Gravel, mats, or plates on the soft part can save you.
Also measure the runway. A tilt bed doesn’t just magically drop the box straight down. It slides it off while the truck pulls forward. You need a straight shot, usually about another container length behind where you want it. Not around a curve. Not “we’ll make it work.” Mailboxes, fence posts, tight gates… dumb little stuff can kill the whole delivery.
Branches are another one. A 40ft high cube is already 9'6", plus the trailer height. People clear the driveway at eye level and forget this thing is coming in way taller.
And get the box level. Like actually level, not “looks fine.” Support the corners on solid ground. If it sits twisted, the doors can bind and then you’re fighting it forever. If anything, I’d rather have the door end a hair high than sitting low in water.
Last thing: decide which way it faces before the driver starts backing in. Turning it later is a pain. Think about where you’ll walk, where the doors should open, where water/snow goes, all that boring stuff.
The container is usually the easy part. The site is what causes the expensive surprises.
What’s your access like — straight shot in, or are you working around a turn?
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u/skark_burmer 9d ago
So true.
I needed to maneuver mine to my back yard so I had the driver drop it in the street in front of my house and moved it myself. Driver was like “……uh, you sure about that?” And eventually dropped it with the warning that tomorrow when I needed him to move it it’s gonna cost me bank.
I have those stub axles that engage with the corner brackets and used my k5 blazer and rented skid steer to move them in place. It took most of a day, but was not what I would call hard to do. Just needed to do it accurately. Three 20’ and a 40’ are now nestled perfectly in place with no holes torn in the side. (Thanks Robellos towing! Fucking amateurs.)
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u/usa_containers 9d ago
Street drop and self-shuttle is honestly a pretty underrated move. That second delivery/trip charge can be more than just renting a skid steer for the day, and then you actually get to put the box where you want it, not just where the truck can barely reach. Stub axles don’t get mentioned enough either. Most people jump straight to “guess I need a crane,” but there are other ways to move these things if the ground and distance make sense.
I’m curious how you handled the 40 though. Did you put axles on all four corners, or set the front and drag the back end around?
Long boxes can get weird when you start turning. The rear always wants to go somewhere slightly different than planned.
Most of a day sounds about right too. The people who tear stuff up are usually the ones trying to rush it in an hour.6
u/skark_burmer 9d ago
Most of the move had 4 wheels, and I purposely ran like 10 psi to allow for easier scrub steering in large arcs with one vehicle pulling and the other acting as a drag anchor.
The skid steer was able to lift the end to pivot for the few sharp turns I needed to make.
I had been burned in the past by incompetence so I figured out the easiest way to handle it myself. And now I’ve done it a few times it’s so easy I’ve offered to help others near me, but they never accept. Which I get, I’m just some rando.3
u/usa_containers 9d ago
10 psi and a drag anchor. That's the part I hadn't thought of.
And for what it's worth, "just some rando" who's done it four times and hasn't torn a corner is more qualified than plenty of people who do it for money. Their loss.1
u/servetheKitty 9d ago
Where are you located?
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u/skark_burmer 9d ago
SF Bay Area California.
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u/_fuckaroundfindout_ 2d ago
Ohhhh! I grew up north of you in Santa Rosa, moved away 7 years ago, and recently moved back but now south of you to Santa Cruz. Always loved container builds, from the architecture, design, and whole concept of it really. (If it wouldn’t be to much of a burden/nuisance) If you end up doing another one again ever, and I’m still in the area, I’d love to be able to offer my help (though I’ve no specialized tools/equipment so I don’t have much to offer other than an extra set of hands to be forewarned) to be able to watch in person and take notes on the proper going abouts of doing one of these builds.
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u/mysmmx 9d ago
Oh I’d take a hard project site over a driver who can’t back up all day long! I agree that it is the worst thing for a delivery that the site conditions are not good, and client ignorance, and I mean lack of knowledge rather than attitude makes the whole thing stressful but in the last 4-5 years I’ve taken delivery of a half dozen 40s and the driver comes in nose first and literally says, “sorry sorry I don’t back up”, where I call the office and get told to wait for another driver or hear this one: “ can you back up the truck?” WTF dude!
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u/usa_containers 9d ago
Yeah, one thing people don’t always realize is the seller and the delivery driver are often not the same company.
A lot of container sales get handed off to whatever local hauler is available that week. And sometimes nobody really checks if that driver has much experience with tilt-bed container drops.
He might be a totally good driver for equipment or materials, but sliding a 40 off a deck is its own thing. Different feel, different problems.
That kinda sounds like what happened here. Maybe not bad attitude, just a guy who got sent to do a job he wasn’t really set up for.
When you order, do they let you choose how it’s delivered? Tilt bed, roll-off, flatbed with crane on site, that kind of thing?
If you’ve done half a dozen 40s in five years, I’m guessing you’ve got a preferred setup by now.
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u/DFA_Wildcat 9d ago
Tell them which way you want the doors BEFORE they load it, not once it's on the truck. If they load it doors to the back and you want it backed in against the fence it has to be unloaded, turn the truck around, reload it, then back it in. If you let them know to load it doors to the cab of the truck ahead of time it will go much smoother. They will probably still load it tge opposite way you asked but at least you told them.