Derek Hargis wrote:
"Yes, you're probably right. That was one of the reasons that I mentioned thinking to restrict myself to designing within only 20 foot containers. Then, I think a lot of the interior of the container is going to be empty space surrounding the machinery. I had hoped to move them with a large forklift, and would have to know the capacity of the forklift and to keep the total weight of the container with its stuff within that weight." You're certainly right to stick to 20-footers. Some are equipped with slots for the tines of a hyperthyroid forklift, but the ones I've seen handling containers in the port area are too big and heavy to be practical to take on the road. Furthermore, their ground pressure makes them mobile only on reinforced-concrete slabs (ordinary paving forms craters). " The fiberglass and aluminum containers I believe would be lighter than the steel ones, allowing for more weight to be added to the container." My high-cube is aluminum, and it is lighter - which theoretically allows more weight to be put in - but it is also weaker. As long as it is handled with a lifting frame that prevents any supplementary compression load on the top of the container, no problem, but even loaded to half its capacity it was close to buckling when lifted by a crane with a regular wire-rope sling and no "spreader." I have since reinforced it internally with a steel frame that doubles as support for bookshelves! My father-in-law and I are considering ways to add axles and road gear to it, as my next move is likely to be within the Philippines, and it's easier to load a self-mobile rig on a ferry than to arrange to move a container. " The last time I checked on prices the 40 foot containers were around USD 2000 on the second hand market. I don't know how that would compare with the old semi-trailers in cost?" I paid $2500 for my container, reconditioned and recertified, in California in 1998. My two semi-trailers (a reefer and an ex-moving van converted to a mobile office) cost me less than $1000 apiece and I resold them at a profit! Again, California. Don't know about other places. Here in the Philippines a semi would definitely be cheaper than a container, as the latter are in high demand. "The empty containers are often picked up with a winch and a tilt bed and slid on and off of the trailer on to the ground. As you say, that isn't really an option with a loaded one." Right. The first (and last) time I watched that procedure I almost choked. On a related topic: anybody got documentation on continuous fermentation processes? The lack of tankage capacity in a mobile rig is going to make batch processing of sugars into alcohol very difficult. Best, Marc de Piolenc Iligan, Lanao del Norte Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
