Big span pallet racking? 5m?

[gasket999]

I’ve just put pallet racking up on one end of my new workshop and am shocked about how sturdy it is (the stuff I used is closed beam Dexion Speedlock with the heavier duty uprights).

So decided to go down the pallet racking bench route at the other end.

I happen to have the same stainless tool boxes as shown in the photo below that I’ve pinched from Mighty Car Mods, so thought I’d just pinch the idea for the whole setup. Only issue is I have 3 boxes, 2x 1400mm and 1x 1835mm wide.

Of course I can do it in two bays, but it would be nice not to have the divide in the middle so wondered if anyone knew of a range of racking that had beams that could span the full 4.6m of the three boxes and still be solid?

Failing that I’d be interested in any pics of modified racking to lose the need for an extra upright.

I’ve seen some 4m Dexion cross beams on eBay, but nothing wider.

 

[gaz1]

me personally id stick to the 3m for one type of shelves for your 2 boxes 2x1400

and select another type for my other box even if you went with the

1835 and the 1400 that would fit in a 3.7m racking system

 

[Agroshield]

Could you start the middle upright above the toolboxes? Three legs at the back going all the way down but only two at the front.

Think about how scaffolding uses trusses to span over a doorway, but reverts to standard upright spacings above it.

If the toolboxes are not the full front-to-back depth of the racking, put another leg as far forward as possible, so six legs total, but one kind of jogged.

 

[gaz1]

im going to point you in the racking sales reference as they do sell the length that you want but there is a but

expect to pay new prices not used

https://palletracknow.com/pallet-rack-sizes/?srsltid=AfmBOoqmHx1FWbcY52pZK61Ib5a54N-53UcbOF9dgxgj0pRUyBVjYI3e

whilst used you will find plenty of warehouse beams at certain lengths

4m beam is 150mmx50mm

 

[Endeleus]

I've got 4.3m Link 51 in my workshop, I can double check the actual usable width next time I'm over, but we switched from Euro pallets to the slightly smaller CP5 pallets and get 5, rather than 4 in a bay.

 

[Agroshield]

I've got 4.3m Link 51 in my workshop...

I am struggling a bit. You note 4.3m, gaz1 above notes 4m but the OP's requirement is 4.635m (1.400 + 1.400 + 1.835 = 4.635) and that needs to be clear span between closest points of the uprights.

 

[gaz1]

I am struggling a bit. You note 4.3m, gaz1 above notes 4m but the OP's requirement is 4.635m (1.400 + 1.400 + 1.835 = 4.635) and that needs to be clear span between closest points of the uprights.

if you go down the used route you can get used pallet bays that is used in a warehouse which has set weighs on each pallet as well as beam length so whilst those bays are easy enough to buy cheaply enough

once you start pushing onto wider bays for a warehouse it can get costly

4.3 beam length is rare on ebay but it also depends on where it is and if its local for you

@fizzy knows more about pallets bays

 

[hotponyshoes]

If it's only for personal use can't you just cut and weld to get the required length?

 

[bricol]

If it's only for personal use can't you just cut and weld to get the required length?

That was exactly what I was going to say.

Although I reckon 5m span for a bench might be irritatingly wingy-whangy in the middle.

 

[hotponyshoes]

That was exactly what I was going to say.

Although I reckon 5m span for a bench might be irritatingly wingy-whangy in the middle.

You could always beef it up with some extra material or add a 3rd beam through the center.

Or use something stiff for the shelving material. Something like grp coated ply and screw it to the beams with some countersunk screws?
Should stiffen it up a fair bit.

Or, make a 90⁰ angle bracket (like a huge shelf bracket) and bolt it to the back wall to support the center.
You could make the top of the bracket from tube and hole the cross members so you could run it through them.
Would be a good storage space for a ruler..

 

[hotponyshoes]

Looking at the photo,
How does the lower crossmember fit?

I'd guess the crossmember is deeper than the tops of the toolboxes?

So you either won't be able to open the top drawers or you'll have a lip over the top of the work surface.

Or they are using the shelf as a work surface?
So you waste the workspace of the boxes?

I suppose a lip might be handy to stop things rolling off.
Or a new work surface would keep the box tops in good condition if you wanted to resell them?

I'd wonder if you could get away without that lower crossmember? Maybe just by welding some plates to the uprights and bolting them to the floor?
If you just fitted plates to the outside you won't interfere with the box wheels and should be able to fit everything nice and flush

Edit: You'll also only have limited options on what height the lower cross member clicks into place. As you already have some racking you could measure it, compare to the boxes, then adjust the thickness of a footplate to get it flush

 

[gasket999]

Thanks everyone. Some really good insights.

The size chart was really handy as it showed standard beam widths (hadn’t found that before) and hadn’t appreciate the sizes started in Inches - which explains why the sizes in mm on eBay are all over the place by the time they’ve been measured by different sellers.

I think the decision is made: if I can’t have a single span (and it doesn’t seem possible, the longest ones I could find after absorbing the info above were 4.5m and they were unavailable used and were also from a niche supplier) then I’ll have to have two bays.

I’ll get the 3.7m beams and put the two 1400 boxes under that - but I’ll leave a 900mm gap in the middle so I can get my knees under and sit on a stool: hadn’t considered that before but a sitting area would be really handy.

I’ll then have a separate bay to house the 1835mm box (approx 2m beams but may cut down in the future for a neater fit) and will have this bench for a different purpose (like stainless topped for assembly or boxed in and vented for spraying).