Cantilever Rack… The Rack of All Trades

If this were an interview question for a warehousing position… how would you answer it?

A canoe, a couch, a wire reel, a skid of 20’ 2” x 6”s and 10 boxes of auto parts walk into your warehouse…
You can only have 1 rack system. Where do you store them?

Ok, sure we’re having a little fun but seriously can all of these completely different sized, shaped and weighted materials be stored in a single rack system? You Bet!  It’s called cantilever rack.  Infinitely flexible, strong and durable.

 

Most often designed for storing long, bulky items such as lumber, piping or textiles, cantilever rack is the go-to for items that simply aren’t suitable to standard pallet racking.  However, cantilever is also ideal for reel storage and, with the addition of wire decking, can accommodate totes and cartons for single parts storage as well.

Cantilever rack is designed with vertical support arms that attach to a series of columns and then cantilever out on a slight angle to support the load. The columns are hole punched the full height at intervals as close as 2” for some applications to provide easy and flexible configuring for your load.  Columns can also be punched on the front and back sides for double storage (see image right).  Arm length, height and quantity are determined based upon size and quantity of expected load.

 Advantages of cantilever rack over traditional storage rack:

• No front column to block inventory access so easy load/unload
• Arm positions are adjustable along full height of the column
• Efficient use of vertical warehousing space
• Available in roll-formed or structural depending on application weight
• Durable for interior and exterior use
• Easy to install and reconfigure
• Decking options available

Important design considerations must be identified prior to ordering your cantilever rack such as: system material i.e. roll-formed or structural, number of arms to support the load to avoid deflection, length of arms for proper load placement, and overall system height.  Once customized to your needs however, the system will indeed provide efficiency cost-savings for perhaps decades if properly maintained.

If you’d like to learn more about cantilever racking or if you have an unusual storage need and would like to talk it out with a knowledgeable professional, give us a call.  We’ve never had a storage question “walk” into our facility that we couldn’t answer.