Protecting Driveways When Moving Shipping Containers With Container Shoes
Delivering and repositioning shipping containers can damage concrete, asphalt, and landscaping surprisingly quickly.
The problem is simple: shipping container corner castings are made from hard steel. When that steel slides across a driveway or shop floor, the concrete usually loses the battle. To help solve that problem, we developed a prototype product called Container Shoes.
Why Shipping Containers Damage Concrete
Container corner castings concentrate a lot of weight into a very small area.
When a container is dragged or shifted sideways, the leading edge of the casting can gouge, chip, or crack concrete.
This becomes especially important for rental companies and delivery businesses that regularly place containers on customer driveways.
Even a relatively small scratch can create an unhappy customer and an expensive repair.
What Are Container Shoes?
Container Shoes are designed to fit directly into the lower corner castings of a shipping container.
Instead of letting the steel casting contact the concrete, the container rests on the plastic shoe.
The idea is to use a material that is softer than both steel and concrete so the shoe becomes the sacrificial component.
If something has to wear or leave a mark, it is better for an inexpensive replaceable shoe to take the damage instead of the customer's driveway.
Testing the Prototype Material
Early prototypes were 3D printed and fit easily into the corner castings.
The production-style prototype used a much harder plastic, which required a small dimensional adjustment before it fit properly.
Once installed, the material held up extremely well during destructive testing, including repeated impacts with a sledgehammer.
The design also uses one universal shoe for all four corner castings rather than requiring separate left and right versions.
Sliding a Container Across Concrete
Once Container Shoes were installed on all four corners, the team moved the shipping container across the shop floor.
Instead of deep scratches or damaged concrete, the shoes left light white marks from the plastic.
The container was even pulled across an existing control joint where previous steel-on-concrete movement had damaged the floor.
With the shoes installed, it slid across much more smoothly without creating the same type of damage.
Container Shoes vs Container Casters
Container casters can also help move containers, but they are not always practical.
On sloped shop floors, casters naturally want to roll toward the lowest point, making it harder to keep the container where you want it.
Container Shoes allow the container to slide into position while remaining much more stable once movement stops.
They may also be more practical for deliveries because there are no wheels or moving components to manage underneath the container.
Using Container Pads for Final Placement
Container Shoes are primarily intended to help during movement.
For a container that will remain in one location, Container Modification World Container Pads are another option.
The pads can be placed underneath the corner castings to distribute the load, provide clearance underneath the container, and help with leveling.
In the shop, the team can use Container Shoes to slide the container into position and then use Container Pads as shims to level it on the sloped floor.
A Simple Solution for Safer Container Deliveries
The first round of testing showed that the Container Shoe concept works.
By creating a replaceable plastic surface between the shipping container and the ground, the shoes can help reduce scratches, gouges and cracking during container movement.
For shipping container rental fleets, delivery companies and modification shops that regularly reposition containers, a simple sacrificial shoe could prevent a lot of unnecessary property damage.