So how do you get a 40ft shipping container off the back of a truck?

March 27, 2014 by easternhighlander

Hmmm, how to get the Yang Ming 40ft high cube shipping container off the back of the truck? Well it turns out you can pay thousands of dollars for the crane or do something rather more interesting with a chainsaw, some telegraph poles, a tractor, a winch and a jack. Mr Mandikonza who handled the whole procedure did a great job as you can see below.

Start by winching up the end

Winching up the 40ft shipping container using a telegraph pole

Then slip some poles underneath:

slipping poles under the shipping container

“Leo” thinks he can hide under the truck to avoid doggie dip day:

Leo hides between the wheels

Attach to 125HP 4wd tractor :

rope tractor to the container

and just pull:

40ft container half off the truck

Until this happens:

40ft Yang Ming touches down in Nyanga, Zimbabwe

Then some brave person checks again that the brakes are on and crawls under with the jack:

Bravely jacking up the shipping container

Place the cut-to-fit p0les underneath:

placing poles under the 40ft shipping container

Then just let down the jack and drive the truck away!

40ft container rests on two telegraph poles

Now just pull it where you want it (using the same poles as rollers) with the tractor:

Tractor pulling the 40ft Yang Ming

40ft high cube Yang Ming in Nyanga, Zimbabwe

Celebrating the arrival of all our household goods with an 8 year birthday:

8 year birthday in Nyanga, Zimbabwe

The Yang Ming in Zimbabwe: unloading day

March 27, 2014 by easternhighlander

Our two shipping containers made it all the way to Nyanga Zimbabwe from Sutton Mass. USA – Hooray! We had 24 hours to unload the two containers – the 40ft Yang Ming and the 20ft MSC – and we had organized a 20 person work crew for the job. Here they are in action:

MSC shipping container

And here is the Yang Ming in Nyanga:

Yang Ming Shipping Container

Finally some of the work crew celebrate the end of the day – it was all completed in 8 hours – great work!

The unloading supervisor and his team

Lifting the Yang Ming

January 21, 2014 by easternhighlander

So, raising a 40ft shipping container from the ground is not straightforward! Especially when it’s in a residential area without straight on access, when it was left without any chocks under it, and, when it is rather full (i.e. a heavy 40,180 lb). The pictures below are from the first attempt (snowing on the 18th Jan, and second successful attempt on 20th Jan made possible by use of a “wrecker” to lift and maneuver the container to allow the Landoll to get underneath.

Sneaking into the pictures you will spot our second shipping container (a petit 20ft) in the background up on its trailer – as yes – this is a 2 container family move!

Above the Landoll moves in for the first attempt – though not able to lift the container sufficiently with its own hydraulics.

Above, spot the second container in the background!

Above, YM being lifted by the “Wrecker”

and the Landoll backs in underneath

Note for the boys: the Landoll’s rear wheels can move back and fore, and the bed of the truck can be lifted as seen above so that the very end of the bed reaches the floor. Its a great piece of kit!