Stock racks need no wall anchors?

Cannonmn · Jul 5, 2018

We’re ready to fill the stock racks shown, but thought we should ask whether any anchoring into wall is needed. There’s no provision for anchoring in the design, no holes for it. Also the racks lean away from the wall. In wall contact at base but is maybe 4” from wall at the top. Another brand of racks we have, with similar design, is same way, top is many inches from wall, and no provision for anchors. I’m guessing that this design is very stable, especially if you put lots of weight on bottom tier. Anyone else use these bent sheet metal racks and have experience? Better, did anyone buy theirs new and (God forbid!) read the instructions? No idea why 2nd photo is sideways, shows up correctly when I loD it.

Lanso · Jul 5, 2018

I would here in California but I don’t think you need to unless you have earth quakes like we do.

Tony Quiring · Jul 5, 2018

Would suggest a safety chain bolted between top of rack and wall as the geometry looks like natural standing but earthquake or passing car or forklift could easily tip it.

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swatkins · Jul 5, 2018

Are they bolted to the floor? Looks like the bottom sticks out more than the shelf arms and would provide more stability especially if bolted to the floor..

Is the system bent? That second picture makes it look like one of the upright is damaged.

Cannonmn · Jul 6, 2018

swatkins said:
Are they bolted to the floor? Looks like the bottom sticks out more than the shelf arms and would provide more stability especially if bolted to the floor..

Is the system bent? That second picture makes it look like one of the upright is damaged.

Not bent, but in the pic it sure looks like it. Now I’m gonna have to figure out how the camera created that curved illusion! No bottom not bolted to floor, and as with back, there’s no provision for bolting to floor.

johansen · Jul 6, 2018

why clutter up the forum with something that is not rocket science?

the feet of that assembly stick out further than the arms do.

the vertical I beam structure is tapered, wider at the bottom than the top, and that's why its further from the wall at the top.

or the floor isn't level, or both.

Cannonmn · Jul 6, 2018

johansen said:
why clutter up the forum with something that is not rocket science?

Thanks so much for your snotty reply! Obviously no rocket scientist or you’d recognize a legitimate question dealing with personnel safety. Ever heard “The only stupid question is one that wasn’t asked?”

Cannonmn · Jul 6, 2018

Lacking maker’s instructions for this rack (can’t find a name on it either) I’ll draw on Navy background and think I’ll determine the stability experimentally. Every newly-constructed Navy ship goes through an “inclining experiment” to measure and record the stability characteristics. Weights are placed on one side of the ship and the angle of inclination off the vertical is recorded for a number of different weights. We can do the same kind of thing. After filling each tier starting at the bottom, pull on the top with a lifting strap, and if two men pulling on the strap can’t tip it a little, I think we’re safe with a free-standing rack. I’d just go ahead and chain it to the wall and forget about it but then I wouldn’t learn anything.

EmGo · Jul 6, 2018

Cannonmn said:
Obviously no rocket scientist or you’d recognize a legitimate question dealing with personnel safety.

You think it's going to tip over by itself, just sitting there ?

hmmm.

Clive603 · Jul 6, 2018

Safety chain at the top is a good idea. Mostly to protect against something being caught up when being taken off the upper shelve(s) of the rack and dragging the whole thing forward. Something that ought never to happen but if the guy with the fork lift is a newbie or having a bad day ....

As has been said self tilt instability is unlikely even with a pretty insane loading pattern. But best to put max load reminders on each shelf just in case. Seen similar with only the top one loaded "because thats where all the .... goes and we've run out of what goes lower down."

In practice most folk are very bad at judging tilt angles and their likely effect. The London bus tilt test always looks real scary to me Proving that London's double-decker buses were not a tipping hazard, 1933 . Without the tilt meters most folk guess the angle to be nearer 40° than the real just under 30°. Out in the real world it takes a lot of tilt to push things over. Real danger with a stock rack getting close to the tipping point is from all the stuff on it pouring off and burying you.

Clive

DDoug · Jul 6, 2018

That same rack is made with arms on both sides.

How do you fasten it to the wall then ?

Larry Dickman · Jul 6, 2018

a rack full of steel bolted to a wall? Bad news, but in an earthquake it'll just pull the wall down with it.

Mechanola · Jul 6, 2018

Larry Dickman said:
a rack full of steel bolted to a wall? Bad news, but in an earthquake it'll just pull the wall down with it.

Second that. Racks need to be set up level and charged in balance, more can’t be done.

Cannonmn · Jul 6, 2018

Here’s the similar one I mentioned, but it is constructed more sturdily as far as the uprights and back. Arms are sheet metal boxes like the blue structure. This one also has a back surface that inclines slightly away from the wall. So this must be a standard industry style. We’ll fill this one too but with stock under about 7’ long.

Bill D · Jul 6, 2018

OP lives in a seismic area so it should be bolted to the floor or chained to the wall. This will also prevent accidents from lift trucks, thrown workpieces etc.
BILL D

Bill D · Jul 6, 2018

EmanuelGoldstein said:
You think it's going to tip over by itself, just sitting there ?

hmmm.

I don't but a quake or any outside force could tip it over enough to spill stuff on your toes.
I bet you do not chain your pressurized gas cylinders up either.
Bill D.

plastikdreams · Jul 6, 2018

Bill D said:
I don't but a quake or any outside force could tip it over enough to spill stuff on your toes.
I bet you do not chain your pressurized gas cylinders up either.
Bill D.

Pffft who chains cylinders these days :rolleyes5:

Bill D · Jul 6, 2018

plastikdreams said:
Pffft who chains cylinders these days

see 30 seconds in.

MythBusters: Air Cylinder Rocket - YouTube

EmGo · Jul 6, 2018

Bill D said:
a quake or any outside force could tip it over enough to spill stuff on your toes.

Got a view of McKinley when the two blocks between us and the inlet dropped into the sea in Turnagain, called my friend working in the city during the world series quake, said "hey, we got waves in the street !" and he replied "I know, I'm driving on them, trying to get home before they close the bridge."

Got the earthquake merit badge.

No, I wouldn't tie a material rack to the wall. The walls are the feeblest part of a tiltup. I put a 5" diameter bar right through one once without even noticing (it was on the horizontal, kinda funny. The neighbor came over, "umm, did you know ..." It's more likely in an earthquake that the wall will pull the metal rack over than the other way around.

Lucky for me I don't do welding. But intelligent people don't chain tanks in case of earthquake. They chain them in case of accident, someone knocking them over. In a real earthquake you just get your sorry ass outside asap. The metal racks aren't going to tip over but the roof may come down on your head.

plastikdreams · Jul 7, 2018

Bill D said:
see 30 seconds in.

MythBusters: Air Cylinder Rocket - YouTube

I was being facetious

Stock racks need no wall anchors?

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