Double sided roll out cantilever rack price?

Understanding the Price of Double Sided Roll Out Cantilever Racks

When sourcing a Double sided roll out cantilever rack for a high-volume steel service center, the “sticker price” is rarely a fixed number. Unlike standard static shelving, these are dynamic mechanical systems designed to handle millions of pounds of throughput annually. The price is directly correlated to the engineering required to support your specific inventory mix—whether that is 316L stainless steel tubing, heavy wall square pipes, or solid bar stock.

A double-sided configuration is essentially two high-density storage units sharing a single central column structure. This design offers the best price-per-storage-position ratio because it maximizes the structural steel usage of the uprights. However, the final cost depends on three critical variables:

Cost Factor	Industry Context	Impact on Price
Load Capacity Per Arm	Are you storing aluminum profiles (light) or solid steel bars (heavy)?	Higher capacity (e.g., 6,000 lbs/arm) requires heavier gauge Q235 steel and larger rack-and-pinion gears.
Material Length (Tower Count)	Standard 20ft (6m) bundles vs. 40ft (12m) custom extrusions.	Longer material requires more columns (e.g., 4, 6, or 8 towers) to prevent material deflection (sagging).
Rack Height & Levels	Available under-hook height of your overhead crane.	Higher racks (5+ levels) utilize vertical space better but require specialized chain-drive extensions for ground-level operation.

The “Space Premium”: Why Double Sided Makes Financial Sense

In the metal distribution business, square footage is money. Traditional static cantilever racks require wide aisles—often 12 to 15 feet—to allow a heavy-duty forklift to maneuver a 20-foot bundle of tubing without spearing the uprights or damaging adjacent stock. This results in a warehouse that is mostly empty aisle space.

The Double sided roll out cantilever rack changes this equation. By utilizing a central spine, you can serve two distinct zones or create a “super-dense” storage island. Because the arms extend 100% into the aisle, you no longer need forklifts for retrieval. The aisle width only needs to accommodate the operator and the load width, often reducing the required floor area by 50%. While the initial hardware price is higher than static racks, the cost per square foot of stored material drops dramatically when you reclaim half your warehouse.

Operational Efficiency: The Hidden Cost of “Digging”

Price must also be evaluated against operational costs. In a standard setup, if a customer orders a bundle of 2-inch square tubing that is buried at the bottom of a stack or behind other bundles, your forklift operator has to “dig.” This involves moving the top bundles to a temporary staging area, retrieving the target bundle, and then restacking the moved items. This process can take 15-20 minutes per pick.

With a Tcrack system, every level is an active pick face. An operator can crank out the specific level containing the required stock in under 60 seconds. The “price” of the rack is quickly offset by the reduction in man-hours and the elimination of production downtime at your saws or lasers.

Protecting High-Value Inventory (316L & Aluminum)

For Steel Service Centers dealing in high-value materials like polished 316L stainless steel or architectural aluminum, surface damage is a direct hit to the bottom line. Traditional forklift forks are notorious for scratching surfaces during loading and unloading. “Spearing” accidents where the forks hit the material instead of the pocket are common.

The engineering behind the Double sided roll out cantilever rack allows for overhead crane access. Once the drawer is cranked out, the material is fully exposed from above. A vacuum lifter or nylon straps can be used to gently lift the stock, ensuring zero scratches or deformation. The price of the rack includes the value of scrap reduction.

Mechanical Reliability and Safety Factors

The price also reflects the heavy-duty mechanical components required for safety. We are not talking about light-duty shelving. These racks feature:

• Transmission Shafts: Solid steel shafts connecting gears across all columns to ensure the drawer extends evenly without jamming (racking).
• Bearings: Sealed, high-load bearings that allow a single operator to crank a 6,000 lb load with minimal effort.
• Safety Interlocks: Mechanisms that prevent multiple levels from being extended simultaneously, preventing the rack from tipping.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can a double-sided rack handle 40ft (12m) long structural beams?
Yes. The system is modular. We increase the number of upright columns (e.g., to 8 columns) and synchronize the transmission shafts. This ensures the 40ft beam is supported at frequent intervals to prevent deflection and can be cranked out smoothly.

2. What are the floor requirements for installation?
Due to the high density and dynamic loads, a standard 6-inch concrete slab is usually the minimum requirement. The concrete should be rated for at least 3,000 psi. We use heavy-duty chemical anchors or expansion bolts to secure the base.

3. Can I store different material lengths on the same rack?
Absolutely. While the rack might be 20ft long, you can store 10ft bundles side-by-side or mixed lengths. We can also install intermediate support beams or steel decking on the arms to handle shorter, loose off-cuts or flexible materials.

4. How does the “crank out” mechanism handle dust in a steel processing environment?
The rack and pinion gears are designed for industrial environments. The bearings are sealed. However, in environments with heavy plasma dust or grinding swarf, we recommend a quarterly maintenance schedule to clean and re-grease the rack gears to ensure smooth operation.

5. Is the double-sided unit freestanding?
Yes, the double-sided unit is inherently more stable than a single-sided unit due to its wider base footprint. However, it must still be anchored to the floor. It does not need to be bolted to the building structure or walls.