Looking for steel stand input

[rwrussom]

Hi all
Im about to cut loose on the stand for a 225 penninsula setup. Hopefully the attached jpeg works. Stand will be aprox 74"x32"x42" tall.

The question is on tube wall thickness. Should I go any thicker than 1/8". Someone has suggested 1/4", but that gets to be a 700# stand. I had not planned on towing the tank behind my truck, so that seems like overkill.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Tank_Stand.JPG

[nyvp]

120x36x30 Island tank I used 2x2x1/4

Here is the thread

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=847516&perpage=25&pagenumber=22

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/nyvp/CIMG0359.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/nyvp/CIMG0343_edited.jpg

[Treg]

I wouldnt use 1/4" wall.

1.5"x1.5" Sq stock x 1/8" wall would be Plenty Strong.

I dont personally think you even need all 5 of those cross braces on the top.

If it were mine, I would use 2-3 at the most and maybe add 1 more going up and down on the front and back or some 45*'s on the corners.

[zmar84]

Just made a metal stand for my 150g tank and used 1.5" square 1/8" thickness steel tubing which is all you need.

I would add one more leg on each long side making a total of eight and drop two or even four bars from the top, all those do is add weight.

[mflamb]

My 390 gallon stand. 1.5x1.5x3/16". Not real pretty, but hell for stout!!!
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p117/mflamb/stand2.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p117/mflamb/DSC00072.jpg
Make sure you take into account any overflow box plumbing.

[Treg]

Looks pretty to me. :)

Stout is an understatement! :lol:

[rwrussom]

Thanks for the input.
Additional posts on the side are out. I am going to end up with open cabinets under there. You will see in later offerings. All the equipt will be off end at wall. Corner reinforcement is already in the plan. One end will be secured to the wall, the other end will have cross bracing for stifness. I think I will drop a couple of the horizontals on top.

[gws294]

Here's my stand for my 220G project... 2" square for top and bottom, and 1 1/2" for all vertical pieces. All walls are 1/8"

FWIW

Good luck,
Geoff



http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r194/gwsheen/DSC_0901.jpg

[Treg]

I guess I dont quite understand the concept of having more strength in the cross bracing than the vertical supports.
That just seems backwards to me... I look at it like a bridge, You need more strength to hold the weight up.


rwrussom, If you cant add more vertical supports, Maybe you could double up on the middle or add some 45's there. Like mflamb's stand.
It takes a LOT to break a good weld and all of these stands are probably way over built but hey, steels cheap. :)


This is one I made myself for my basement sump. 1.5" Sq x 1/8" wall. I only used one cross brace on the top and bottom.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/texasholdemtreg/Stand12.jpg


I'll be building this for my new tank real soon. Still going with 1.5" Sq x 1/8" but beefin' it up a bit since It will be holding about 100g more.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/texasholdemtreg/Stand.jpg

[jtemple42000]

My stand for my 210. 2"x2"x1/8"

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/125342welding-med.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/125342inside-med.JPG

[rwrussom]

Just a quick update for future reference.

I am going as shown in drawing but dropping out 2 of the horiz. pieces. Will be using 1.5" x 1.5" x 1/8" sqr tube.

Treg -
The real concern on the horiz. is the potential deflection of the sheeting material on top, I my case plywood.
The bridge concept is correct, but applied wrong. Most of the stregnth is required for the span, not the verticle support.

In my case, my concern was the potental deflection of the 3' horz span and tube crushing at the supports.

Had a friend run a quick calc for me and all who venture this way. Using a very conservative 500# uniformly distributed on that 3' long horz tube, the deflection is almost non existant and the tube is only 50% stressed.

Thanks to all. Great to see a thread with lots of pics.

[mflamb]

We put a 8400 pound truck on mine in the shop.

[marcrunner]

I agree with most of the folks about using 1/8 wall. If you feel you need to, you could use 1/4 on the horizontal pieces. This is how I did mine. The best advice I can give is to make sure that when the stand is being welded, it does not flex and tweak. I rhino lined my stand, and then coated with sweetwater epoxy. I completed my 96x24x36 stand for under 300$ including the coatings.

[gws294]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9414067#post9414067 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Treg
I guess I dont quite understand the concept of having more strength in the cross bracing than the vertical supports.
That just seems backwards to me... I look at it like a bridge, You need more strength to hold the weight up.


The stress applied to the vertical pieces is distributed lengthwise along the tube (It's like having a 38" high support). The horizontal pieces need to resist flexing. Although I'm not an engineer (and anyone please correct me if I'm mistaken!!), but the law of beams is a cube function... in orther words, if you double the height of a beam, you increase it's strength by a factor of 8 (2^2^2).... If you double the width of a beam, you only strengthen it by a factor of 2 .

Therefore, I used a larger diameter tube on the horizontal pieces.

FWIW,
Geoff

(I hope I got that correct??)

[gws294]

Sorry double post

[rwrussom]

Though I would update the progess. The stand arrived out a week ago. This weekend it was set in place.
It will be peninsula design with all equipment outside.
The stand is set on 3/4" ACX over 1/4" cork underlayment to help distribute the load and soften the impact on the cherry flooring.
Two straps were added to the end and used to bolt the frame to the wall studs. Living in California means the earth will move at some point and this will help a lot to prevent overturning and racking.
Cabinet shelf boxes also built this weekend, so I should have them installed and on to finishing next weekend. More pics to follow.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Stand_1.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Stand_2.jpg

Bolting to wall pic below
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Stand_Bolting.JPG

[RocketEngineer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9419171#post9419171 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mflamb
We put a 8400 pound truck on mine in the shop.

If I might ask, How did you get the truck onto the stand? And did you take any pics? (would love to see those)


gws294, you were right about the beam functions.


rwrussom, Looks like a good setup. Bolting to the wall means that when the ground moves the stand should help to hold up the walls quite nicely.

[rwrussom]

When the earth moves - 2000#, 4' in the air on a 32" wide platform sounds like a SUV making a fast corner to me.

[mflamb]

RocketEngineer,
We raised the truck up on a drive on lift, and lowered the lift down onto the stand (without the hood and supports). No pics...we were trying to be quick so the boss didn't see us.

[rwrussom]

Just thought I would update the project.

here are pictures of the cabinet work to date. ready to finish.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Stand_Cab_1.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Stand_Cab_2.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Stand_Cab_3.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/97768Stand_Cab_4.jpg

[Putawaywet]

84x36x38-ish fabricated out of 2" x 1/8" wall tubing.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/23770Stand-2a.jpg

Internal dividing walls & built in catch basin all coated in Linex.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/23770Stand_5a.jpg

Carlon electrical.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/23770DSCF0218a.jpg


Brett

[CletusKlump]

You guys make this look so easy......NICE stands everyone. Not tying to hi-jack thread, this is just the most informative steel stand build thread I have found. I just priced my stand canopy and two side risers.....$3000. Needless to say I need help finding a good welder who is not interested in me paying: right arm, first born, my dog and soon to be wife. Was looking to pay somewhere in the $1200 - $1500 neighborhood. I was informed by the welder that the prices of steel had more than doubled in the past few months..........is this for real or BS? I am willing to travel if I have to. What should I be looking to pay for a sim. design as NYVP - stand base 96 x 30 x 42, 2- side tiers 36 x 30 x 96 and canopy 96 x 30 x 24 with all of the above powder coated also. What would be the breakdown for parts, labor and powder coating?

Thanks In Advance,

Jeff

[mflamb]

My welder priced a stand for another reefer last month, and steel prices are double what I paid last July.

[tbone28]

Here's a thread I started:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1089351

Hope it helps...

Regarding pricing, I'm in northern california. The lowest price I found was $650 for a 6'x2' stand (2"x2"x1/8"). If I wanted corner gussets, it would be $750. This did not include powdercoating. Avg prices are $150 for powdercoat or Line-X.

All other fabricators quoted me between $1500-$3000 (stand and powdercoat)

Try Craigslist as well. I found a fabricator willing make the stand and powdercoat it for $600.

I ended up having my stand built through A.G.E, who is also making my tank.

Specs:

$675 + $75 freight (1.5"x1.5"x1/8)
no corner gussets
Powdercoated black
Levelling feet
3/4" Plywood deck, pre-drilled

[SALT WATER CRAZ]

Boy I see a lot of you must have big doorways or a big window to bring in your stand. The stand for my new set up bolts together in the center to get it in the house. :strooper: it is 72x36x36




http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c350/BFORRES3/Picture1479.jpg

[Biggie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9410827#post9410827 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mflamb
My 390 gallon stand. 1.5x1.5x3/16". Not real pretty, but hell for stout!!!
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p117/mflamb/stand2.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p117/mflamb/DSC00072.jpg
Make sure you take into account any overflow box plumbing.
Mflam, I have the same stand as yours or as Sidwinder +/- a cross brace here or there. I used same materials and principle design.
I think its an awesome design and very functional. If I had to give a suggestion to anyone wanting a steel stand it would be cap the ends, use a proven design, and make provisions for a catch basin on the bottom. Oh and last but not least double check your plumbing clearances before you marry the design.

[mflamb]

I ordered the tank over the phone in July, and exchanged a few emails with scale drawings of overflow boxes and the locations of the 8 drilled holes, and then built the stand/hood framework in late July. Tank arrived in October, and was a perfect fit. I too, would cap the ends if I did it again.

[cioutlaw]

I can build steel stands if anyone needs a builder. Im about an hour south of Chicago & certified welder/pipefitter but do fabrication/cert. dragcar chassis & roll cages at my home shop. I have built aquarium stands for the LFS that are 3 tier. PM me if interested.