Lowe's Heavy Duty Shelf Unit for Two 125's?

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biguebs

biguebs

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Mar 5, 2011
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Fort Wayne, IN
Looking at a 77W x x 72H x 24D shelving unit at Lowes. Says 2000 pounds per shelf. I have been searching and can't find anyone who has, but wondering if it would work as a dual 125 gal rack? I see old posts with mentions of people putting 40 breeders on smaller/similar units. Here is the unit I'm looking at: https://www.lowes.com/pd/edsal-72-i...-Certified-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/3172913

Here is my thought... Obviously need to put 3/4" or so plywood onto the shelves (probably with some 2 x 4s underneath) to distribute weight to the metal as best as possible. Secure the stand to studs in wall. Rack would be in my heated garage on a slab.

Yes, I know I can build one for less. I probably will. But I think this would look nicer if possible. Anyone have input or maybe willing to admit they've done this?
 
Hello; I use a rule of thumb that a tanks weight might be ten to twelve pounds per gallon. That includes a stand. I get 1500 pounds at 12 pd per. This makes the idea feasible if each shelf can hold 2000 pounds.
Never tried this myself.
Keep us posted if you do this.
 
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Maybe, lol. But if it doesn't....


Maybe once you get the shelf height, have it welded... idk.
 
The weight capacity is right at 1.5x safety factor.

I don't think it will work due to no support on the edges of the tank. I wouldn't attempt it. I would depend on 3/4 ply.

I've done the 40b stand but it was an exact fit inside the frame.
 
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Lowes says 1500lbs per shelf....Bit close for my taste. My wife is paranoid and I over built my stand with all 4x4 contruction and 2x 3/4 ply top.....Could hold over 30,000 lbs I would guess. Two tanks on that shelf unit would scare the crap out of me!!
 
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biguebs said:
Obviously need to put 3/4" or so plywood onto the shelves (probably with some 2 x 4s underneath) to distribute weight to the metal as best as possible. Secure the stand to studs in wall. Rack would be in my heated garage on a slab.
Click to expand...

The question is not whether the stand will hold the weight the question is will it hold the tanks level and flat without tweaking the tanks. I certainly would not do this without both the 2x4's and 3/4 ply... I would add a 1/2" sheet of Styrofoam insulation to help distribute the weight evenly and relieve pressure points. (I would glue and screw the 3/4" ply to the 2x4's so they distribute the weight together as a single structure instead of two independent structures.

How well will the 2x4's sit on the shelves? Will they sit flat or do the shelves have some profile to them on the top that would make leveling the 2x4's difficult?

I think having the feet of all 4 legs perfectly flat would be critical (accomplished pretty easily with a pair of opposing wedges under the feet). With a good flat base to build on, secured to studs, the added wood for rigidity and the foam to help relieve pressure points I think this is very doable. BUT slap it up, screw it into the wall and put the tanks on is a recipe for failure in my opinion! The shelves falling down in a massive failure is not very likely. The tanks getting tweaked and springing small leaks is much more likely.
 
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biguebs said:
Looking at a 77W x x 72H x 24D shelving unit at Lowes. Says 2000 pounds per shelf. I have been searching and can't find anyone who has, but wondering if it would work as a dual 125 gal rack? I see old posts with mentions of people putting 40 breeders on smaller/similar units. Here is the unit I'm looking at: https://www.lowes.com/pd/edsal-72-i...-Certified-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/3172913
Click to expand...

Two problems:

1) It says 1,500 lbs, not 2,000

2) Being able to hold something (at all) does not tell you how long it can hold it.

A wood shelf that holds the 200 lbs I placed on it today, can collapse with just 120 pounds on it if I leave it unmoved for 10-12 months. This is because various materials will fail after a period of time due to fatigue. (It's often why things just "collapse" for no apparent reason after they appeared fine the day before.) Dead load carrying capacity declines over time. Without knowing how this particular shelf will react to large dead loads, it's highly suspect.

You're probably better off assuming the 1,500 lbs maximum means that a dead load (tank situated for one year or more) will work long term at 750-1,000 lbs., or roughly a 75-100 gallon. Of course, this is an estimate as the builders of the shelves probably didn't place 1,500 lbs and let it sit for 2 years, but it's reasonable. Assuming you can place dead loads indefinitely up to even 1,500 lbs isn't a reasonable assumption, imo.
 
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Drstrangelove said:
Two problems:

1) It says 1,500 lbs, not 2,000

2) Being able to hold something (at all) does not tell you how long it can hold it.

A wood shelf that holds the 200 lbs I placed on it today, can collapse with just 120 pounds on it if I leave it unmoved for 10-12 months. This is because various materials will fail after a period of time due to fatigue. (It's often why things just "collapse" for no apparent reason after they appeared fine the day before.) Dead load carrying capacity declines over time. Without knowing how this particular shelf will react to large dead loads, it's highly suspect.

You're probably better off assuming the 1,500 lbs maximum means that a dead load (tank situated for one year or more) will work long term at 750-1,000 lbs., or roughly a 75-100 gallon. Of course, this is an estimate as the builders of the shelves probably didn't place 1,500 lbs and let it sit for 2 years, but it's reasonable. Assuming you can place dead loads indefinitely up to even 1,500 lbs isn't a reasonable assumption, imo.
Click to expand...

You know what, I copied URL for wrong unit! Lol. One I was looking at was in store and is same dimensions but 2000 lbs per shelf.
 
Honestly, I think it could be made to work if braced and stabilized correctly.

Either way, I’m not going to be able to sleep at night with that setup based on everything I can find.

DIY wood frame it is! Lol
 
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