If you own a warehouse where you need to store bulky items such as metal pipes, then a cantilever rack is for you. With this storage system, you can easily keep and retrieve loads with just a forklift.
Generally, cantilever racks are used to store heavy materials, but they also come in different kinds. This also affects their setup and what they’re used for. Then cantilever racks are made of various components, all of which come together to give the racking system its structure. Let’s talk about the kinds and parts of cantilever racks.
Kinds of Cantilever Racks
Light Duty Racks
As the name implies, light-duty racks are used for light-duty applications. These racks are economical and useful for warehouse owners who don’t want to use forklifts for loading and offloading items. With light-duty racks, you can simply store goods and products manually.
Structural Racks
This is the most common kind of cantilever rack, and they’re used to store loads of varying sizes, from medium to heavy. Some of the things you can keep on structural racks are lumber, piping, etc., and other industrial and problematic products. A structural cantilever racking system is made of steel components that strengthen it and enable it to withstand pressure. They can also withstand adverse weather conditions, so they’re perfect for indoor and outdoor use.
I-Beam
I-Beam racks can carry up to several shelving levels due to the steel components that they’re made up of. This kind of cantilever racking system is secured with five connections, tightly fastened to the columns and arms of the rack. This rack can carry as much as 20,000 pounds, and they usually come in different arm sizes and columns.
Components of Cantilever Racks
These are the various parts that make up a cantilever rack.
Arms
The arms are the part of a cantilever rack where loads and items are stored. Thanks to the adjustable and customizable feature of cantilever racks, you can change the arm style and capacity as you want it. The arms of a cantilever rack also support decking, including plywood platforms, wire mesh decking, or steel decking.
Bases
The base ensures that the cantilever rack is well supported, although the size of the component depends majorly on the size of the rack’s arm and its capacity.
Columns
Many things fall under the column, such as verticals, upright columns, or towers. They are located at the rack’s base and are used to support the attached arms. The capacity and height of these columns will be determined by what exactly you need the rack for.
Horizontal and Diagonal Bracing
This serves as a stabilizer for the entire cantilever rack system. The systems’ design, as well as the dimensions of the products, will determine the length and breadth of the bracing.
Conclusion
Now that you know the different parts that make up a cantilever rack, and the different kinds of this system that exists, you have an idea of what to expect when you see a cantilever rack. Whether it’s a small cantilever rack or a big one, they’re more or less the same in terms of the component.
