40 Foot Shipping Containers — Kingaroy & the South Burnett

With twelve metres of floor and one set of doors, the far end of a 40ft is only useful if you plan for it. The approach that works is to put the seasonal and bulk items at the back — fodder, fertiliser held between seasons, spare fencing — and the gear that gets used every week in the front third. A clear aisle down one side, rather than down the middle, keeps more usable floor for pallets.

If you need to reach everything often, look at a side-opening unit or at two 20ft containers instead; both cost more, but both remove the deep-storage problem. For machinery storage a 40ft works well for a small tractor, a ride-on or a quad plus implements, provided the doors open onto firm, level ground so the machine is not climbing a lip on the way in. A pair of steel ramps and a level set-down make that part easy.

1. What does a 40ft container cost delivered in the South Burnett?

   Guide pricing starts at $2,600 used cargo-worthy and $5,500 new single-trip, both ex GST. The delivered figure depends on the grade and the run — a drop at Coolabunia is a different number to one out past Proston. Ring (07) 4141 7699 and you will get one figure with the cartage already in it.

2. Can I see the container before it is delivered?

   Yes. There is no public yard, so ask and we will email photographs of the exact unit, serial plate in shot, before delivery. That is the point at which to say no if it is not right.

3. Is a cargo-worthy 40ft sold watertight?

   Every cargo-worthy unit is checked wind and watertight before it is loaded — someone climbs in, shuts the doors and looks for daylight, sounds the floor and works the door gear. As-is units are the cheaper grade and are not sold watertight; the faults are described before you buy. If the contents must stay dry, buy cargo-worthy or new.

4. Can a 40ft get down a range driveway at Blackbutt or Yarraman?

   Sometimes, and it is worth asking rather than assuming either way. The limits are the turning circle at the gate, the gradient, and whether the vehicle can find level ground to place from. Where a sidelifter cannot work, a crane truck occasionally can. Photographs of the gateway, the driveway and the intended spot settle it before anyone books a vehicle.

5. Is a 40ft cheaper than two 20ft containers?

   Usually, yes, on the container price — compare the guide prices in the table above: a used 40ft costs well under the price of two used 20s. Two 20s give you two sets of doors and more flexibility in placement, and each is a simpler delivery. Which is better depends on how often you need to get at what is inside and how much straight room you have for the truck.

6. What ground does a 40ft need under it?

   Firm, roughly level ground with support under the corner castings — blocks, hardwood sleepers or a strip footing, never the bare dirt. A 40ft is long enough that a soft patch under one end twists the frame and stops the doors lining up. On red soil, a compacted gravel pad under each corner is the usual answer.