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IT’S ALL IN THE LIFT
Solutions For Loading And Delivery
By Kevin Garrison 
Whether you are a veteran to the mobile self storage industry or a traditional self storage operator looking to add this service to your existing business model, one of the most important considerations you will encounter is the type of lift system you use. “This is the most important component of mobile self storage,” says Michael C. Born, vice president of Mi-Box, based in Joliet, Ill. “Without it, one simply becomes storage and not mobile storage.”
Moreover, because mobile storage is no longer simply a means of moving goods from house to house or house to storage unit, it has become increasingly important to protect the contents of containers from shifting or incurring potential damage while in transit. This is especially important in state-to-state moves where it is possible that the contents will travel over thousands of miles of roads and highways before arrival at the final destination.
“Any mobile storage lifting system must be able to deliver containers safely, efficiently, repeatedly, with minimal maintenance, in any weather conditions, on any surface or incline,” says Born. He explains that containers must also be delivered in a way that exceeds customers’ expectations. “It’s that simple!”
To meet this challenge, different mobile self storage businesses use different lifting systems and strategies to off-load containers from the delivery truck and re-load them when the customer is ready to send the container off for storage or moving. There are numerous choices for accomplishing this, and the question every operator must ask is: Just which way is best? Should you slide the unit off of the truck? Is it better to use a separate fork-type lift carried on the back of the delivery truck? Or should you use a specially designed lift system?
Staying On The Level
Jeanine Blake of St. Petersburg, Fla.-based PODS Inc. says that their lift system has the rest of the industry mimicking their success. Their patented PodZilla® technology gently lifts and lowers the container while keeping it level. Both the PodZilla lift and the software that runs it are homegrown systems proprietary to the brand.
Maintaining a level load is a primary goal of many lift systems. Keeping the transported goods level lessens potential claims from customers and makes it easier for them to load their own units without as much padding and without the care that would have to be taken with a container that tilts when loaded and unloaded. After all, they’re not moving professionals. As such, Mi-Box uses a level lifting system designed to protect tenants’ goods.
Other companies, too, are proponents of the lift approach. With their proprietary Trailpod™ system, Philadelphia, Pa.- based Advanced Trailer Concepts (ATC) believes that simpler is better when it comes to self storage lifting devices. The company’s self-contained trailer system, which includes hydraulics, winch, and track system, can all be pulled as a trailer behind a pickup truck or SUV. The trailer is a dual axle, powered hydraulic, tilt-bed trailer with a low tilt angle. Steel guide tracks dock the container atop the trailer, and large casters are mounted below the steel base frame of the containers.
To dock the container into the trailer, users back the trailer toward the container and line up the casters with steel tracks. A remote control lowers the backend of the trailer to the ground, links the winch cable to the container, and then and pulls the container into position. In addition to being used as a storage device, Trailpod can function as an enclosed utility trailer, a flatbed trailer, or a small equipment hauler.
David Nathan, ATC’s vice president of sales and marketing, says Trailpod’s patent-pending system relies on the lift system for its movement and motion. “Our unique use of a lift system is what makes us different,” he says. “The lift mechanism allows for placing the container on the trailer in conjunction with our track system.” The trailer, fully equipped, costs under $10,000. For Charleston, S.C.-based UNITS, a key factor in loading is not only the slope of the load, but also the slope of the ground onto which the container will be delivered. Their patent pending system allows them to deliver their storage units on a slope of up to twelve degrees. “Our system can operate where our competitors cannot, “ says Units President Michael McAlhany. “This was our objective with the engineers from day one.”
The containers are designed for ground-level loading without ramps, which provides easier moving and eliminates the risk of damage. UNITS’ 12-foot or 16-foot containers are attached to a pulley and loaded onto a flatbed truck at an eight-degree angle. McAlhaney says the trucks, which do not require a CDL driver, can be loaded or unloaded in as little as five minutes.
The Simple Route
Not all mobile self storage operators build systems designed to keep the load level, however. Betsy Harris, marketing director of Elba, Ala.-based Mobile Attic, Inc., says that a simple and affordable roll-back truck is the solution to the lift problem. “We find it unnecessary to incur the tremendous cost of a lift system when a simple roll-back truck is available, convenient, affordable, and has excellent resale value,” Harris says. “Several of our competitors recommend the lift systems as they are designed to gently raise and lower their containers off the transport vehicle. They believe this reduces any shift in contents, and if all the roads in America were flat, we would agree.”
As Harris notes, how well a unit is packed and secured is always important with any system because even if the customers’ belongings are loaded onto the truck in a perfectly level fashion, the truck may still have to have to climb and descend hills and make turns and possibly, hard stops. Mobile Attic does not believe that lift systems are important to their business. “In fact,” says Harris, “we believe that they mislead the customer into a false sense of security.” Undoubtedly, using a roll-back system in which replacement trucks are relatively easy to find has cut down on operations costs for the large franchiser.
Born disagrees. “Do not underestimate the importance of an effective delivery system,” he says. “This is a service business and the mobile storage industry is limited on where containers and services can be provided and which operators can deliver them—based on the type of lift system is used.”
What’s Next?
The future of lifting technology and systems for mobile storage devices is uncertain. Why? Because most operators, large and small, have bet their businesses that their approach is the very best. The franchisers have committed their resources to proving to the potential franchisee that their system is the future and that they need look no further.
There are really only two approaches to this problem for the companies. One is to design, implement, and sell a patented system that only their company can provide the franchisee. The second is to find inexpensive lifting solutions that anyone can have access to, making it easy to network with other mobile self storage operators in other locations.
Both routes have benefits for the operator. It is up to the potential mobile storage business owner to weigh the options between cost, exclusivity, and their personal business plans and goals.
“There are numerous delivery systems used today and all of them have limitations,” says Born. “The key is knowing about and understanding these limitations before investing any money.” He concludes that researching each type of lift system will take time, but it is essential for each operator to determine which type of system is right for their particular application. Good ways to gather information are vendor Web sites and trade shows.
In the end, it may be the industry’s customers who decide which lifting system is best for the market. Hence, the best strategy may be a business plan that allows for flexibility in the future.
Kevin Garrison is a freelance writer based in Lexington, Kentucky. Having authored more than 850 articles and three books, his work has appeared in numerous publications including U.S. Aviator, Air & Space Smithsonian, Horseplay, and Biztraveler.
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