What are console racks and how to install them?

The correct organization of the warehouse allows you to store a huge amount of products in a relatively small area, while providing easy and quick access to its entire assortment. Today, not a single warehouse is complete without large-scale racks, which in each case must be adapted to the parameters of the premises and sharpened for the characteristics of the stored goods. If you need to store items of considerable length, it will be especially useful to console racks.

Cantilever racks are radically different from most alternative types of such designs., since they do not have the usual shelves and compartments - instead, consoles without partitions are used for storage. At first, such furniture was most of all relevant in an industrial warehouse, where long structures were stored - it is optimal for storing shaped pipes and rolled metal, metal and wooden beams.

In a word, everything that is difficult to cram into a cell, and even in such a way as to efficiently use the space, is objectively easier to place on a console. Later, a similar approach was appreciated in other areas of industry, after which the active production of cantilever racks began in accordance with the requirements of GOST.... Such structures have become in demand for storing any oversized products - various rolls and lumber, coils and coils, boxes and much more. Today, console racks are even produced in a home version.

Nevertheless, modern manufacturers have already learned how to insert rods and support plates so that they do not interfere with the convenient storage of various products - thanks to this, consoles consisting of prefabricated elements are practically unlimited in either length or height.

Like other types of prefabricated metal shelving, cantilever structures allow for quick assembly and disassembly with little or no additional tools. If necessary, the height of the vertical space between the consoles can be quickly changed. Thanks to this, the endless shelf will fit the load that just did not fit in its dimensions.

Despite the appearance of various types of cantilever racks, to this day they are most intensively used exactly where they were originally invented - in warehouses dedicated to storing pipe products and rolled products. The specificity of the design is such that the rack is capable of withstanding a huge weight - up to 15 tons for each rack and up to 2 tons for one console. Of course, this allows you to solve any large-scale tasks for the storage of various products, and industrial enterprises are actively using this.

Recently, more and more intensive use of cantilever metal shelving in supermarkets - the absence of conspicuous jumpers allows you to create an aesthetic design of the trade pavilion and gives the consumer the opportunity to take a look at the entire assortment at a glance.

However, this problem has already been solved - surfaces subject to scratching and abrasion are covered with high-quality powder paint or enamel.

Recently, household console racks are becoming more and more popular, although the requirements for them in terms of scale and carrying capacity, of course, are somewhat lower.... Such a solution can actually be used for a variety of needs - home craftsmen store oversized skeins of various wiring and cables on consoles, housewives can conveniently place kitchen utensils and baking trays there, and someone is interested in such a furniture accessory for storing books. In any case, the highest requirements are put forward for home furniture in terms of aesthetics - racks must be painted.

From the above, even a person who first became familiar with the concept of cantilever racks could get a clear idea of ​​what it is. However, in the head of an ordinary person, only one specific picture probably appeared, while such designs are of different types and may have different designs, sharpened for practical needs. From the most obvious - the presence of wheels or their absence: models on wheelbases are still gaining popularity, but in some cases they allow you to streamline the warehouse, placing even more goods in a limited area.

In addition, various materials can be involved in production. - steel, galvanized and other consoles come across. Of course, the sizes also differ. However, we will consider the largest groups of cantilever shelving that can be distinguished by specific characteristics that immediately catch the eye.

Any cantilever rack necessarily has something like a back wall, but the key difference between the models is whether the consoles are adjacent to it on one side or both. For example, a double-sided Christmas tree rack is often found in the same supermarkets - the weight of goods is relatively small, its even distribution on both sides allows the structure to be balanced, providing it with the proper degree of stability.

Single sided cantilever racks are more typical for warehouse premises, they are often located along the walls. At first glance, they are not very stable due to the likely tilt towards the load, however, just their one-sidedness is the solution to this problem - they are often attached to the wall. Thanks to this, it is no longer necessary to ensure that the load on both sides is even - it is enough just not to overload the consoles beyond their capacity.

In the understanding of most people, a rack is a set of shelves or cells with a quite tangible bottom that does not allow the contents to fall down. But in practice, shelves are needed only if the stored items are relatively small - like goods all in the same supermarket, which are in a large number of units in a small area. However, cantilever racks are designed for long products of huge sizes, therefore a shelf in the form of a flooring is not needed for such a product - rolled products or pipes can be placed directly on the props.

In fact, the presence of flooring at the console rack is already a tribute to modern trends, when such furniture began to be used for any oversized cargo, not necessarily long. If the storage is universal, it is easy to assume that individual stored things will simply not reach from one spacer to another - then they simply cannot be laid without flooring. In addition, by occupying two adjacent struts, such a load will interfere with occupying an adjacent "cell", because one of its supports will be occupied. In a word, in many cases, flooring, although it makes the rack more expensive, is still necessary.

Modern shelving is in most cases made collapsible... This is quite convenient, because, if necessary, the structure can be added to sections or, conversely, to remove unnecessary ones, which are still not busy, but interfere with the passage. In addition, if the section is damaged, which is still possible, albeit unlikely, it can always be replaced without unnecessary problems.

If it is necessary to transport a collapsible structure, the issue can also be solved very easily - in disassembled form, you will get a set of relatively small parts that can be transported by the efforts of an ordinary truck. Again, if necessary, the consoles can be moved higher or lower, making the sections larger or smaller, adjusting to the parameters of the property that is stored in the warehouse right now.

However, console racks, as an exception, are also produced in one piece. This approach has only one advantage, but it is very significant: in complex structures, the seams and fasteners are always the weakest point. Unlike a collapsible rack, a solid one practically excludes the possibility of a collapse of the console, unless you completely overload it radically, and even then the whole structure is more likely to collapse, and not the shelf will break off. At the same time, the use of one-piece racks is only appropriate if the stored products always have standard dimensions, and the parameters of the consoles are matched just for them.

Even the highest quality cantilever shelving cannot be considered a good choice if it doesn't meet the needs of the new owner. In view of this obvious fact, it is reasonable to pay attention to the fundamental parameters that influence the choice of a particular model. This is especially true if you are a private consumer and do not order a shelving complex, but want to purchase a ready-made assembly kit.

• Dimensions of the furniture structure. You probably have already allocated a certain part of your own living space for the future place for storing various things, but it is hardly comparable in size to the scale of a production warehouse. It is important that the purchase in length, width and height fits into the parameters of the space allotted to it, while ensuring normal access to all consoles and not interfering with the normal transit passage.

• Console capacity. At home, you are unlikely to store long products, but it is still worth considering how to choose the most practical, in terms of space, model. For example, if you store a lot of tires in your garage, it would be impractical to choose a rack with consoles whose width is 2.75 tire diameters - the third one will still not fit, but the structure will take up space in vain. In general, there is a rule according to which the same type of product should be stored in consoles, whose dimensions are equal to one piece of such a thing or are multiples of an even (without fractions) number of pieces.

• Material protection from external influences... Obviously, the stronger the product, the more reliable and durable it will be, but in some cases there is no point in overpaying, and in others excessive savings will be unreasonable.For example, for installation in a kitchen or in other rooms with possible high humidity, as well as outdoors, it is advisable to choose racks made of chrome-plated parts that reliably resist corrosion. Alternatively, good quality enamel or powder paint can be used.

• Design and security. Such a simple thing as a cantilever rack is, in principle, difficult to fit into the interior design, but you can still try to do this, at least by choosing a model in such a way that it matches the color scheme of the home. At the same time, for living quarters, especially those where there are children, it is important to choose designs with no sharp corners. In addition, the presence of a slight tilt of the decks towards the support does not hurt - this will help prevent the contents from accidentally tipping over due to children's pranks.

As befits almost any modern industrial product, each product has an instruction manual, and console racks are no exception.

Do not think that you will figure it out anyway and connect all the parts with bolts without any problems - any mistake can lead to unreliable fastening of the consoles to the frame, and a collapse can lead to huge losses and even damage to human health.

The consoles can be located in relation to the vertical base both strictly at right angles, that is, horizontally, or at an angle. The tilt is usually performed towards the support, so that the same pipes, when loading the rack, in no case will roll towards the aisle without permission. Consoles can be fastened by detachable and one-piece methods - this is what we have already talked about above regarding collapsible and one-piece structures.

For the increased strength of the product, it makes sense to choose the one-piece connection method, but it does not allow changing the configuration of the consoles, therefore it is used relatively rarely. The detachable connection of the console with the main frame can be implemented in different ways - the fasteners are carried out bolts, dowels or hooks... The latter make it possible to assemble and disassemble the structure as simply and quickly as possible, but it is they who have the minimum planned load. In order not to waste the sustained weight on a massive flooring, the latter is made perforated - thanks to this, it becomes lighter.