Stand build journal for 125 gallon tank

[NewObsession]

finally got the feet/levellers/braces (call them what you will) done last night.

Before I get a stack of posts pointing it out, I am stating here and now that I realize this part may not exactly fall into the realm of DIY. The hardware off the shelf is probably in the neighbourhood of $200 and then there's the welding... I'm including this in the journal simply because it is part of the build and it solves my dilema of the casters not having the rating I originally thought they did and didn't want to take them off or have to build up 4 inches of base. For those of you following at home you can avoid this whole thing by forgetting casters and base your dimensions on floor to tank length.
So withough further ado here we go.

 

[NewObsession]

The braces are made from pieces of unistrut that I cut into 10" lengths.
I drilled a 7/8" hole in them and had a friend weld 3/4" nuts into them

 

[NewObsession]

The feet/levellers are a 3/4" x4" fully threaded bolt and fender washer. I had the washer welded onto the head or the bolt to make the leg. This will give it a bigger footprint and spread out the load rather than simply using the head of the bolt. I included the lighter in the pic below just to help give some idea of size.

 

[dundadundun]

opcorn:

 

[NewObsession]

to install them on the stand I drilled a 7/8" clearance hole through the bottom rail of the stand (so that in the event of raising the feet the bolt has somewhere to go) then screwed the pieces of strut in between each set of casters. The result is 6 legs that will help stabalize and distribute the wieight of the tank. For the record, the clamp load of the bolt/nut combination ( ie the weight it takes to strip the nut off) is ~ 21,000 lbs so even at 1/10 of that with 6 legs you're looking at ~12,600 lb rating and that's without the casters.

Also, since the hex of the bolt is on the floor, it'll give me the option of slipping a wrench under the trim to adjust the legs which will allow me to level the tank if need be (plus with the removable cabinet bottoms I have access to the back feet as well).
SO basically I can roll the stand into place, get the tank on it and before filling I can crank the feet down even with teh casters to distribute the weight and stabalize the tank..

 

[coach_z]

very nice!

 

[axelfoley]

the casters are an interesting choice!

 

[aXio]

So with your new feet on the stand will there be any weight going on the casters at all? Or will they be working the casters to support the weight

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Heavy duty metal feet with threaded adjusters and what basically amounts to a metal base-plate platform will make balancing the aquarium on an uneven surface a breeze even when full, a pricey and more tedious build but certainly deluxe and user friendly. If this happens not be be your last stand build or refurbish, you might consider making the wheels a removable-portable option rather then permanent.

Im currently in the same situation setting up my DIY stand and 210 tank but Im using the cheaper option of a hydraulic jack to place and remove my temp wheel-trucks and carpenter wedges to level my stand while filling.

 

[HisNewLove]

So with your new feet on the stand will there be any weight going on the casters at all? Or will they be working the casters to support the weight

A little from column A, a little from column B. The threaded feet were originally a back up plan for the casters. While they could take all the weight, my intention is once the stand is in place to lower the feet to the point of just barely taking the weight of the casters. With it being on carpet obviously once there is more weight added it will sink a bit but in general the casters and the feet will both be taking the weight, with a bit more emphasis on the feet. I did some math today and figured that at 125 gallons you're looking at 1400 lbs. 200 lbs for the stand (and that is probably generous) + 100 lbs of gravel + 100 lbs just for incidentals and you're looking at 1800lbs. With 8 casters and 6 legs/feet each support is only taking 1800/14 = ~130 lbs ea so all should be good.