Drum & Cylinder Handling Equipment

Drum & Cylinder Handling Equipment - Safe Lifting, Storage & Spill Containment

Drums and cylinders can weigh hundreds of pounds. Manual handling is risky and often leads to back injuries, crushed fingers, or worse. Specialized equipment keeps loads balanced and secure, minimizing the chance of tipping, falling, or spilling hazardous contents, while helping facilities meet OSHA and other regulatory safety standards.

Drum and cylinder handling equipment safely lifts, moves, and positions heavy drums and pressurized cylinders in warehouses, plants, and production environments. These loads can be heavy, awkward, and hazardous, making controlled handling essential. Purpose-built equipment keeps containers balanced and secure during transport, storage, and dispensing, reducing the risk of tipping, dropping, or leaks.

By enabling a single operator to move drums safely and efficiently, handling equipment improves workflow and reduces labor strain. Better control minimizes product damage, spills, and downtime, supporting safer operations and consistent throughput across chemical, food-grade, oil, and gas applications. For facilities handling liquids or hazardous materials, spill control platforms and pallets add an additional layer of protection by containing leaks at the source before they reach the floor.

Selecting the Right Type:

♦ Lift type, choose a Wesco power or scale drum lift for vertical lifting and dispensing, or a drum dolly for horizontal repositioning of a stationary drum.
♦ Storage, choose MECO drum racking or pallet racks for organized bulk storage, or safety cabinets for cylinder and propane storage.
♦ Cylinder handling, choose a MECO or Little Giant cylinder truck for single-cylinder transport, or a cylinder pallet for multi-cylinder storage and movement.
♦ Spill containment, choose a Low Profile platform for easy pallet jack loading, a Fork Liftable pallet for forklift repositioning, or a Cart for mobile spill control that moves with the drum.

Where Commonly Used:

♦ Chemical and Oil and Gas Facilities, drum lifts, racks, and spill platforms support safe handling of hazardous liquids.
♦ Food-Grade Production, dedicated drum handling equipment reduces spill and contamination risk.
♦ Warehouses and Distribution Centers, drum and cylinder racks support organized bulk storage.
♦ Cylinder and Propane Storage Areas, safety cabinets support compliant storage of pressurized containers.
♦ IBC Tote Storage, containment pallets capture leaks at the source before they reach the floor.

CustomMHS carries the full line of Wesco, MECO, Little Giant, and Vestil drum and cylinder handling equipment, backed by each manufacturer's warranty.

Drum Storage

Drum handling equipment is specialized machinery designed to handle drums of various sizes and weights safely and efficiently. These tools and equipment offer several benefits in industries where drums store and transport liquids, chemicals, and other materials. In summary, drum handling equipment provides many benefits, including improved safety, increased efficiency, reduced physical strain on workers, and enhanced precision in material handling. It is an essential tool in industries that rely on drums for storage, transportation, and handling various materials.

Little Giant Industrial Propane Tank Storage Cage – Holds 12 Lift-Truck Cylinders

Little Giant Industrial Propane Tank Storage Cage Secure forklift propane tanks with the Little Giant Industrial Gas Cylinder Cage. All-welded design holds 12 cylinders horizontally, fits 20/33/44 lb tanks, lockable door, floor-mount footpads, safety yellow powder coat + Danger/Flammable sign. View All →

Little Giant Gas Cylinder Truck Little Giant Gas Cylinder Truck. Heavy-duty 7-gauge deck with reinforced tubing and corral dividers. Heavy-duty chain secures cylinders. Two swivel and two rigid 8-inch phenolic casters. 48-inch overall height. Authorized distributor. View All →

Little Giant Gas Cylinder Pallet Little Giant gas cylinder pallet transports 9-1/4" cylinders by forklift, with a 7-gauge steel deck and secure divider handles. View All →

Wesco Ergonomic Drum Handler DM-1100 Standard Model The Wesco Ergonomic Drum Handler DM-1100 Standard Model provides an ergonomic solution for lifting, transporting, weighing, and placing drums on spill or standard pallets. View All →

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does drum and cylinder handling equipment cover?

The category spans the full path these containers take through a facility: lifting and dispensing, horizontal repositioning, organized storage, and spill containment underneath. Drums and cylinders can weigh hundreds of pounds, so each stage needs equipment built for the load rather than manual handling. CustomMHS carries the full line of Wesco, MECO, Little Giant, and Vestil drum and cylinder handling equipment, backed by each manufacturer's warranty.

What spill containment style fits my equipment?

Three configurations cover the common cases. Low profile platforms sit close to the floor so a pallet jack or hand truck loads a drum without a ramp. Fork liftable pallets add fork pockets so the whole containment setup can be repositioned with the drums in place. Cart models put containment on casters, so protection travels with the drum rather than being left behind when the drum moves. IBC totes need their own containment pallets, since the footprint and volume differ from a 55-gallon drum.

How do cylinders differ from drums in handling requirements?

Cylinders are pressurized, which changes the risk. A dropped drum spills, while a cylinder that falls can shear its valve and vent under high pressure. That is why cylinder trucks use chain restraints and why storage keeps cylinders upright and secured. Cylinder trucks handle single-cylinder transport, cylinder pallets handle multi-cylinder movement and storage, and safety cabinets provide locked upright storage between uses.

How does this equipment help your facility?

The clearest gain is that one operator can move, position, and dispense from heavy containers safely, which both removes a common source of back injuries and crushed fingers and eliminates the two-person handling that otherwise ties up a second worker. Controlled handling also reduces the spills and product damage that come from a drum tipping or getting away from someone, and in chemical and oil and gas facilities a contained release avoids the cleanup and reporting that follows a spill on the floor. Organized racking makes drum and cylinder inventory countable rather than shuffled around a storage area, and secured cabinets support the accountability that pressurized container storage requires.

Built for Manufacturers, Warehouses &
Industrial Facilities

CustomMHS is an authorized distributor of industrial storage and material handling equipment for manufacturers, warehouses, distribution centers,
and industrial facilities across North America. From shelving systems and pallet racking to storage containers, workbenches, carts, security fencing, and cabinets,
we carry industrial-grade brands and help you choose the right specs, load ratings, and configuration for your facility, workflow, and space before you order.

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Drum & Cylinder Handling Equipment