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The video documents Essential Craftsman moving a 40‑ft, ~8,800–9,000 lb high‑cube shipping container about 200 yards across his property by jacking it up, installing a makeshift axle, and towing it slowly with a Kubota excavator, using blocking, drilling, chains, and careful test lifts to keep everything just barely on the safe side of “sketchy.”[youtube]​

Structured outline of the video

• Introduction and problem setup

  • Introduces the 40‑ft high‑cube container (~9 ft tall, ~8,800–9,000 lb) that must be moved roughly 200 yards so a renter can access it more easily.[youtube]​

  • Explains the excavator cannot lift or “shake” the box directly, so the plan is to jack up the container, add an axle and dolly under one end, and tow it to a new position.[youtube]​

• Concept: axle position and load question

  • Describes the idea of placing a temporary axle about 13–14 ft from one end so the far end can be lifted by the excavator while the container rides on wheels under the other end.[youtube]​

  • Asks viewers (especially those comfortable with statics) how much load will be on the “towing” end when the axle is at about 13–14 ft, noting it is not a simple linear relationship and guessing around 2,500 lb.[youtube]​

• Jacking the container with the toe jack

  • Attempts to use a high‑lift jack, but it will not fit, so switches to a compact hydraulic toe jack that can lift from nearly zero clearance at the bottom edge.[youtube]​

  • Uses the jack in stages with stacks of blocking, incrementally raising one end of the container, commenting on the smooth “automatic return” and that the jack is nearly at maximum stroke.[youtube]​

• Leveling and creating enough clearance

  • Observes that the container is not rising evenly, so raises the lower side more so the whole end comes up several inches.[youtube]​

  • Gets the end roughly 16 in off the supports at around 14 ft from the end, which should give enough room to slide the axle underneath once the design of the attachment is finalized.[youtube]​

• Test of pivot supports and excavator lift

  • Sets the container down onto two pivot points (one each side) around 13½–14 ft from the end, so that end is resting on the improvised supports rather than on the jack.[youtube]​

  • Drives the Kubota excavator around to the free end, rigs chains to the container, and performs a test lift to see how heavy the tow end feels and whether he can “overcome gravity” and get adequate clearance.[youtube]​

• Refining the rigging and axle position

  • Decides to shorten the chain / D‑ring spreader arrangement so the excavator can lift more directly with the main boom.[youtube]​

  • Plans to mount the axle slightly toward the excavator side of the pivot points to shave several hundred pounds off the excavator end load, hoping to reduce it enough to tow safely across the field.[youtube]​

• Sliding the axle under the container

  • Notes that the container and supports are heavy but there is enough clearance to work; decides to lay the axle down and pull it through from the opposite side using a come‑along anchored to something solid.[youtube]​

  • Acknowledges uncertainty about whether this will work but expects to know “by this time tomorrow,” emphasizing patience and incremental problem‑solving.[youtube]​

• Drilling and fabricating axle attachment

  • Realizes drilling through steel overhead while lying under the container would be difficult and dangerous, so rigs a pry‑bar‑like support to hold the steel in a better position for drilling from above.[youtube]​

  • Uses a 3/16 in pilot hole first, then a heavy “hole‑hog” style drill to enlarge holes, controlling torque with a custom slip‑on handle that locks over the drill’s handle so it cannot twist his wrists.[youtube]​

  • Reports the modified drill handle works well, calls this a “win,” and repeats the process to add more attachment points, remarking that the wheels only need to survive a slow, short move.[youtube]​

• Lowering onto the single tires

  • After the axle and wheels are attached, lowers the container using the jacks, uncertain whether the tires will contact the ground before the midspan of the container contacts the supporting beam underneath.[youtube]​

  • Ultimately gets the container resting on single tires rated around 3,700 lb each, estimating that there is roughly 3,800 lb on them, and observes a slight bow in the improvised axle but finds it acceptable.[youtube]​

• Final preparation and towing movement

  • Removes the beam that previously supported the container midspan, using the excavator to pick it out so the container can roll freely.[youtube]​

  • With the container now “on rubber” and the tow end rigged, begins to tow slowly with the excavator across the field, explicitly acknowledging that the arrangement is “sketchy” but sometimes “sketchy is the way to go.”[youtube]​

• Result: container successfully moved

  • Confirms that the container has been moved and can now be placed wherever needed in the field within the next month or so to suit the renter or future users.[youtube]​

  • Emphasizes that this would not have been possible without the excavator and the assembled mix of new, worn‑out, and inherited tools accumulated over many years.[youtube]​

• Closing reflections on tools and curiosity

  • Highlights a small hydraulic toe jack he had never known existed until a friend sent it, using it as an example of how tools expand what counts as a feasible “design solution.”[youtube]​

  • Argues that curiosity about tools—not just owning them—is key to becoming a more productive, complete person: watching others use tools, mentally filing them away, and remembering “they make a tool for that” when a problem arises.[youtube]​

  • Encourages viewers to stop at garage sales, browse classifieds, and pick up interesting tools, because someday they may solve a problem or get someone out of a jam.[youtube]​

Equipment and supplies used

Major machinery

• Kubota excavator (“the trusty Kubota,” his main lifting and towing machine for the container move).[youtube]​

• 40‑ft high‑cube shipping container (about 8,800–9,000 lb, the load being moved).[youtube]​

Lifting, jacking, and support gear

• TemCo hydraulic toe jack (compact low‑profile jack used to lift the container from near zero clearance at the bottom edge).[youtube]​

• High‑lift jack (attempted first but physically would not fit under the container in this situation).[youtube]​

• Stacks of wooden blocking / cribbing (small wood blocks used under the container and jack to step the load up incrementally and to create temporary supports/pivots).[youtube]​

• Temporary pivot blocks/supports placed about 13½–14 ft from the container end (serve as the rotation and test‑lift points).[youtube]​

• Steel beam placed under midspan as a temporary support during lowering and later removed once the container is on the axle.[youtube]​

Axle, wheels, and attachment

• Salvaged axle from his brother‑in‑law “Jack” (repurposed as a makeshift “Conex dolly” axle).[youtube]​

• Single tires mounted on the axle, each rated around 3,700 lb, used in single‑wheel configuration under the container.[youtube]​

• Steel brackets/plates (implied as the steel members being drilled to fasten the axle assembly or attachment hardware to the container’s substructure).[youtube]​

• Bolts and hardware (implied fasteners inserted through the drilled holes to secure the axle/attachments).[youtube]​

Drilling and fabrication tools

• Heavy duty “hole‑hog” style drill (used for larger holes after the pilot holes are established).[youtube]​

• Smaller drill bit (approximately 3/16 in) used for initial pilot holes through the container’s steel.[youtube]​

• Custom fabricated drill anti‑torque handle: a slip‑on handle that fits around the drill’s own handle to prevent twisting and to give better leverage.[youtube]​

• Pry‑bar / lever setup to reposition material for drilling so the bit is not forced upward overhead.[youtube]​

Rigging, pulling, and restraint

• Chains (including an arrangement described as a D‑ring spreader/chain setup) for connecting the container to the excavator and adjusting lift geometry.[youtube]​

• D‑rings / shackles (used with chains to attach securely to the container and excavator).[youtube]​

• Come‑along (used to pull the axle assembly through from the far side under the container, working against some fixed anchor).[youtube]​

Measuring and reference tools (from description/affiliate list)

These appear in the video description as part of his regular kit and are plausibly used on site, even if not featured prominently on camera:

• 4 ft level (for checking level of supports or container placement).[youtube]​

• Tape measure (for marking the 13–14 ft axle and pivot locations).[youtube]​

• Spencer tape measure (another specific tape referenced).[youtube]​

General hand tools and site gear

• Formsetter hammer (promoted in the description and consistent with the sort of heavy hammer visible in similar Essential Craftsman job‑site work).[youtube]​

• Assorted carpenter’s tools carried in carpenter bags and on a work belt (hammer, utility knife, etc., referenced via affiliate links).[youtube]​

• Miscellaneous blocking timbers and scrap lumber for cribbing, shims, and temporary supports.[youtube]​