SKB Rack Cases

It depends on what happens to the case rather than what is in it. A rack that lives in a room and moves occasionally is well served by a standard rack. A rack that gets handed to a carrier, flown, or driven over rough ground is where shock mounting earns its cost, because the shell will take impacts it cannot avoid and the question is whether those reach the equipment. The trade is depth, weight, and price: the suspended frame needs room to move, so a shock rack is bulkier and heavier than a standard rack of the same rack units.

Measure your deepest unit from the front rail to the back of the chassis, then add what sticks out behind it: connectors, plugs, and enough room for cables to turn without being crushed against the inside of the case. That total is the depth you need behind the rail. It is routinely more than the chassis depth in the manufacturer spec, and it is the most common reason a rack arrives and the gear will not close in it. Send us the model numbers and we will check the figures before you order.

A roto rack is built for it. Rotationally moulded shells have thick, seamless walls and the wall thickness to take stacking, dropping, and forklift handling without deforming, which is what freight means in practice. Pair that with shock mounting if the contents are sensitive. A soft rack should never go into a hold or onto a pallet, and a lighter transport rack will survive occasional shipping but is specified around getting to a job rather than around being handled by strangers.

We would not advise it. A soft rack protects against knocks, weather, and the wear of being carried, and it keeps rack gear organized and quick to reach. It does not protect against a heavy case stacked on top of it, which is exactly what happens in a baggage hold or on a pallet. If the rack has to be checked or shipped, move up to a moulded or roto shell and keep the soft rack for the gear that stays with you.

Often, yes. Caster kits and wheeled bases are listed under rack accessories, and a caster base has the advantage of taking the load without anything being drilled into your existing case. What matters is the loaded weight, the flat area available underneath, and whether the rack will still fit where it needs to once it sits higher on wheels. Send us the rack model and the loaded weight and we will tell you what fits.

Yes, and it is worth doing before you order rather than after. Send the list of equipment with model numbers, the rack units each takes, the loaded weight, and how the rack will travel. We can work out the depth you actually need, recommend a format, flag anything that will not clear, and quote the shelves, rails, and hardware that finish the build. If you are outfitting several identical racks we can price the whole run.