Upcycled goods
A tote’s fourth act
is usually its
most interesting.
Not every cage can go back to holding chemicals — but almost every cage can go back to holding something. Bay 5 exists to turn the ones at the end of their industrial life into things people actually want.
Eight standing builds
Everything here was going to be scrap
Prices are starting points for a single unit collected from the yard. Fittings, insulation and delivery are quoted on top, and volume knocks it down fast.
Rain harvester
Downspout inlet with a first-flush diverter, insect screen, overflow to grade, and a hose-bib outlet at a height that actually fills a watering can. Linkable in series for larger roofs.
Aquaponics / IBC bed
Classic cut-and-invert build: lower third becomes the fish tank, upper two thirds becomes the grow bed, cage reassembled to carry both. Bulkheads, standpipe and bell siphon fitted.
Raised planter
Waist-height growing bed with drainage, liner and the cage left on as structure. Popular with schools, community gardens and anyone tired of kneeling.
Livestock waterer
Float-valve trough fitted to a gravity-fed tote, with a lid, a screen and a drain for winter. Insulation jacket optional and recommended north of Lansing.
Flood & berm barrier
Filled with water or sand and linked with strapping, totes make a fast temporary barrier. We supply cleaned, drilled and strapped sets for municipalities and contractors.
Dock float
Capped, sealed and cradle-mounted for small docks and work platforms. Foam-filled option for puncture tolerance.
Firewood & bulk cage
When a bottle is finished but the steel is perfect, the cage alone is a superb stackable crate for firewood, scrap, produce or parts. Cheapest thing in the yard.
Wash station / sink
Gravity-fed outdoor hand-wash or produce-rinse station on a cut tote with a tap, basin and greywater outlet. Built for farm stands and job sites.
How a build happens
Five days, usually
Standing builds ship from stock when we have them. Custom work runs through the same five steps.
You describe the job
Volume, pressure, whether it holds anything edible, where it lives in winter.
We pick the donor cage
Grade matched to the job — food-grade for anything edible or potable, technical for the rest.
Cut, weld and fit
Hot-air plastic welding, bulkhead fittings, screens, taps, standpipes, lids.
Water test
Every build is filled and watched before it leaves. Leaks are cheap to find here and expensive to find at your place.
Collect or delivered
Yard pickup, or on a van run if you are within our core radius.
Before you order
Three things that catch people out
A full tote of water weighs 2,300 lb
Ice will split a full bottle
Sunlight grows things
Have an idea for a cage?
Describe it in the message field. We have built dog baths, maple evaporator pre-heaters and a mobile beer-line flush cart. Nothing surprises bay 5 any more.