How do you store your chains?

As I have mentioned here a few times, I am trying to cure my hoarding problem. Actually its a dual problem. Since my folks passed I had to clean out my dads shed. His was our heated workshop and mine was a big storage pole barn. So, I am forced to combine two places and create a work space for myself. Granted I have a rudimentary setup with air and tools, but now I need heat and space. I have 40 x 64 with concrete floor of which I am walling off 24 x 40 to heat with a removable insulated wall. The point of my long story is chains. My dad and I accumulated a lot of chains and lots of lever binders while hauling tractors around. I sold our big gooseneck and some of the binders but storing chains, binders, and clevises, has always been a mess. I'm talking two dozen chains and probably 12-15 binders, a lot of which stayed stored in the trailer. I want to point out, I have NO, repeat, NO wall space to hang them! All wall space in the shop is covered with shelves and cabinets. And any wall space in the storage area is nearly impossible to get to because of tractors parked literally an inch apart! My thought was a thirty five gallon grease barrel mounted on heavy iron casters with hanging chains around the edge draped inside. Then I thought why a barrel? why not some kind of fabbed steel pyramid instead. I don't know at this point. I just know they need to get off the floor and off the occasional nail here and there.

I don't have many chains, plus don't use them much, so not much of a problem.

I had a thought in mind but did a web search to see if I could find something similar.Wow, lots of great ideas. Mine is just a poor-man's version of one of these:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=chain+storage&iax=images&ia=images

#5 gallon will hold them, but it will do so permanently. Putting them 5 gallon buckets with a Wide nib Marks-a-Lot ID of what is in the bucket, and limiting each bucket to 50# or so is much better. Place the buckets least likely to be needed on the bottom. Spray them with LPS corrosion inhibitor when stored. Jim

the #5 in the first sentence should be 35 gallon. Jim

Not sure why it needs to be in a heated shop. In the shop you need 2-4 chains at best. For storing extra chains I have mine on the outside of the building. I know some of you think they will all disappear but not where I live.

I have a 1/4 inch by 2 inch flat iron 4ft long, on each end is a 2X2 block welded on.
Bolt this to the wall with 2inch space behind flat iron. First one is mounted at 5-7 ft off ground. I hang the 2 hooks up and grab the middle of the chain and throw it over the hooks and no chain freezes to the ground in winter. at 4 ft off the ground another one. this is for shorter chain same way.
Binders hang on 2 more that are 1 ft long and stacked 3 high. so one at 3-4 one at 5 ft and 1 at 7 ft off the ground. You mentioned a barrel and I would say if you want it in the shop I would do exactly that except I would build 4 bars in a 2ft square and mount it above the barrel about 2-3 ft.. gives you 8 ft of flat iron too hang hooks and throw the chain in the barrel. with good wheels one it you could spin it around and move it when in the way. Have a different size or length of chain on all 4 sides and you would know where to grab from and hang back up.

I have a heavy set of hooks along the wall of the shop. My chains are hung to stay dry and not rust. I paint the hooks with an odd ball color paint so I can identfy my chains

Sold the big trailer. Probably only need 6 chains now. All my old chains that I had welded links or were stretched I hauled in for scrape and gave a buddy a bucket full of chain binders.

I can hang quite a few chains and chain binders on the lip of a 270 gallon fuel oil barrel tipped on end.

How about a wall built on a roller system so that it can be moved out of the way to access what is already on the exterior wall? Just like at the hardware store. Slide one panel to the side to expose the panel that sits behind it.

The chains I use fit nicely in a gallon paint can. Makes it easy to transport where I need them.

Here's mine. I move it around with a pallet jack.

I just have a couple of log chains and a few shorter chains; I keep them in a five gallon bucket.

Storing my tractor tire chains was a bigger issue. No room to hang them on the shop walls, so every spring I'd drag them to the back of the shop and dump them in a pile, then drag them back out every fall. What a pain. Then it occurred to me that there is no reason to store them indoors. I mounted several hooks on the outside wall of the shop and hang them outside. They're on the far side from the house so my wife doesn't see them, and they're only a few feet from where I park the tractor. They're under the eave so they stay reasonably dry.

I store my chains where they are needed.
On tractors. tool box on implement trailer. Extra chains in 5 gallon buckets under workbenches in both pole barns. A few in truck's toolbox.
Never know when you need them and the last thing I want to do is go 10 moles to pole barn for a chain.

> Never know when you need them and the last thing I want to do is go 10 moles to pole barn for a chain.

George, I've been known to go 250 woodchucks and half a chipmunk to fetch a chain. Ya do what ya gotta do.

On the 2x12 beam supporting the roof, I screwed in a number of bicycle hooks alternating the height and spaced a few inches. Put one chain hook on the bicycle and hook the other chain hook on the chain down lower. Then throw the middle of the chain back over the bicycle hook.

Another way would be to take one chain and lag screw one end somewhere and stretch it over to another spot and lag screw it. Or lag screw a section of chain on the wall. Then hang all your other chains from it.

The load binders either get hung from a chain so they are paired together or on separate hooks.

Of course this doesn't help the OP. Could stretch the chains out and hang them over a few rafters depending upon how long they are. Hook each end around a separate rafter to keep them from falling down.

I store my chains in empty 5 gallon lube buckets. Hooks go over the outside lip. We use chains a lot here. I also allow a bit of drain oil on to the chains every now and again.

What about the walls in the 40x40 section? Are they also covered with cabinets and shelves?

LOL!! I'd like a clear definition of what 250 woodchucks and half a chipmunk is for distance.

I knpw you say no wall space so this may not help, but I nailed a 3/8 or 1/4 strip of plywood that spans 3 studs in my garage. Chain hooks go over the top edge and chains hang down . Long chains I sometimes hok back to them selfs. A couple Clevises alsso hang over the top edge. Easy to see what chain you want, easy to get and put away chains. You can also loop a chain over the top and let it hang that way. I also have some nails above that plywood to hang things on.

I guess I need to qualify a few things from my long story. The chains dont need to be in the heated area, just stored neatly and out of the way-hot or cold. I truly dont have any wall space and if I was not at work I could post some pics. There is a little wall in the storage area but literally climbing over tractors parked an inch apart with a chain and a binder is too much. And I'm not leaving them outside to rust, especially the ratchet binders. And I'm not sure I'm clear on hanging them from the rafters in a 14ft high shop. Terry G has a good idea with the rack he built. Thanks all