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Made in the back shop

If you need a tote to do something a stock tote doesn't, we can probably make that tote.

Bulkhead fittings, valve upgrades, sight glasses, heater jackets, frame welds. Done in-house by people who've been doing it for years.

30-Second Form

Custom mod quote.

Fill in a few details — quantity, product type, the work you need done. We respond by email within one business day.

Format: name@example.com
Format: (555) 555-1234 or 555-555-1234 — US or Canada only
Format: 12345 / 12345-6789 (US) or A1A 1A1 (Canada)

What we do

Bulkhead fittings

Side-wall penetration with a sealed fitting in HDPE-compatible polymer or stainless. Common configurations: ½" or ¾" NPT side ports for level sensors, dosing pumps, recirculation lines, or sight tubes. $35–$95 per fitting installed.

Valve upgrades

Swap the stock 2" ball valve for butterfly (high flow), camlock (quick connect), sanitary tri-clamp, or ¾" bib (splash-free dispensing). $24–$85 per valve installed.

Sight glasses

Inline sight glasses in the discharge line, or external sight tubes mounted to the cage. Useful for visual fill-level monitoring on opaque chemistries. $48–$120 per installation.

Manway swaps

Stock 6" threaded manway swapped for vented, screened, or sealed-with-bung configurations. Useful for fermentation, dust mitigation, or sealed transport. $55–$110.

Heater jackets

Electric (120V or 240V) silicone heater jackets that wrap the bottle and maintain fluid temperature in cold storage. $215–$340 depending on wattage.

Frame welds

Forklift damage, broken cross-bars, missing bracing — re-welded in-house with matching tubular steel. Most cage repairs $18–$45.

Sanitary tri-clamp adapters

Adapter that converts a standard 2" ball valve to a 1.5" or 2" sanitary tri-clamp interface for food/brewing applications. $42 + install.

Insulation wraps

Closed-cell foam wraps for cold-storage chemistries that need to stay above freezing through a Michigan winter. $85–$140.

Pallet swaps

Wood to plastic, or wood to steel. Common for food applications (plastic) and heavy-cycling operations (steel).

Lead time

Most single-mod jobs ship within 7 business days. Multi-tote, multi-mod orders we'll quote with a schedule.

What we don't do

  • ASME-rated pressure modifications — outside our scope.
  • Explosion-proof electrical penetrations — wrong form factor, ask us and we'll refer.
  • Re-color or re-paint cages on volume — small batches OK, full-fleet repaint we don't.
Modifications — what we'll fab in-house

The long-form file.

Bulkhead fittings, valve swaps, sight tubes, manway upgrades, custom dispense plumbing, cage repairs, frame extensions. The shop is small but the bench is well-stocked.

$45–$340
Per-modification pricing depending on complexity
2–7 days
Lead time on custom mods
20+
Common modification types we run weekly
Deep dive

The detail behind the surface.

§ 01

What we modify most

Bulkhead fittings. Adding a side-wall outlet for tote-to-tote plumbing, or a low-level drain for full-drain dispensing. $65–$120 depending on size and material.

Sight tubes. External clear PVC tube tee'd off the bottom valve for fill-level reading. $85 installed.

Valve upgrades. Swapping the OEM ball valve for stainless, or upgrading from S60×6 to NPT, or adding a sample port. $45–$140.

Cage feet replacement. Bent feet straightened or replaced. $25 per foot.

Frame extensions. Welded extensions for taller stack configurations or modified pallet integration. $180–$340.

Manway upgrades. Replacing standard 6" hatches with 9" inspection ports, or adding sealed pressure-vent hatches. $95–$220.

Related

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