Portable Steel Barrel Racks

Western Square Racks Them Up!

All Western Square racks (WS29 Series) are designed to accommodate all oak barrels from 15 to 70 gallon capacity in both Bordeaux and Burgundy barrel shapes. Pictured here are the wine industry's most popular models. Specifications for these racks and other more specialized racks are listed on the following page.

The Double Bar Rack with two pairs of connecting bars has replaced the single bar rack (with one pair of connecting bars) as the industry's standard two-barrel topping rack. The double bar rack is stronger, not from the standpoint of compressive strength, but it barrels are inadvertently pushed along the floor with a forklift. Further, the better resists “tweaking” when full double bar rack provides a safer situation when lifting barrels from the side, because the forks come in between the two sets of bars rather than simply under a singleset. Thus, if the outside barrel is, for some reason heavier than the barrel closer to the forklift, they might tilt but they won’t fall. This rack has a 7” forklift opening which allows enough room to get your head between the barrels in a stack to see and smell.

The Low Profile Rack has a 4” forklift opening. It is one of our recommendations for stacking six barrels high, because the stack has a lower center of gravity. All you sacrifice is the ability to get your head between the barrels in a stack. The wine can still be worked in place.

The Four-Barrel Rack has great stability, even though it has a 7” forklift opening. Thus, it is our prime recommendation for stacking six barrels high.

The Half Rack is designed for the bottom tier where head space is a consideration. It has the unique feature of being pallet-jackable from all four directions.

Note: This rack is not compatible with the Western Square barrel washing system. We can provide a different half rack which is compatible but is not pallet-jackable.