The stand was delivered and will be permanently set up when work on the counter top (that runs from the open end out) begins.
We fastened pressure treated 3/4" plywood on top and bottom of the stand.
Here is a detailed description from Francis (Trigger Coatings) on the dynamics and details of the stand.
"For the steel, I used two dimensions of what industry calls HSS (which stands for "hollow structural sections")
The uprights (legs), diagonal braces and the floor perimeter were made with 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall square tube. I used this based on it's rating of 13 Kips for a 3' column (1 Kip = 1000 lbs) so each leg supports about 13,000 lbs of concentric load! In a real world the forces may not be 100% centred straight down so this is why I tend to "over engineer" things.
For the top frame I used 3" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall. This unfortunately doubles the steel cost but was used because of the requirement of the 49" wide opening to fit the sump through. A 4' span (beam) in 1 1/2" square isn't even listed in my references, the max width shown is 3' which is only rated at 1800 lbs and almost a 1/4" deflection in the center...too much risk in my opinion with 4000 lbs of water and tank. The 3"x 1 1/2" I used is rated at 3500 lbs over a 4' span with only 0.17" deflection. This is why the stands at BXXXls scare me..4' wide with 1 1/2" tube that not even rated for structural use (less than 1/8" wall)
Enough technical steel info..boring you to death right?
Corners were all mitre cut at 45 deg. so that both pieces of steel are sitting on the uprights (legs)...not relying on just welds to support weight of the tank. Completely seal welded so that no moisture can collect inside the tubes and cause corrosion (another problem with the cheapo stands)
After welding was completed, the entire stand was sandblasted, this removes any rust and/or welding contaminants and also provides a surface that improves paint adhesion.
For paint I used Endura's Intermix 3:1 two-part epoxy primer. This was topcoated in Endura EX-2C polyurethane (Black 160) For more info on Endura's paints check out their website:
http://www.endura.ca/
This is the same paint I use for painting about 90% of the time. We use it for oilfield equipment, trailers and heavy trucks."
Cheers
Kevin