What is the best way to move full chests around?

[mathguru]

Hello. I'm in the process of moving my base... I have robots and blueprints, etc... but one of the biggest stumbling blocks right now is moving full chests. These are chests that I've stored surplus things like belt tiles, plastic bars, etc... it's almost worth it to just destroy them so I can get them out of the way. Is there some way of moving (or organizing) items on ones logistic network that I'm missing? I could use robots but they only carry a few at a time and it takes them forever to clear out a box. I've never used trains... can trains move whole boxes? Thanks.

[Koub]

The only thing you can do is empty the box to move it. There is no way moving a full box.

[Supercheese]

The only thing you can do is empty the box to move it. There is no way moving a full box.

A forklift mod would be fun, where you could use a vehicle to move around full chests, but I don't believe any graphics gurus have rendered any forklift sprite sheets yet.

[darkfrei]

The only thing you can do is empty the box to move it. There is no way moving a full box.

I am doing this mod. I was started in december 2016, but do it very slow

[TI-89]

Logistics bots are the best (only?) way to move full chests. You basically have two options: 1) create a ton of bots -- empty box in seconds 2) replace chest with active provider and walk away -- it will be empty when you come back
Other option is shotgun the box and make more stuff.

[iceman_1212]

As the last person said, placing a requester chest (with requests set) at the destination and then swapping the chest (that you want to move) with an active provider is one way. It works as long as the item type(s) in the chest aren't also in a bunch of storage / passive providers scattered around your base.

My personal solution is the car. In the mid-game, when I end up getting my mk2 power armor, I pick-up a car or two into my inventory so I can have a temporary and portable extension of inventory on the go. At 80 slots, it is the largest storage container in the game by almost a factor of two (steel chests are second at 48 slots). Only the player's inventory is bigger - that too only after getting mk 2 power armor. (Not to mention it comes in extremely handy in the early game for preventing running back and forth when setting up smelting / power / etc.).

In my current save, I'm about 40 hours in and I'm carrying around two cars at all times which come in very handy (e.g., managing inventory while landfilling, big land grabs to secure territory, an emergency inventory dump in case i screw up and log bots try to flood my inventory, etc) - as reference, all science has long been completed, i have a few thousand T3 modules in storage, I'm currently sitting at ~30k solar panels and I still find the car quite useful (for its inventory space).

[vanatteveldt]

Wait, you can pick up a fully loaded car and use it as expanded inventory? Why didn't I know that?

It's a shame inserters can put cars on a train, otherwise this would be a great solution for loading trains quickly

(I guess you could even put cars in the car in that case if 80 is not enough...)

[Bushdoctor]

It's a shame inserters can put cars on a train

You meant to say 'can not'. (Got your back Dutch buddy!)

(I guess you could even put cars in the car in that case if 80 is not enough...)

Yo dawg! We heard you like cars, so we put a car in your car, so you can store items while you store items.

[Yoyobuae]

Wait, you can pick up a fully loaded car and use it as expanded inventory? Why didn't I know that?

You can't. Need to drive it, or move it with belts.

[TI-89]

Yes, I meant logistics is only way to move full chests without player intervention. Manually transferring items onto a car or train is also a viable solution, but requires [at least partially] emptying your inventory of other items to be efficient.

[Yoyobuae]

Yes, I meant logistics is only way to move full chests without player intervention. Manually transferring items onto a car or train is also a viable solution, but requires [at least partially] emptying your inventory of other items to be efficient.

Inserters can put stuff into car.

[vanatteveldt]

Yes, I meant logistics is only way to move full chests without player intervention. Manually transferring items onto a car or train is also a viable solution, but requires [at least partially] emptying your inventory of other items to be efficient.

Inserters can put stuff into car.

Yeah, you *could* put the car on a belt to the new location which is switched off until the chest is empty, use a stack inserter to fill the chest into the car, the belt moves the car to the new location, and there an inserter waits to load the contents into the new chest. This would look pretty cool

(Problem is of course that an inserter cannot fill up a belt in the first place, so you might as wel forget about the car and simply insert onto/from the belt...)

[Yoyobuae]

Yes, I meant logistics is only way to move full chests without player intervention. Manually transferring items onto a car or train is also a viable solution, but requires [at least partially] emptying your inventory of other items to be efficient.

Inserters can put stuff into car.

Yeah, you *could* put the car on a belt to the new location which is switched off until the chest is empty, use a stack inserter to fill the chest into the car, the belt moves the car to the new location, and there an inserter waits to load the contents into the new chest. This would look pretty cool

(Problem is of course that an inserter cannot fill up a belt in the first place, so you might as wel forget about the car and simply insert onto/from the belt...)

You could like, get in the car and drive it. It's still manual intervention, but it's at least much reduced. Also unless the new chest is a logistic chest (or you require wiring the new chest) stuff can remain in the car at the new location. Cars are not even that expensive to make.

[aober93]

Just use supply trains. At some point in the game they are worthwhile in supplying and cleaning outposts. This can be used if you need to clean up an old base.

But that depends on the situation ofc. If you just move a outpost a few tiles and the robotic network doesnt change, simply let robots do it. Or if its still in reach for a belt just set up a belt.