12 ft Refrigerated Trailer
Starting from $1,895 / month
The smallest trailer in the lineup. It fits tight lots and loading areas when a small walk-in cooler or freezer goes down.
Rapid City, South Dakota Refrigerated Container Rentals
Rental refrigeration is available in Rapid City, South Dakota. HHrefrigeration rents refrigerated trailers, refrigerated containers, mobile kitchens, and dishwashing trailers to commercial and industrial customers in Rapid City and across Pennington County.
Rapid City is a city in Pennington County with about 79,404 residents (2023 Census Bureau estimate), and it is the county seat. Customers who rent in a place like this include health systems, school districts and campuses, hotel and banquet kitchens, grocery chains, cold-storage and distribution operators, and large events. Rent for a few days to cover a repair, or lease for months through a renovation, a harvest, a construction project, or a seasonal peak.
Emergency? Call (888) 385-5513, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For planned work, send the quote form below with the address in Rapid City and the dates you need.
Rapid City, SD at a glance
Numbers for Rapid City that matter when planning a rental: how big it is, how spread out it is, and how far the next larger place sits.
Winter storms in South Dakota (October to April) can slow or close roads, so tell us your start date early and we plan the trip with the forecast in mind.
- Place: city in Pennington County, South Dakota.
- Population: 79,404 (2023 Census Bureau estimate), number 2 of 20 South Dakota places on our list.
- Land area: 55 square miles, about 1,452 people per square mile.
- Elevation: about 3,356 feet.
- Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County.
- Nearest larger place we list: Fort Collins, CO, 261 miles south.
- Other places we list within 50 miles: 2.
How we plan getting a trailer to Rapid City
Every rental in Rapid City starts with the address, not a warehouse. Here is how a request for Rapid City, SD moves from call to cold storage:
- Call or send the form. Tell us the street address in Rapid City, what failed or what you are planning, and the temperature you need. Emergencies go to (888) 385-5513.
- We match the unit. A 12 ft refrigerated trailer suits tight lots and small kitchens, a 20 ft trailer holds more, and a refrigerated container is for bulk storage over longer jobs.
- Roads that serve Rapid City include I-90, I-190, and US-16. We confirm which approach suits a trailer, how the truck turns onto your site, and whether anything on the last few blocks is posted or restricted.
- Rapid City is roughly 325 straight-line miles west of Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city on our list. A longer trip means we plan routes, weather, and delivery timing with more care, and we confirm both in your quote.
- We confirm power and placement. The 20 ft trailers list 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps with a NEMA plug, so have an electrician confirm your service. Pick a firm, level spot with room for the door to open and for the truck to reach it.
- Delivery and setup. On site, setup takes about 1 hour for a refrigeration unit, plus 4 to 6 hours if a ramp is needed or 5 to 15 minutes for stairs. Delivery timing, servicing, and minimum terms are written into your quote, and an inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Emergency refrigeration support in Rapid City
When cold storage fails in Rapid City, speed of information matters most. Call (888) 385-5513 any hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and tell us:
In South Dakota, calls like this often follow wildfire and tornado. Planned and emergency power shutoffs can leave stores and kitchens without refrigeration, and a refrigerated trailer with its own cooling system gives them somewhere cold to put product.
For official emergency information in South Dakota, see South Dakota Office of Emergency Management (Department of Public Safety). We are not an emergency agency; for danger to life, call 911.
- The address in Rapid City (and the Pennington County location if it is outside town limits).
- What failed: a walk-in cooler, a freezer, a compressor, or the power itself.
- How much product is at risk, and whether it must stay at 32°F (cooler) or near -5°F (freezer).
- The power available at the site and whether a truck can reach the spot.
- Keep doors closed until the unit arrives so the product holds its temperature as long as possible.
What drives cold-storage demand around Rapid City
Summers are warm to hot, with average highs near 90F and several days a year above 100F during hot, dry spells. Winters are cold: January lows average below 10F across most of the state, and the record low is -58F. Eastern South Dakota sits in a zone that averages roughly 30 tornadoes a year. Agricultural and food-distribution operations, rural hospitals, and schools use temporary cold storage while repairs are scheduled.
Government is the largest employment sector, with Ellsworth Air Force Base and federal agencies, and Monument Health's health care sector employs over 8,000 people. Hospitals and large institutions need dependable cold storage and warewashing.
The city is a gateway to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills and hosts the Lakota Nation Invitational each year (held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center since 1979). Seasonal tourism and tournament crowds can raise demand for temporary food service.
The 1972 Rapid Creek flood killed 238 people, and wildfire risk is elevated on the city's arid edges, as the 1988 Westberry Trails fire showed. Flood and wildfire events can displace kitchens and spoil stored food.
Wildfire risk in South Dakota: The arid edges of Rapid City and the Black Hills carry elevated wildfire risk, as shown by the 1988 Westberry Trails fire. Wildfire evacuations and utility shutoffs can displace restaurants, shelters and crews who then need temporary kitchens and cold storage.
Tornado risk in South Dakota (May to September): Severe thunderstorm and tornado season runs mainly May through September. The NWS Sioux Falls office issued 340 severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in 2022, versus 200 in 2021. Storm damage and outages after severe thunderstorms can often interrupt refrigeration and kitchens at restaurants, grocers and event sites.
The October 2013 blizzard knocked out electricity to more than 20,000 people in the Black Hills and left thousands more without power statewide. Storm outages in winter can leave stores and processors needing backup refrigeration until power returns.
Food service and business in Rapid City
The kinds of operations that rent refrigeration in a city like Rapid City are health systems, school districts and campuses, hotel and banquet kitchens, grocery chains, cold-storage and distribution operators, and large events.
Financial services and health care are large employers in Sioux Falls, and a Smithfield/John Morrell pork plant operates there. Meat processing and hospital food service rely on continuous refrigeration and large-scale warewashing.
Royal Canin announced a $185 million pet food plant investment in North Sioux City in February 2022, with about 149 new jobs. Food and pet food manufacturing growth increases the need for temporary refrigerated storage during expansions and shutdowns.
Rapid City customers use refrigeration trailers in three common ways: as emergency cover for a failed walk-in, as extra capacity during a peak (a harvest, a festival, a holiday week), and as temporary cold storage during a renovation. See rental prices for what each unit costs, or how to plan your site before delivery.
Demand also rises around events in South Dakota: South Dakota State Fair (Huron) (Late August to early September (2026: Sept 2-7)); Sitting Bull Stampede (Mobridge) (Around July 4). Fair concessions can often need extra refrigeration and warewashing during the run.
Equipment you can rent in Rapid City
Refrigeration is our focus, and Rapid City customers rent the same four units as the rest of South Dakota:
If the kitchen itself is down, add a mobile kitchen and a dishwashing trailer so Rapid City operators can keep serving while cold storage is covered.
20 ft Refrigerated Trailer
Starting from $1,895 / month
The workhorse. A 20 ft trailer comes as a 32°F cooler or as a low-temperature freezer configuration, so you can match what failed.
20 ft Refrigerated Container
Starting from $2,995 / month
A stationary cold storage box for bulk product, built for longer projects, seasonal peaks, and renovations.
40 ft Refrigerated Container
Starting from $3,995 / month
The largest cold storage option. It takes pallets and bulk product for food distribution, disaster response, and large facilities.
Requirements for renting a refrigerated trailer in Rapid City
Renting a refrigerated trailer in Rapid City is simple, but a few items decide whether it runs smoothly on the first day.
The state Food Service Code is ARSD 44:02:07, and section 44:02:07:91 covers servicing operations for mobile food service establishments. Mobile kitchens must meet the state code for water, servicing and cleaning operations.
Sioux Falls city code requires mobile food vendors to meet the minimum public health and safety requirements enforced by the South Dakota Department of Health under SDCL 34-18. City vendors operating a temporary or mobile kitchen need state compliance in addition to any city permits.
- Customer type: commercial or industrial only (restaurants, grocers, healthcare, schools, hospitality, distributors, government). We do not rent to residential customers.
- Power: 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps for the 20 ft trailers, with a NEMA plug. Ask your electrician to confirm the circuit at your Rapid City site before delivery.
- Placement: a firm, level surface with room for the trailer, its door swing, and the delivery truck. Soft ground, steep slopes, and overhead lines are the usual problems.
- Access: send the gate or door width, any low clearances, and the best approach into the property.
- Permission: if you rent the property, get the owner or manager's approval to place a trailer. For food-safety questions, contact South Dakota Department of Health (Office of Health Protection).
- Paperwork: your quote lists the unit, the rental length, delivery, setup, servicing, and minimum terms. An inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Roads, routes, and access around Rapid City
Highways and routes tied to Rapid City:
Rapid City sits at about 3,356 feet above sea level.
Nearby places we also serve: Sturgis (27 miles northwest), Hot Springs (47 miles south), Newcastle, WY (51 miles west), Chadron, NE (87 miles south).
- I-90: Passes along the northern edge of Rapid City.
- I-190: Spur into the city.
- US-16: Runs through Rapid City.
Rental prices for Rapid City at a glance
Rates are the same nationwide. Rentals start from $1,895 / month for a 12 ft trailer, and the price sheet prints a separate rate for 1-6 days, 8-14 days, 15 days to 1 month, and more than 3 months. See every rate. Delivery to Rapid City, setup, servicing, and minimum terms are confirmed in your quote.
More of South Dakota and the Great Plains
Rapid City is one of the places we list in South Dakota, and South Dakota is part of our Great Plains service area. Browse the South Dakota service area for every city page in the state, or the full service-area map.
Rental terms at a glance
Rentals run by the week or by the month, with short-term and long-term options, and we answer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Setup on site takes about 1 hour for a refrigeration unit and about 5 hours for a kitchen or dishwashing trailer; a ramp adds 4 to 6 hours and stairs add 5 to 15 minutes. GPS tracking is possible on request. Delivery, setup, servicing, and minimum terms are confirmed in your quote, and an inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Cold storage down? Call now.
Emergency refrigeration rentals in Rapid City, SD.
If a walk-in cooler or freezer has stopped holding temperature, call now. Tell us your city and state, what failed, how much product is at risk, and what power is on site. Keep doors closed to hold the cold while we work out the right trailer or container for you.
Rapid City rental questions
Do you rent refrigerated trailers in Rapid City, South Dakota?
Yes. HHrefrigeration rents refrigerated trailers, refrigerated containers, mobile kitchens, and dishwashing trailers to commercial and industrial customers in Rapid City and Pennington County. Call (888) 385-5513 or send the quote form with your address. An inquiry does not reserve equipment; availability, delivery, and terms are confirmed in your quote.
How do I get a trailer if Rapid City is far from a major city?
We plan the delivery from your street address, not from a fixed point on the map. Rapid City is about 325 miles west of Sioux Falls, so we confirm the route, the final approach, and the timing with you in the quote.
What power does a refrigerated trailer need in Rapid City?
The 20 ft refrigerated trailers list 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps, with a NEMA plug. Have a licensed electrician confirm your service at the Rapid City site before delivery, and send the voltage, phase, and amps with your request.
Who do I contact about food safety rules in Pennington County?
Start with South Dakota Department of Health (Office of Health Protection) (https://doh.sd.gov). Rules vary by jurisdiction, so check with them before you place temporary refrigeration or a temporary kitchen.
Can I rent a mobile kitchen or dishwashing trailer in Rapid City too?
Yes. When a kitchen is down, we rent mobile kitchens from 24 ft to 40 ft and dishwashing trailers from 22 ft to 38 ft. Many Rapid City customers pair them with a refrigerated trailer so they can cook, serve, and clean up while permanent equipment is repaired.
What should I do before wildfire season in South Dakota?
Know your site's power and placement details, keep our number ((888) 385-5513) handy, and call early if a forecast puts your walk-in at risk.
Sources for local facts
Sources
Local facts on this page come from public sources. Population is the Census Bureau's 2023 estimate.
What to send for a fast quote
- The city and state where the unit will sit
- What failed and how much product is at risk
- Cooler (32°F) or freezer temperature needed
- Power available at the site: voltage, phase, and amps
- Access: gate or door width, surface, and where the unit will be placed
- How long you expect to need it
Prefer to talk? Call (888) 385-5513 any time.