Moving tools cross country?

[zephyr9900]

Having been unemployed for 1.5 years now, and the only likely job prospect is halfway across the country, I'm considering what to do with my (realistically, hobby since I haven't been able to make any money with it) machinery. Nothing really huge--my Tormach mill, Feeler lathe (Hardinge FSM-59 clone), a 30" Enco 3-in-one sheet metal machine and a largish bench-mounted drill press.

With the California economy being what it is, our house is worth just a little less than we can sell it for, so my wife and I will be living in an apartment for 1.5-2 years until we can re-qualify for a mortgate and save up a down payment for a new house in the new state.

The alternatives are either move them across country and put them in storage for the 1.5-2 years, or sell them for, what, 30-40 cents on the dollar if I'm lucky and buy new stuff when we get a house. I don't know which choice will put me the least behind money-wise.

If moving, I don't know if I can just build pallets/crates for the machinery that are pallet-jack movable and have the regular movers move them, or if I need to have a specialist company move the heavy stuff?

I'll appreciate any input on the large or small aspects of this! Likely time frame would be in 1 to 2 months from now.

Thanks,

Randy

[Adam Baker]

I'd contact local motor freight companies and see whats required to move them. They would let you know whats required to be able to ship them.

My suggestion would be to weigh the benefits of keeping them versus selling them. As well as the cost of storing them versus what you could get for them by selling them, and whether it would be worth selling them or not.

[zephyr9900]

Originally Posted by Adam Baker I'd contact local motor freight companies and see whats required to move them.

Thanks for the reply, Adam. There are a couple of riggers in town, but they only do large stuff like cranes and drilling equipment. I didn't know about asking motor freight companies directly. I've never shipped anything big/heavy. I have to drive 30 miles each way just to get to a place where I can rent a pallet jack.

Originally Posted by Adam Baker My suggestion would be to weigh the benefits of keeping them versus selling them.

Yeah, that's pretty much my question. Not having even an order-of-magnitude cost for shipping ($500? $5000) I can't know yet. I know that even putting together forkliftable crates for the machines will be several hundred dollars in lumber and plywood and fasteners. So far I haven't been able to find any storage unit prices online either. It's real early days and I don't know all the questions to ask yet (or where to ask them obviously from above! )

That brings up another unknown that I just thought of: is the typical U-Store-It place OK for machine tools or should I be looking at an enclosed storage in a climate-controlled building for that long a period?

Randy

[Adam Baker]

Well, I dont mean a rigger. Riggers are what are used to actually move the equipment. They would also be used to load or unload a Motor Freight trailer if its required. They could possibly tell you what to do, but a motor freight company is what would do the actual shipping and would specifically be able to tell you what you need to do to be able to ship the equipment. You may be surprised, it may require quite a bit less than you think to prep the machines to be shipped. Call a company such as Saia, Old Dominion, ABF, Watkins, Averitt, etc.

Searching for Motor Freight on Google, these are the listings I came up w/ for Rio Vista, Ca. Any one of these could give you an idea of what would be required and possibly a cost, to ship your machines.

A. Delta Transport LLC - hibernian.netsource.ie - (916) 776-3995 - More
B. Baggett Transportation Co - www.baggetttransport.com - (707) 421-0206 - More
C. Nor Cal Trucking Services - www.norcalpilotcar.com - (707) 639-4025 - More
D. Neb Transport & Environmental - www.nebtransport.com - (916) 372-2342 - More
E. UPS Freight - www.upsfreight.com - (209) 463-2001 - More
F. ABF Freight System Inc - www.abfs.com - (916) 428-3531 - More
G. Con-Way Freight - www.con-way.com - (916) 399-8291 - More
H. LTS Rentals LLC - www.tigerlines.com - (209) 334-4100 - More
I. Landstar Inway Inc - www.landstar.com - (209) 948-1826 - More
J. Old Dominion Freight Line Inc - www.odfl.com - (916) 372-0148 - More

My mom has dealed very heavily w/ motor freight companies in the past, and she suggests using ABF. They offer a U-pack service. They deliver a small cargo container, sorta like a POD or Pack Rat container. You pack the container exactly how you want it, and they ship it to where your going. The nice thing is you pack it, they dont open the container at all. From what Ive been able to find on the equipment you mention, it shouldnt take an overly large container to pack them. I'd also suggest possibly checking out a local rental company, such as Sunbelt Rentals and see about renting a fork lift for a day. I woudlnt think any of your equipment would be nearly large enough to require the use of a rigging company to move.

As for storage, I'd suggest climate controlled so you are less likely to have to worry about rust and that sort of thing forming, and if the machines have any kind of digital read outs, you wouldnt have to worry as much about the condition of those parts deteriorating during their time in storage.

For storage room prices, prices probably depends by region. I know that Public Storage list's prices online, so you might try seeing if they have any facilities in the area your planning on moving to. I know they have some climate controlled units. You might also check w/ Uhaul. One of the local Uhaul rental offices has a full climate controlled storage facility, and they also list their prices online.

[DSL PWR]

www.freightquote.com

[zephyr9900]

Adam, thanks for the additional information. We've never even dealt with a moving van much less freight company (this is our first house and we rented a U-haul truck to move here back when I only had the drillpress and Sherline tools, and we had no good furniture to move), so I appreciate the input. Yes, it would be nice if I only need to make pallets that will keep the machinery (mostly lathe--it has a high center of gravity) from tipping instead of building full stackable crates... I'll start calling around.

I do have a Harbor Freight shop crane that I used to put the Tormach on its stand, and lift the lathe from the rented pickup when I bought it, so I'll design the pallets to accomodate both the crane and pallet jacks.

DSL PWR, thank you for that link. Depending on how big and heavy the stuff is, 3 pallets totalling 3klb run from $1250 to $2500 up to 3 pallets totalling 4klb run $1500 to $3400 at that site, so that at least gives me an order of magnitude.

Randy

[Kevin Taylor]

Rider or Uhaul and give a tow truck guy with a rolback a few buck's to drag the stuff onto his truck then roll it into the van and I'm talking about a large Uhaul some of the Uhaul like places rent pallet jack's or check with a rental center some rented van's are aviable with a lift gate and the tool truck guy's like snapon and Mac some have truck's with largelift gates you might even just buy a pallet jack and keep it I own two and they are priceless at times will get into places that a forklift won't If you get a big enough truck you can load your Eq. at the front and pack the rest of your stuff in the back and let the adventure begin Good Luck Kevin

[zephyr9900]

Thanks, Kevin. I will look into renting a low-bed U-haul box truck that can carry 4000 lb and moving the heavy stuff myself. That way I could just mount them on self-made pallets just big enough to keep them from tipping. Here's a pic of me renting a pallet jack from the next city over. (That was when I needed to move my Tormach 9" farther from the wall...) I can lift stuff around (the bare lathe and the bare Tormach but not the Tormach on its base) with my shop crane so no problem there as I disassemble stuff. It's just the logistics of the cross-country move that I need to get my head around and so I appreciate you guys' suggestions on that.

Randy

[ViperTX]

I just moved from Alexandria, VA to the Austin, TX area and used the ABF U-pack-it containers which are 8 foot tall and 7 x 6 foot at the base. They have a limit of 2500 lbs per container, with door to door service the cost was $1478. I crated my X3 and used the shop crane to load it onto the edge of the POD and wrestled it against the back wall on a pallet and then enclosed the pallet. The POD has about a 6 inch step-up, which you could overcome by building a ramp.

If you grease everything up and add some of those desecant bags and cover the tools with a plastic canopy you should be okay for a few years. The POD is not totally enclosed, it has vents at the top.

The biggest expense after the moving expense is the storage which I believe was about $100 per month per POD, so you have to figure out if it is worth it since you're talking about 2 years of storage for 2 PODs.

Most of the time it is better to sell off the stuff and then replace it when you are finally settled in.

I'm working for the government now....so hopefully no more layoffs and no more moves. Thank you God!

Paul

[zephyr9900]

Thanks, Paul. I'm leaning away from pods, since we'll need a storage unit anyway for our household goods. (Though my wife is asking if the couches will smell like my machinery after sitting for two years in the same room ). The incremental cost for a 10x30 vs 10x20 isn't as much as storing a pod would be.

This is really a developing journey. I got an estimate on a 10' low-deck U-haul box truck and car dolly (so I could get one of our cars there at the same time) and it will run about $1500 if I get their most comprehensive insurance. The truck will hold 2770 lbs. of load. The 14' truck is incrementally more, hauls 6,190 lb but has way worse gas mileage. But I could put the whole shop in it--my "good" workbench with maple top must be 300lb itself. The smaller equipment that is mounted on rolling benches already could stay mounted. But by the time I buy the gasoline, it will be another $6-800 right there.

I'm trying to find out if there might be an industrial place I could sublet (at least in the Bay Area, artists tend to do that and share costs) and continue to use the workshop. But I haven't been successfull in that Googling yet.

Randy