Shipping My Build

[Scott Brader]

I did a search for info on this, but I didn't see anything similar. I'm sorry if it's redundant.

I built a pair of nightstands for my son and his wife in Florida (I'm in SE Wisconsin). I need to get them down there as safely as possible without spending an arm and a leg. Their size and weight would allow me to box them up individually and ship via UPS, but I have little faith in their ability to get them there without damage. We use UPS for virtually all of our incoming and outgoing shipments at work and I have seen how badly they treat large, heavy boxes.

I could build a crate for them and ship them with a freight carrier, but I'm afraid that would be prohibitively expensive.

Any ideas???

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or help.

Scott

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Look for carriers that offer LTL- Less Than Load. Unfortunately, Florida is a dead end and often they charge more for going there but LTL rates can be fairly reasonable. I shipped a dune buggy from Kansas to Jacksonville for $650.

[Neil Gaskin]

You might try calling some local moving companies. I've had success adding a piece or two under the load already headed to a particular ZIP Code. The downside is you have to wait for them to have a delivery going that direction or move

[Adam Herman]

you can try uship as well. carriers bid on transporting your items.

[Jerome Stanek]

you can try uship as well. carriers bid on transporting your items.

After I see all negative reviews I would not trust them

[Doug Garson]

Over at another forum I belong to we have what is called a "rucker" system, not sure if that nomenclature is common in the US but it's basically a system where forum members help out fellow forum members by transporting items (usually tools) across the country if their travel plans happen to coincide with the other members needs. Sometimes it takes several ruckers to complete the shipment. So maybe you could put out a request to see if anyone in your area is travelling to your son's location and has the room to take your project. Someone heading south in a RV for example.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Over at another forum I belong to we have what is called a "rucker" system, not sure if that nomenclature is common in the US but it's basically a system where forum members help out fellow forum members by transporting items (usually tools) across the country if their travel plans happen to coincide with the other members needs. Sometimes it takes several ruckers to complete the shipment. So maybe you could put out a request to see if anyone in your area is travelling to your son's location and has the room to take your project. Someone heading south in a RV for example.

That's a cool idea.

[Scott Brader]

Over at another forum I belong to we have what is called a "rucker" system, not sure if that nomenclature is common in the US but it's basically a system where forum members help out fellow forum members by transporting items (usually tools) across the country if their travel plans happen to coincide with the other members needs. Sometimes it takes several ruckers to complete the shipment. So maybe you could put out a request to see if anyone in your area is travelling to your son's location and has the room to take your project. Someone heading south in a RV for example.

That's a great idea! Unfortunately, I'm a few months late for people heading to Florida from Wisconsin.

[Lee Schierer]

If you decide to ship it LTL or FedEx Freight, make sure you bolt them to a pallet and build a box around them for protection. Sometimes gravity ceases to exist in the back of tractor trailers. I shipped a dresser from Erie, PA to Tucson. If your company uses any of the freight services you might be able to ship it through the company and get their freight rate. That's what I did. Your son or DIL might have to pick it up at the freight company so make the box removable with screws if they don't have a large enough vehicle to carry the pallet.

[Jim Kimbrough]

Another area of my expertise.

At a previous job, I was the guy who crated up natural gas meters for shipping. Some of these meters were in the $250k range and they didn't want the electronics damaged. After having a few of the crates mashed by the freight company stacking anvils or something on them, I started building them like an a-frame cabin over the meter so they couldn't get anything piled on them. I also made some crates for some furniture crates to ship to the stuff to Alaska. I figured a way to hold the furniture imobile and built the crate with a slopped top so nothing could be stacked up on them. It seemed to work.

[Don Kingston]

sounds like it's time for a road trip. Or find someone heading that way and offer gas money

[Bruce Wrenn]

We used to ship a lot of stuff on the bus. Because the cargo is under passenger area, nothing got stacked on top of it. Fastenal offers freight service using their trucks. (Bet you didn't know that.) I've seen some very large items as checked luggage from individuals with checked luggage privileges. We once bought a huge suitcase to ship a thrift store find home from St Louis.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Unfortunately, Florida is a dead end.

How about contacting moving companies based in Florida?

[Rich Riddle]

You're going to laugh, but I am serious when saying Greyhound Bus Line. They do this all the time.