Moving across the country...

[MovingAlong]

Looking for any tips on packing my garage for the movers to ship it across the country.

Typical garage: couple tool boxes, some full metal cabinets, welder, air compressor, drill press, floor jack and all the assorted tools to support...

Should I just let them pack it all? (I don't own many fragile tools )

 

[Copymutt]

In the same boat, including collector vehicle. Intend to sell or donate as much basic furniture as possible. Anybody know about Pods? I'll be watching replies.
Jim

 

[469 runner]

If you have nice tool boxes and heavy equipment no way would I trust movers with it. I had a 26 year Army career, a few moves along the way. Tool boxes are treated as such, banged around, dented, scratched, etc. I had a metal lathe that was so screwed up the carriage would bind. Movers will pack any way you ask, but once it is out of your hands we have no control.

Now I have 2 very nice Snap On boxes, and many other nice shop tools, a large air compressor. I have retired recently, the Army is moving me one last time. I elected to rent a container from Pack Rat. It was dropped off at my home, I spent several days loading it and securing everything. I put my lock on it. Pack Rat picked it up and it was transported to my new home 300 miles away. Delivery was a bit of a hassle as the container was over their recommended weight of 6,000 lbs. It weighed over 10,000 lbs it was estimated because the delivery warehouse didn't have the same size truck and the load wasn't able to be lifted.

When it was all said and done everything arrived in perfect condition. No dents or scratches. I had several days to unload. Definitely the way to go if one has the time and doesn't mind the heavy lifting.

 

[jd_1138]

Work paying for the move? If not I'd just rent a truck and hire people at both ends to load it up and empty it. You will probably be more satisfied with the results, and more $$$$ left in your wallet.

 

[7th Kahuna]

I don't have a lot of experience moving, but on the basis of some of the deliveries I've taken, I'd say if you do have them pack the toolboxes, remove half or more of the weight first, especially if any of them have wheels. I think if it was up to me, and I was using a moving service, I'd go out and pick up a few pallets from some local business and then load the pallets myself. With that, the movers would only have to get the pallets on and off the truck. It would offer some degree of security. Just don't surprise them with the pallets at the last minute.

 

[ddawg16]

I'd leave the boxes on wheels. Lock all the drawers.
They will take care of it.

But I'd be a nosy little ***** and watch their every move....while drinking a beer or two.

 

[Empty Pockets]

In the same boat, including collector vehicle. Intend to sell or donate as much basic furniture as possible. Anybody know about Pods? I'll be watching replies.
Jim

When we moved my mother from Florida to NY after dad passed, we had ABF drop off a trailer, we loaded it, they delivered the trailer. It worked out good

 

[Empty Pockets]

Looking for any tips on packing my garage for the movers to ship it across the country.

Typical garage: couple tool boxes, some full metal cabinets, welder, air compressor, drill press, floor jack and all the assorted tools to support...

Should I just let them pack it all? (I don't own many fragile tools )

If you are using professional movers, get some trailer seals, seal all of the doors. The movers will tell you it's not necessary, but this insures the doors aren't opened once the trailer is loaded.

I'm not saying, I'm just saying

 

[mbshop]

when I moved I just got a shipping container and loaded it myself. put on my own lock. then had it shipped. course that is from Hawaii to calif. but you can get a trucking company to do the same. I had my big boxes in there that o bolted and strapped down. turned out just fine.

 

[treefrog361]

In the same boat, including collector vehicle. Intend to sell or donate as much basic furniture as possible. Anybody know about Pods? I'll be watching replies.
Jim

If anything breaks they will low ball you on the replacement cost, and if you accept it you sign an NDA so that you cannot give them a negative review.

 

[3baygarage]

If you have large shop tools I would recommend protecting the switches and handles, those things that can easily get bumped and broken.

 

[cvairwerks]

PODS are basically plastic boxes on top of wood floors. There is little structure to protect anything heavy.

Every time I've moved, I do the tools and equipment and usually hire someone to do everything else.

 

[finn]

Sell it all and start fresh.

 

[lakeroadster]

Should I just let them pack it all? (I don't own many fragile tools )

We moved from Ohio to Colorado in 2004. It was all on my wife's employers dime and we used Graebel.

They did a great job of moving everything and the only thing that got damaged was some paint scuffed up on our snow blower and the upholstered pads on our weight machine.

The only ***** is making sure nothing is missing. I had a spreader bar that fits on my floor jack.. I didn't realize it was missing until about a year and a half later.

They put almost everything on the same truck that had all of our home belongings.. even loaded my Model A and Model T in that same truck.

The stuff that got scuffed up wasn't on that truck, it was shipped by another carrier, but per Graebel, so they paid for the damages.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Work paying for the move? If not I'd just rent a truck and hire people at both ends to load it up and empty it. You will probably be more satisfied with the results, and more $$$$ left in your wallet.

Anyone with a decent tool collection will hit the weight limits on rentals. 7500lbs on a uhaul is not much.

Palletizing your heavy stuff is a good way to go. LOL freight is not terribly expensive and weight does not play heavily into price.

 

[matt_i]

My last move used Pros out of Graebel. They put a property tag on a mini bow saw and then proceeded to steal my Sthil chainsaw, after I had a 5 minute conversation with the head trucker about my concerns. Of course I signed all of the 32 property tag sheets when they got here, recognizing all of the boxes. I sent it to insurance and they declined it based on me signing for the mini bow saw, I had zero leverage, even with my corp single-point representative.

So I don't trust them. They know the system better than you ever will. Not saying they're going to off your whole shop but they could easily get a piece of it.

To add: depending on the quality of your toolbox I've made the mistake of attempting to roll a loaded stacked box and caught a little inconsistency in the concrete and basically pulled the self-tapping fasteners out of a caster while in motion. Needless to say the box is not going to be stable for long held up on 3 casters, and I had an impressive crash and stuff everywhere. Obviously there are different price points in boxes and mine are nowhere near the top.

 

[PNWguy]

Most movers have a damage insurance policy - but it pays by the pound. If there's damage, you're out of luck.

I'd check into additional insurance.

 

[PeterT]

If you have a lot of smaller stuff, gets some used gaylord boxes, some good pallets. Load those suckers up with tools, etc

 

[38Chevy454]

You paying or work paying? Movers charge by weight and distance. Tools and general garage stuff is heavy. So be aware cost will go up fast. You might want to do the heavy stuff with ABF or similar where you pack it yourself, they move and then you unpack.

I moved little over 1500 miles last year. Moved all my garage stuff myself in several trips. I have too much stuff and vehicles, LOL. My move was on my pay, so I only had movers do the house stuff. I did all the gartage and even some of the heavier house stuff myself.

 

[PelicanPines]

Use a pod...

I borrowed a small box truck and did it myself ... 100 miles... never again. The box truck max speed ... to the floor ... 42mph... got about 5 mpg... was slightly overweight... my bad

 

[MovingAlong]

Work paying for the move? If not I'd just rent a truck and hire people at both ends to load it up and empty it. You will probably be more satisfied with the results, and more $$$$ left in your wallet.

Yes, my concern is more about how to pack the tools. For example, do I empty the drawers of the toolbox?

Sell it all and start fresh.

I like the way you're thinking, but what I have wouldn't bring 10 cents on the dollar...

You paying or work paying? Movers charge by weight and distance. Tools and general garage stuff is heavy. So be aware cost will go up fast. You might want to do the heavy stuff with ABF or similar where you pack it yourself, they move and then you unpack.

I moved little over 1500 miles last year. Moved all my garage stuff myself in several trips. I have too much stuff and vehicles, LOL. My move was on my pay, so I only had movers do the house stuff. I did all the gartage and even some of the heavier house stuff myself.

They are paying, up to 25,000 lbs. Being almost 3000 miles away, it probably won't be cheap...

It seems that having "something" go missing during a professional move is part of the cost. Most everyone seems to have a story. Damage is a given - I'm just hoping to minimize it through some prep work on my end. Everyone's advice to "do it myself" is dead on and I appreciate the feedback.

Never used a moving company before but it's to far and to much for me now. Will see how this goes...

 

[pcmeiners]

DIY....
Same boat as the OP. I have calculated I have a minimum of 26000 lbs to store/ship; 95% tools/shop equipement. Luckily in NYC there are many sources for shipping boxes, I am in the process of collecting heavy duty waxed boxes as the average packed box weighs 80lbs from stores/restaurants dumpsters; waxed, produce or meat boxes are multiple times stronger then usual corrugated boxes. Large equipment on pallets. Figure at the destination I will rent a Hilo for a few days.
After research I am going with ABF trucking which have real 28ft and 6ft containers, 28ft handles 22500lbs, the smaller 2500lbs. Main reason, they provide high security (with the right lock), much more then PODS or other so called containers; looked at Uhauls storage units, just begging to be robbed, PODs not much better. As I pack the boxes I give each a number and weigh it, place the number and weight in a spread sheet and note the contents, only I know what is in each box. On Ebay they sell scales which go to 660 lbs for a ridiculous sum of $28.00 plus 10. shipping, they work.
Hard to believe I need more then a 28ft truck.

28ft...
https://blog.upack.com/posts/what-are-the-dimensions-of-a-trailer

Cube...
https://www.upack.com/moving-services/moving-container.asp

"It seems that having "something" go missing during a professional move is part of the cost."
Been involved in multiple commercial moves by "professional". Incredible how many laptops disappear from point A to point B.

"Then write Chevette and/or K car parts on it with a Sharpie. Nobody wants that stuff. "
Maybe Omni, they might even feel sorry for you.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you box the garage stuff, pack it in boxes and tape the hell out of it. Then write Chevette and/or K car parts on it with a Sharpie. Nobody wants that stuff.

 

[PNWguy]

If work is paying for it..., I'd box all the tools in small boxes (1 box of wrenches, 1 box of screwdrivers...) and label them something incorrect that sounds cheap (silverware, scrap iron...). Take everything heavy out of the tool boxes.

 

[PugetDude]

ABF U-pack. You can pack the trailer to your satisfaction.

 

[Aaron_W]

I moved 5 times between 2000 and 2012. Moving ***** even when someone else is paying for it.

I've never moved as far as you are, but in every move I've moved the most sensitive items myself, valuables, fragile items, guns etc. The last move we rented a medium sized U-haul and loaded it up with the things we didn't want to leave to the movers.


You usually only get about a month to claim damages. 5 years after the last move we still have some boxes to go through...

Unless you don't have very much there is no way you will account for everything in a month.

I would estimate the weight of your garage. You don't mention if you have kids or not, but 25,000lbs is not as much as it sounds, particularly if you have heavy stuff.

Both my wife and I have lots of hobbies, add in a couple kids and their stuff. Even moving a bunch of stuff in the Uhaul we came in just short of the allowed weight, like within a few hundred pounds. The charges for going overweight are often pretty steep.

 

[matt_i]

This was one part of my last move, palletized machines and built my own crates. The crates have internal plywood shelves which are supported by horizontal 1x3s on the inside vertical surface of the walls. Plus a center-post. More or less all the shelves are independently supported so the bottom stuff isn't crushed by incrementally more and more weight. Piles of blank newsprint paper and cardboard, plus coated all bare metal surfaces with LPS3 in case of moisture. I made my own inventory list in a notebook as I packed in case I needed something at the other end and got to the point where I had to tear into one of them. All corded power tools were placed just under the plywood top/highest shelf for that same reason. It worked very well with my own forklifts, much denser than I could have packed any cardboard box system.

In hindsight the stretch wrap wasn't a good idea, I got into a brief cloudburst and basically had to cut it all off due to the moisture trapped inside. In a dry-van it would be better but still a very good idea to corrosion-protect underneath it. Knowing what I know now, I would have invested in a roll of VCI paper and used that underneath the stretch wrap. I could probably avoid the rainstorm with radar animation on smartphone weather apps too

 

[Jackfre]

I moved East to West Coast in '11. Get several quotes from your movers and make sure the weights are certified. My haulers tried for a 40% upcharge based on weight. It was a great fight. I built two boxes with heavy casters. The 36" tall box had a false bottom that I stuck rifles and shotguns in, which is against the rules. I then loaded all kinds of tools and such on top of them. You just have decisions to make on what is worth transporting. If there are tools that you absolutely have to have, but others that you can replace/upgrade then sell them off. Look at some Craigslist ads at your destination to see how the tool market is. Check your insurance. You need to be square on that.

 

[crewchief888]

my last long move was from florida to the chicagoland area in '98.

tools, toolboxes, compressor, welders all along the sides of the uhaul truck, clothes & hockey gear up in the attic, computer, harley in the center between the boxes, gaylord box with guns, ammo, primers, powder, and reloading presses.

my entire life was "condensed" into a 17ft truck. everything "fit" but i was heavily overloaded, and sitting on the bumpstops in the rear.

i had no furniture, not much more than the clothes on my back, and my few possessions....

everything survived, including me


ive made several short moves of 20 or so miles since then, did multiple trips with a pickup and utility trailer, didnt break or loose anything.

told the wife i'm not moving again, she can bury me next to the dog in the backyard

if it was me, i'd rent a separate truck or trailer, and move garage contents, (guns, ect) myself, and leave the household stuff to someone else.
very few people know whats in my garage, and i'd like to keep it that way

 

[MatBirch]

If you box the garage stuff, pack it in boxes and tape the hell out of it. Then write Chevette and/or K car parts on it with a Sharpie. Nobody wants that stuff.

Love this!
Once had a storage unit robbed and cleaned out. Everything except a stack of boxes of books. They tore open the top box, and left the rest of the stack untouched. I’ve since thought about just picking up old cheap books for the top box and filling the rest with my good stuff.

 

[chrismenke]

Specific to toolboxes, here's what I did when I moved coast to coast. I ordered a forward air medium crate, disassembled the toolbox stack (Snap On KRA roller, mid, top, side, and locker), and packed a layer of shop towels to the top of each drawer, then locked the boxes. Each box was then wrapped with moving blankets, and then places inside the forward air container and strapped down. One the forward air container was full with no possible play anywhere, it went onto a trailer behind a mate's dually, back to forward air in Richmond, VA, and into a semi.

The crate itself was a reinforced metal box, with tie down points, designed to ship large American motorcycles. I was well over the expected weight, but the deal was (and maybe still is) flat rate based on crate volume and mileage. I paid $700 using a buddy's forward air account.

I drove to San Francisco and it arrived the day before I did.

Then I sold it for a profit and bought a much bigger KRL1023.

 

[billspit]

Sell it all and start fresh.

Sure, for everything except tools.

 

[metalmagpie]

Voice in the wilderness utters the dread words:

sell as much as you can and buy it again when you get there!

metalmagpie