Trying to Move my Toolboxes 1000 miles

[424Motorsports]

I am moving back to Pennsylvania from Nashville TN. I have a KRL snap on tool box (72 long by 39" deep) and a full size roll cart. a Subaru STI and very minimal living items (bed, ect) i have three welders and a small 26" box that goes with them. i am trying to move with the most efficiency. the KRL is 1000lbs emply and is the biggest problem for me moving.

i was hoping to get some ideas from more experienced guys about moving and tool boxes.

thanks a bunch guys.

 

[DeluxeManCave4Me]

Rent a U-Haul with a lift-gate & tow the STI.

 

[PhoenixStar]

I say Uhaul or Penske as well. Another option would be to pull a small Uhaul utility trailer with your Subi. They have higher sides and plenty of strap points. Cover with tarps if weather is a concern.

 

[CNGsaves]

Ryder or Penske big truck with lift. Most U-Haul trucks barely reliable for in-town!!

+1 to tow the car behind rental truck.

Above assumes you get good weather, as stressful as heck driving all your possessions in bad weather. Helped a friend move to TX when freezing rain storm hit . . . . scary drive when 30 ft truck starts to "wiggle" on road !

Moving also will depend on how many times you intend to make the long haul. With just one trip, certainly go the one-way rental of big truck.

 

[Zeke]

If you have any time on your side you can sometimes get on a load that is going in that direction if they have some extra room. Call some van lines and see about this. I shipped a piano 2000 miles that way.

Send the bigger stuff and take the little stuff with you. Don't go crazy spending money on shipping a mattress. Just go to Costco and get a new one especially if the old one is more than 5 years old.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Rent a U-Haul with a lift-gate & tow the STI.

I was going to suggest a renting a Uhaul or Ryder but are they available with a lift gate ?



If not, hire a roll back to winch up on his deck and then back up to the box truck. Getting it out with be the opposite.

 

[crewchief888]

17ft uhaul will carry your stuff,

car dolly or trailer for the car.

16 years ago i left central fl headed to chicago with my tool/toolboxes, air comp, welders, my clothes, harley and hockey eq all in a 17ft truck.

uhaul wouldnt rent me a trailer for my '68 chevy van

 

[424Motorsports]

im planning on moving in April. I am all for towing the subaru behind the truck (no one i know knows how to drive a manual gearbox) typical of my generation. im concerned about the KRL rolling around but.

my subaru could not pull another subaru let alone my KRL lolll

i do not feel comfortable with having a professional shipper move my tools/boxes. they are my lively hood and too easy to make disappear.

has anyone had experience moving a KRL sized box? or experience with using a lift gate on a UHAUL ?

 

[crab]

If your place is accessible to a tractor trailer you can ship that box with a van line. They have a special division for that kind of freight equipped with lift gates and go door to door. You might be surprised at how cheap it is. Don't worry about your tools, that's actually just nonsense, if they didn't deliver all your tools to you they'd have to replace them. Get 3 bids from different van lines and let everyone know that you are getting 3 bids. You're talking about less than 400 bucks probably, an estimate doesn't cost a dime.

 

[Milton Shaw]

If you use a lift gate, make sure you have some help as the gates sometimes sag and would roll the box off the ramp before you could grab it and probably outweighs you and you could not control.

 

[crewchief888]

i havent seen any uhauls with lift gates, the lower height of the uhaul trucks makes loading/unloading easier than a "normal" height truck.



i moved all of these boxes, (including a 26" roller behind me), as well as a triple stack 33" wide set (plus welders & air compressor) in a 17ft truck.

unload/remove the drawers (as needed) to load and unload, that way they dont get away from you.

 

[St-rider]

I've used a penske truck with a liftgate. You may need help pushing the box onto the liftgate though. It's a few inches high with a little built in ramp.

 

[Linkon]

I am moving back to Pennsylvania from Nashville TN. I have a KRL snap on tool box (72 long by 39" deep) and a full size roll cart. a Subaru STI and very minimal living items (bed, ect) i have three welders and a small 26" box that goes with them. i am trying to move with the most efficiency. the KRL is 1000lbs emply and is the biggest problem for me moving.

i was hoping to get some ideas from more experienced guys about moving and tool boxes.

thanks a bunch guys.

I have done this before with a Macsimizer triple bank box. I loaded the box into the back of an enclosed trailer then screwed some 2x4's to the floor of the trailer on either side of the wheels on the toolbox. Then I strapped the box down with 2 heavy duty 4" ratchet straps similar to these: http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Ratchet-Straps-Tie-Downs/4-Inch-Wire-Hook-Ratchet-Straps

I of course padded the straps with several towels to keep them from rubbing the paint off the top of the box.

Then I built a frame from 2x4's around the top of the box and had them extend to the side walls of the trailer just to make sure there was no way the box could possibly tip over if the tow vehicle ran into any trouble during the trip and had to swerve or anything like that.

It all worked great, not a scratch on the box and not a single tool out of place after the 900+ miles trip.

 

[424Motorsports]

If your place is accessible to a tractor trailer you can ship that box with a van line. They have a special division for that kind of freight equipped with lift gates and go door to door. You might be surprised at how cheap it is. Don't worry about your tools, that's actually just nonsense, if they didn't deliver all your tools to you they'd have to replace them. Get 3 bids from different van lines and let everyone know that you are getting 3 bids. You're talking about less than 400 bucks probably, an estimate doesn't cost a dime.

whats the appropriate way to prepare my boxes, wrap them in cardboard? i know you all understand how important they are to me.

 

[crf731]

Yep.

Rent a moving truck and do it yourself or get a PODS or similar moving container dropped off so you can load it up and have them take it to your new address. They will even store it for you until you find a place to live if you don't have one. Yet.

Good luck, I hate moving.

 

[424Motorsports]

I have done this before with a Macsimizer triple bank box. I loaded the box into the back of an enclosed trailer then screwed some 2x4's to the floor of the trailer on either side of the wheels on the toolbox. Then I strapped the box down with 2 heavy duty 4" ratchet straps similar to these: http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Ratchet-Straps-Tie-Downs/4-Inch-Wire-Hook-Ratchet-Straps

I of course padded the straps with several towels to keep them from rubbing the paint off the top of the box.

Then I built a frame from 2x4's around the top of the box and had them extend to the side walls of the trailer just to make sure there was no way the box could possibly tip over if the tow vehicle ran into any trouble during the trip and had to swerve or anything like that.

It all worked great, not a scratch on the box and not a single tool out of place after the 900+ miles trip.

any pictures

 

[Zeke]

im planning on moving in April. I am all for towing the subaru behind the truck (no one i know knows how to drive a manual gearbox) typical of my generation. im concerned about the KRL rolling around but.

my subaru could not pull another subaru let alone my KRL lolll

i do not feel comfortable with having a professional shipper move my tools/boxes. they are my lively hood and too easy to make disappear.

has anyone had experience moving a KRL sized box? or experience with using a lift gate on a UHAUL ?

**** happens out on the road too. I insured the piano for 10 grand, or about 5x its value at the time. It got there just fine. I wouldn't ship the box full anyway.

 

[Linkon]

any pictures

No, sorry man this was over 10 years ago and I didnt think to take any pictures at the time.

 

[NUTTSGT]

whats the appropriate way to prepare my boxes, wrap them in cardboard? i know you all understand how important they are to me.

I'd probably do something like hanging a blanket over it and then wrapping with shrink wrap.

 

[boomer12831]

Check with ABF. My son used them to move from Maine to Seattle. They were very reliable, he was able to track the load, I think he even used his own padlock on the container. I do not remember what he was charged, but I know it was reasonable. I had a friend use them also to move his house contents from NY to Kentucky and he was very happy. Good luck, Ed

 

[Wood'nMetal]

Call U-Ship and request Jarred!

 

[mike721]

U hauls don't. Have lift gates. But they do have a ramp

 

[boiler7904]

If the boxes are at home or a place where you don't have truck dock access, I've seen some Penske trucks with lift gates but they aren't the norm.

If you have limited items to move, I'd look at a service like UPack. Similar to PODS but run by ABF Freight. Being near a terminal I see a couple trailers of these cubes a week.

 

[srmofo]

whats the appropriate way to prepare my boxes, wrap them in cardboard? i know you all understand how important they are to me.

I like to to wrap them with wrapping plastic (saran wrap stuff on a roll) and then put 2 tie downs around them to hold all the drawers shut (or 3 if you have a triple bank).

Ive only moved around town with mine and I rented a lift bed trailer but I dont know of any national chains that have them? Maybe sunbelt rental?

just checked and they do
https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equi...0150/6ft-x-12ft-lift-bed-tandem-axle-trailer/

For a haul that far I would almost consider unbolting the casters and setting them on some blocks once loaded onto the trailer or truck, because trailers and trucks are not known for their great suspension. I know mine shifted quite a bit and I had about 15 straps on them and about a 15 mile trip.

Or you could even just jack the box up and slide enough cribbing under it to keep the wheels off the ground

 

[424Motorsports]

I like to to wrap them with wrapping plastic (saran wrap stuff on a roll) and then put 2 tie downs around them to hold all the drawers shut (or 3 if you have a triple bank).

Ive only moved around town with mine and I rented a lift bed trailer but I dont know of any national chains that have them? Maybe sunbelt rental?

just checked and they do
https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equi...0150/6ft-x-12ft-lift-bed-tandem-axle-trailer/

For a haul that far I would almost consider unbolting the casters and setting them on some blocks once loaded onto the trailer or truck, because trailers and trucks are not known for their great suspension. I know mine shifted quite a bit and I had about 15 straps on them and about a 15 mile trip.

Or you could even just jack the box up and slide enough cribbing under it to keep the wheels off the ground

both my boxes are flat black. they have very minimal wear on them now and i will do literally anything to keep them that way. they are my pride and joy. im honestly considering having someone drive my STI behind me and tow the boxes on a uhaul trailer with a 15ft box truck. seems to be the most reasonable.

no one could give me a straight answer on which trucks had a lift gate from uhaul. one person even asked "whats a lift gate?"

 

[crab]

whats the appropriate way to prepare my boxes, wrap them in cardboard? i know you all understand how important they are to me.

Make sure there is nothing in the boxes that could spill [liquid] and lock it up. The driver will pad the boxes and secure them so they can't move during transport. If you have a van line do this it's no longer your problem, it's theirs. Take out extra insurance, it's not that much. The driver will inventory your boxes, not necessarily what's in them but the boxes, and list any existing damage to them [ scratches, rubs, dents ]. Take a few pictures and declare a value. If everything isn't exactly like it was when the driver picked it up they will have to pay for any damage, some of that money comes from the driver, he will be careful. By the way, all lift gates have a maximum weight limit, on a 53 foot trailer it's around 5000 pounds, on a Penske rental it's much less. I have had a roll back load cat scans in my trailer because they were to heavy for the lift, that's usually around 100 bucks and you would be charged that if it was necessary.

 

[APEowner]

When I moved my boxes from NY to NM I pulled all the drawers out loaded, pushed the boxes up the ramp with several helpers and then put all the drawers back in and locked them. I then wrapped it with blankets and strapped it to the side of the truck. When I got to NM I had the luxury of a forklift so I just used that to unload. There was no damage to any of the boxes.


I used U-Pack but the loading, protecting, strapping and unloading will work with any truck that has good tie downs.

I wouldn't use cardboard to protect stuff, it's abrasive.

I use U-Haul trailers because I'm not aware of any alternatives but I'd never use one of their trucks for anything other than a local move and even then I try not to. I've been burned to many times. Once almost literally when a leaking fuel line was spraying gas all over the engine. I wouldn't use a U-Haul trailer for this move because they don't have tie down locations in the right place for a tool box.

 

[Nighttrain]

Make sure the drawers are all locked. I helped my FIL move his and as soon as we got it to the lift gate the drawers started to open from the top down. It was not pretty.

 

[pstnbly]

Rent a small U-Haul truck and a car trailer. Call a towing company with a roll back wrecker, have the wrecker come to where the box is located, load the box on the wrecker, back the wrecker to the U-Haul truck, match the deck heights, lower the box into the U-Haul, done. Cover the box with moving blankets, surround the box with sheets of luan plywood or heavy cardboard, strap down with ratchet binders.

 

[onewheat]

I have used Ryder 3 times moving my 3 bay loaded Maximiser. I wrap it in moving blankets and strap it to the wall and then pack around it. This (pictured) truck is only $10 more a day than the next size down - same $$ per mile (I think) too. I was not doing one-way rentals, but I moved a truckload from Louisville to Knoxville and a truckload from Louisville to Bowling Green and another truckload somewhere else (forget where). They Ryder equipment was always top-notch which is more than I could say for anything I have ever gotten from U-Haul. The 3 bay box fits easily on to this truck's liftgate and it lifted it loaded no problem. One size down truck was a tight squeeze for a 3 bay toolbox but it lifted it also but it tilted a little bit on lifting and made me nervous because it was a tight squeeze. I would like the larger truck to pull the Subaru also and it would do so easily. The truck is governed to 65 mph though - auto transmission, rides nice, decent power, diesel (about 8-9 mpg depending on load weight for me) but towing might be a bit less. Nashville to PA should be a pretty easy drive. My dirve back from BG to LV was in heavy snow and the unloaded truck did drift very well - it is a lot of fun drifting a 26' box truck when you have 3 empty lanes aound you.



I have moved my loaded box in an enclosed trailer also - would not do it again. It was too much point load for the floor and cracked it - but if I HAD to do it again, I would put down another layer of plywood or subfloor to help distribute the load. Also in an enclosed trailer, there wasn't (what I felt) to be strong enough tiedown points to hold that much weight securely in place. Even in the big truck, I did put the box in the very front corner so the wall held it in place if I had to get on the brakes hard and packed around it to help with minor shifting.