Shipping LD200 for Rebuild
I need to ship my LD200 out for a rebuild. Looking for recommendations on how to package for shipping. Ideas/recommendations so far include building a wooden crate, use an ice chest/cooler, purchase a purpose-built shipping container maybe from Scribner. Given the replacement costs, I want something that will be secure and safe.
Would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks...
I've shipped using a Ice Cooler. Works perfectly.
Brian
Properly constructed enclosed wooden crate (not open slat design) with adequate inner packaging to keep transaxle from shifting during transport.Originally Posted by Dave Petzko
Sound lumber (no knots larger than 1/3 width of any board).
3-way interlocking corners.
No fasteners into end grain of wood. Use screws/long staples.
Runners of standard height (3 1/2")----you don't want somebody grabbing a pallet or crate in front of yours in the trailer, sticking their forks beyond that pallet and into the side of your crate.
Get a Tip N' Tell and a Shock Watch from somebody like U-Line.
Mark it Fragile, Handle With Care, Directional Arrows, Do not stack.
Tag the transaxle with a wire tie tag with all your information on it. If that crate gets destroyed in transit some poor sap will be tasked with trying to identify what it is and where it belongs.
All that said, it will not prevent it from getting damaged during transit. What it will do is prevent the trucking company from being able to decline a claim and having it stick based on improper packaging or marking.
Make the crate strong enough that it could have 5 of the same crates stacked on top of it. Make it strong enough that you could drop it from 5 feet and it would survive. Then pray neither happens.
In the event that transaxle is lost or damaged in transit you will recover very little. We want to reduce that possibility as much as possible.
Now, I'm out the door to go inspect damaged freight to help the carriers determine if it was properly packaged or not.
Google "NMFC Rule 245".
This isn't mine, nor of a company that I perform claims inspections for any longer. However, it's a pretty good readers' digest version:
https://arcb.com/sites/default/files...line_11.17.pdf
Walmart cooler....
Insure it
Cooler. I ratchet strap them closed too.
Awww, come on guys, it's so simple. Maybe you need a refresher course. Hey! It's all ball bearings nowadays.
Cooler
Cooler with 1" ridged foam cut to fill any voids and a roll of fiber reinforced packing tape.
Close to what Daryl was describing.
Cooler with Thick cardboard around the sides of the gear box, taped shut with the reinforced packing tape.
Do you remove the input shaft or build packing around it?
I made a small triangulated frame out of 3/4" dia tubing to support it on my Staffs. Attach the frame to 3 of the trans' attachment holes and to something that fits the front end of the shaft.
Dave Weitzenhof
attached picture shows the Walmart "cooler" solution. input shaft was pulled for shipping (see picture). transaxle was enclosed in "stretch-wrap" and surrounded by foam inside the cooler. a block of foam was installed on top of the transaxle before securing the "shipping container's" lid.
Art
artesmith@earthlink.net
Thanks guys. The pics are helpful. Scotty recommended the cooler container, when we were discussing the rebuild. I just wasn’t sure, but it looks like a good solution.
I can't sit on my hands and let you ship it in a cooler, or "purchase insurance" without at least sharing the following. If I bit my tongue and then something happened, I'd feel terrible.
Of course you can do as you wish, but at least I tried.
- Most (all?) LTL common carriers do not insure items during transit. You may think you are buying insurance. You are not. Read the fine print. FedEx for example says: "Additional liability coverage is not and will not be considered as insurance for the cargo.
- you are going to get $ZERO on a claim if the carrier discovers your items were not packaged in a manner that satisfies the NMFC.
- The book of how things must be packaged consists of more pages than the GCR. (Not exaggerating). It's not that long and detailed for your benefit, it's there for the carriers' benefit. When you sign the Bill of Lading you are agreeing that you essentially have that book memorized.
- A used, reconditioned, or rebuilt transmission/transaxle is valued at $.50 / lb. by almost every carriers' rules tariff out there. That's $38 if it gets lost or destroyed based on the weight of an LD200 being 76#
- If you are conned/scared into purchasing excess liability coverage Fed Ex Freight will charge you $223 or $1.36 / lb. whichever is more. In the case of the transaxle they will charge you $223 to get a maximum liability coverage of $5/lb. Which would bring you all the way up to $380 claim value if it gets lost or destroyed. Talk about a financial kick in the nuts.
If you read this far and you think you want to ship with carrier X or that carrier Y is offering insurance, shoot me a PM. I'll be glad to take a look at their rules tariff and let you know what jumps out at me. I'm 32 years and 50,000+ high value claims into my career.
I have shipped gearboxes in both coolers and plastic containers (available at walmart and target) with no issues many times via UPS. Take the input shaft out and pack it with plenty of cardboard, not bubble pack. No big deal. No fuss. Listen to Scotty- he’s in the gearbox business.
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In memory of Joe Stimola and Glenn Phillips
NMFC is used by motor freight companies. Regular ol' UPS and FedEx is not motor freight, UPS Freight and FedEx Freight is.
Regular ol' UPS and FedEx have their very own rules for packaging and insurance and it is by no means governed by NMFC.
Your ice chesterized LD200 can be shipped via regular ol' UPS/FedEx, it is small enough and light enough. If you insured it for actual value and it gets lost or destroyed you have a totally different type fight on your hands than what Daryl is describing. I'm not going to waste anyones time to describe that fight unless you need it.
Daryl, please feel free to correct me if I'm right...
or wrong.
Steve
Correct.
Depends on what you think of when you hear those terms. Most people probably think of the little package car/ van when thinking of "regular ol' either one of them." Though FedEx Freight is larger than FedEx Express in terms of tonnage and revenue, but then you have Ground and other subsidiaries to muddy the water. Both FedEx and UPS have many divisions that are other than small parcel that aren't called Freight.
.
Mostly correct. They do have their own rules for packaging, not governed by the NMFC. However, they don't offer insurance. They offer increased declared value that they clearly state in tiny print several pages into their terms and conditions that is not insurance.
Small enough and light enough, yes.
You can't insure it for actual value. You can declare a liability limit equal to the actual value, they will charge you $1 per $100 for each $100 over the first $100 and then when you have a claim you will be limited to the limits of liability in their rules. . . which often will still be very low. . . and they will still argue whether that cooler is adequate packaging. In fact, they clearly state that "coolers" (or some such term) are not proper packaging unless previously approved and certified by their own packaging division. Don't recall the exact term utilized, but I've dealt with numerous rules' tariffs and don't know any of them by heart, just know the meat of most of them.
Mostly right, and obviously well-intended. It's pretty easy to tell when somebody has had some claims experience with some of these carriers.Daryl, please feel free to correct me if I'm right...
or wrong.
Steve
So Daryl, with your experience, obviously you must package/crate a trans or engine to a very high standard. Is there a way to “insure” it for actual value if the shipper looses it or backs a truck over it? I put insure in quotes because I understand that word has legal meaning and what I’m asking may be called something else.
I always use a Contico tuff tote / mobile tool box available at hardware stores or tractor supply and then through bolt some cross bracing to keep the gearbox locked in position.
There are third parties that offer cargo insurance. You would have to decide if it's worth the cost v. risk and read all their exclusions and decide if it makes sense for your situation.
Because of my exposure to the ugly side of the industry I simply don't ship anything if I don't have to.
There are two trains of thought when it comes to packaging:
1) Package it so it looks indestructible and maybe the freight handler will treat it like it's indestructible. If you're right it's all good. If you're wrong at least your claim isn't likely to get denied because of improper packaging.
or
2) Package it so it looks precarious and maybe the freight handler will treat it with great care. However, when they don't rest assured your claim is getting declined because of improper packaging.
On edit, I forgot the third and most common way: (3) Save money on packaging materials and labor. Package it so that it has a reasonable chance of getting their intact, but know that if it doesn't your claim is getting declined for improper packaging.
There are 6 Fortune 500 companies that immediately come to mind, who knowingly package their product improperly and continue to have huge freight claims losses. Their logic must be the packaging savings on the 199 shipments that get there intact for every one that doesn't saves them money. Until, that one day they had a $1.5M claim declined for improper packaging. That buys a whole lot of lumber!!!.
Last edited by Daryl DeArman; 10.19.19 at 1:14 PM.
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