FV motor crate examples & drawings

[crypt0zink]

How do you ship your FV motor?

Did you build a plywood/2x4 crate or buy a Hardigg/molded type case and modify it? Drawings, specs and photos are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Dietmar]

John:

All of my engines come and go in a plywood crate.
Send me an e-mail: fvraceri@cox.net and I will send you what drawings I have. Warning...I can not draw , but no one seems to have any problems following the suggested plans I send.

Dietmar
www.quixoteracing.com
fvraceri@cox.net

[2Dogs]

I built a 2x6 deck with runners underneath for a pallet jack or fork lift. I tacked on some 2x4s for general support under the valve covers and crank. Then I cut and screwed in 2x4 uprights and boxed in the top, then screwed in plywood on each face. I installed E track in front of and behind the motor for the straps. Took me 2 hours. I used torx head decking screws.

[Daryl DeArman]

I feel compelled to chime in here.

If you are going to use a wooden crate to ship your engine with an LTL carrier, there's a good chance it will arrive at its' destination intact. There's also a real good chance that if it doesn't arrive in good shape that somebody just like me will give the carrier enough ammunition to have that claim declined for improper packaging.

The subjective and not so subjective wording of the LTL industry minimum standards for wooden crate construction utilized when shipping with member carriers of the NMFTA are as follows:

(1) Lumber must be seasoned, reasonably sound, and free from cross grain and knots which would interfere with nailing or stapling, or knots which are greater than 1/3 the width of the lumber.
(2) Crates must be constructed with outer framework consisting of upright and horizontal members and with additional diagonals, upright and horizontal members where necessary to provide proper strength and rigidity.
(3) Crates must be constructed with three-way locking corners, where members will be joined with nails or staples driven into side grain of joining members.
(4) All joining crate members must be fastened by double nailing or stapling.
(5) Crates must be designed and constructed with transverse cross-members at base sufficient in strength to protect underside of article from damage by mechanical handling equipment.
(6) Structural panels, including plywood, oriented strand board, and waferboard must be manufactured with external glue.

From the NMFC Item 245.

[pacratt]

Also, check with your engine builder as far as shipping carriers.
They will usually suggest who they've had greatest success with.
They can also tell you what they've seen (good & bad) in terms of crating.
Glenn

[Daryl DeArman]

Re: carrier of choice. They are all bad, they are all good. Depends on your perspective In other words they all have a whole lot of damage claims and they all deliver 98+% of their freight without a resulting freight claim.

The crates like Dietmar builds might be quite sufficient in serving its intended purpose, that doesn't mean that your claim will get paid if/when you have damage.

The crate 2dogs posted photos of is a great example of the issue. The crate is likely strong enough to serve the intended purpose the vast majority of the time. However, when somebody stacks something heavy on it and that crate fails, the claim should get bounced within 5 seconds of an inspector looking at the crate.

Namely: (1) screws are not an approved fastening method (loaded in shear when stacked upon). (2) Fasteners are driven into end grain instead of side grain. (3) corners are not 3-way interlocking. (4) no diagonal bracing.

[2Dogs]

Yeah, my crate is definitely not made for having anything stacked on top. The bottom is great, with lag bolts and sturdy wood (built by a professional crate builder, I got to do some scavenging), but the walls and top is just a protective cover to keep dirt off that I slapped together quickly so that I could get ahead of the end of season rush.

[Daryl DeArman]

Yeah, my crate is definitely not made for having anything stacked on top.

That's the other dilemma, build it like it's indestructible and they'll treat it as a challenge. Build it so it isn't up to snuff and maybe you get everyone that touches to treat it with kid gloves....but all it takes is one, and when that happens the claim gets soundly declined.

The other thing to be mindful of is how many times that crate is going to be handled and loaded, unloaded and stacked on.

Standard pallets are made to be loaded side by side in a trailer. When you have a pallet or crate base that isn't a standard size it doesn't load as nicely. You end up with voids around the crate that get stuffed with other odd size and harder to load freight. I'm not suggesting you make your engine crate 42" x 48" x 24"H, I'm just suggesting you be mindful of the environment it is going to be loaded in. The guy picking up your engine and the guy delivering it are the only times the shipment is moving without being in a trailer cubed out to 95%+ capacity.