How to ship a mobile rack

[guru007]

In a week or so I'll be shipping a pair of 16U Shockmount racks with casters across the country (NYC to Oregon). Any thoughts or tips on my getting the racks to their new home safe and sound?

- FedEx Ground seems to have the best deal for this weight (around 100lbs each) and size (UPS Ground is quoting me double the price). Any other recommended shippers?

- Given the size and weight of these racks, I'm guessing using any exterior packaging or box is out of the question? Perhaps cling wrap or something? I've never sent something so naked or "outside the box" before so I'm flying blind here...

- Once the rack covers are latched, I was going to zip tie the latches together to keep them secure, and also somewhat accessible if needed.

- Each rack has cabling (one has a wired patchbay). I was going to secure the cable looms inside the racks with additional zip ties. Should I consider unracking the patchbay and boxing it up instead?

Sorry for so many questions. Just trying to cover all the bases I can think of. All comments are welcome and hopefully will help others needing to ship similar gear.

Thanks!
guru007
nyc

[fifthcircle]

Give TechTrans a call (866-260-0360). They seem to have pretty competitve rates for shipment of gear. I've had them do both ground shipping and faster (next-day) work. They'll pick stuff up and put it on a pallate for shipment.

Now, I don't usually ship large racks if I can avoid it. The heavier it is, the more likely it will be to have damage on the other end. Rather, I break things into smaller racks that go inside Pellican cases with foam. So far- so good. No fatalities yet.

Before you make final decisions, though, give them a call and see what they recommend.

--Ben

[guru007]

I'll definitely give TechTrans a call. Many thanks!

guru007

[bengl3rt]

I have unfortunately learned about this the painful/hard way, after UPS "lost" my rack this past summer.

-Itemize and insure for the exact total amount of all the stuff in the box. I shipped mine with all cables still patched, and forgot to account for the value of the cables when I insured it, so I was out of pocket for those.

-Don't ship anything that obviously looks like a rack case. I too sent a 4U Pelican case with the butterfly clips ziptied, and it got "lost". These look valuable/expensive and people are more likely to walk off with them. The advice I got from someone who has been in the biz much longer than I: keep the cardboard box your Pelican case came in, and ship it IN that, so it looks like every other shipment they are handling. Doesn't add much to the size/weight but acts as camouflage for your pricey-looking box.

Hope this helps!

[surflounge]

thinking about the giant shrink-wrap machine at Miami airport, wrapping luggage like cocoons, with stretch plastic wrap. Would that help disguise it?

[fifthcircle]

Originally Posted by bengl3rt

I have unfortunately learned about this the painful/hard way, after UPS "lost" my rack this past summer.

-Itemize and insure for the exact total amount of all the stuff in the box. I shipped mine with all cables still patched, and forgot to account for the value of the cables when I insured it, so I was out of pocket for those.

-Don't ship anything that obviously looks like a rack case. I too sent a 4U Pelican case with the butterfly clips ziptied, and it got "lost". These look valuable/expensive and people are more likely to walk off with them. The advice I got from someone who has been in the biz much longer than I: keep the cardboard box your Pelican case came in, and ship it IN that, so it looks like every other shipment they are handling. Doesn't add much to the size/weight but acts as camouflage for your pricey-looking box.

Hope this helps!

And this is the reason why I use a freight carrier that specializes in gear instead of a a standard box shipping service. You just can't trust the UPS/FedEx folks out there.

I've also heard folks in the film world talk about shipping their cases on planes with a starter's pistol in each one. That means you have to declare a firearm and special care is taken by the airlines to insure they aren't lost.

--Ben

[guru007]

Originally Posted by bengl3rt

The advice I got from someone who has been in the biz much longer than I: keep the cardboard box your Pelican case came in, and ship it IN that, so it looks like every other shipment they are handling. Doesn't add much to the size/weight but acts as camouflage for your pricey-looking box.

Hope this helps!

Sorry to hear about your misadventures in shipping, but your advice is very helpful.
These 16U racks are about 41 inches tall and 31 inches deep, so getting a box to fit might be tricky, but I'm now investigating that option.

The cling wrap idea might work, too!

Keep 'em coming

guru007

[bengl3rt]

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

I've also heard folks in the film world talk about shipping their cases on planes with a starter's pistol in each one. That means you have to declare a firearm and special care is taken by the airlines to insure they aren't lost.

Hmm, would that really fly (no pun intended) in the post-9/11 airport security climate? I'm in the United States :-/

[WVUtubadude]

Originally Posted by bengl3rt

Hmm, would that really fly (no pun intended) in the post-9/11 airport security climate? I'm in the United States :-/

Thats exactly why it would work.

[Remoteness]

We use freight carriers when the client provides them to us.

We also use FedEx Ground.
One of FedEx's main hub is just a few blocks from our field shop.
So is UPS, but I've had much better luck using FedEx.

Our racks weigh quite a bit.
The cases alone weigh in at around 160 lbs each.
These cases are extremely heavy duty and have traveled quite a few miles with no serious damage.

I've never bothered to use exterior packaging with our heavy duty road case because they (when designed properly) do exactly what they suppose to do, so we go with it.

That being said, I would indeed crate any case that isn't up to the challenge.
This includes SKB cases, medium duty and light duty road cases, especially the regard to the casters and latches.

If your case is up to snuff make sure your casters are too.
You may want to crate the caster portion of your racks if you feel they will not take the potential beating traveling to Oregon.

I also tie wrap the latched, just to make sure that no one tampered with the racks, but this is just a way to see if they have been screwed with; they don't really help secure anything. I sometimes use specially colored tie wraps that are difficult to find, so in the event that someone did indeed clip the ties and replaced them after their were done with their nasty deed.

We also have shock stickers that show if a case has fallen or been missed used in travel.
There are different G Force ratings to choose from, so you can pick the correctly rated sticker for the particular sensitivity of each equipment rack. When the tiny glass cylinder within the damage indicator breaks red ink is shown and you know upfront that the rack was dropped or hit hard enough to potentially cause damage.

Taking a picture of the road case at the shipping facility making sure obvious objects like company logos and such is a great idea, because it puts your rack in their timeline.
You have a time and place to present if they is any damage or loss issues down the road. IMO, having a picture of your rack doesn't confirm that it was in the exact condition just before shipping. If you play with the "big boys" (FedEx; UPS and such) you have to think like the "big boys."

Our racks have all sorts of cable looms inside the racks and they are properly and securely wired. You should have no problems with them if they are fastened properly.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

We had to ship a mixer across country in its flight case and we did everything that we could to insure its safe arrival. We shipped it UPS (before ground) and it did get lost and damaged but nothing serious.

The mixer was lost for three days and somehow was not trackable, When it did arrive the mixer was in good condition but the flight case had a hole in one side and one corner was smashed. We had insurance on the mixer and the flight case so the purchaser was not out any money.

We have also shipped various case via Greyhound Bus as freight but I am not sure if they still provide this service. It goes in the hold as baggage and use to be a easy way of sending stuff ahead for sessions. No real problems with using them . Most of the time it was within the state and was a point to point run for the bus.

Here is link for the shock indicators Damage Indicators - Uline Most big cities have places that sell them or you can order from ULINE.

[bishopthomas]

If your case will take it I agree to not use any kind of box. They have wheels and handles, let the handlers use them.

[jasonraboin]

I use Rock-it Cargo for shipping gear. They will palletize and shrink wrap your gear and make sure it gets there in one piece. There is certainly a premium for this, but I have never lost a piece of equipment when shipped via Rock-it.

If Rock-it is too expensive, I still strongly recommend getting a pallet, laying the racks down on it, shrink wrapping them, and using a freight forwarder.

[jwh1192]

these guys have been shipping for Live Nation studios for many years ..

Sound Moves 516.239.5250

please reference live nation when calling ..

kevin schurman is the contact

cheers

john

[guru007]

Originally Posted by jwh1192

these guys have been shipping for Live Nation studios for many years ..

Sound Moves 516.239.5250

please reference live nation when calling ..

kevin schurman is the contact

cheers

john

I just spoke to Kevin (very helpful). Looks like the delivery location is so remote that it'll be cost prohibitive. I'll definitely call them again when shipping gear.

guru007

[guru007]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

Here is link for the shock indicators Damage Indicators - Uline Most big cities have places that sell them or you can order from ULINE.

Thanks for the link! I didn't know about shock indicators. I'm going to track those down and try to use them from now on!

guru007

[DannyL]

I use SOS. About the best there is. They cost as much or more than other services, but there is a reason why all the broadcasters use them: your gear will get there on time and intact.

Often shipping costs are a chargeable expense. I recoup the cost from my client. It is to their advantage to have your gear there intact and on time. After all, they are paying for your services AND equipment.

IMHO there are places to save money. Make your own cables, do your own maintenance when possible. Never buy cheap cases and use a good shipper, losing gear is a nightmare. The cost of lost time and the energy you will need to expend to recover your investment is certainly worth the extra expense of using a reliable shipper. This goes double for overseas work.

SOS all the way, by land or by air.

Danny

[guru007]

An update:
I called all the couriers that were kindly recommended above.
All seemed very pro but were out of the budget for this sale (one was actually more than the total value of the sale).
So we went with FedEx Home Delivery.
So:
Every latch was zip tied.
Every loom and cable connector was secured by zip ties.
Then I used bubblewrap and FedEx invoice adhesive ziplocks to secure the cable connectors and EDACs to the base or side walls of the rack's interior - to keep them from making a racket and rattling during transit and raising eyebrows (see pics).
Probably overkill but I've never shipped racks before...

End result: the racks arrived at the Oregon destination a day earlier than FedEx estimated. The buyer is satisfied and so am I.

Thank you all for your expert advice in helping me pull this off.
Your time and council was VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!!
Best,
guru007

[bishopthomas]

Thanks for the update. I generally prefer FedEx over UPS, although I end up shipping UPS only because I have an account with them (should start a FedEx account, though). Did you price UPS? Was there much difference in price? Audiopile/EWI is in Washington state and shipping cases is outrageously expensive from coast to coast. The only reason keeping me from buying their large cases is that the shipping is almost as much as the case. So I'm glad you could work it out to ship this safely and cost effectively. Nice job on the wiring, by the way.

[guru007]

FYI: UPS Ground was almost twice as much as FedEx Ground/Home Delivery.

[bishopthomas]

Interesting. Maybe I'll give Audiopile a call and see if they would consider using FedEx. I'm on my way to register for an account now.

[Remoteness]

FedEx is my preferred way to ship at Aura-Sonic.
I've had much better results with FedEx than UPS.

Both FedEx and UPS hubs are nearby the shop; I'm happy that FedEx is only a few blocks away...

It makes the last minute stuff really easy for us, especially since they are open until 8:15PM.

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

Thanks for the update. I generally prefer FedEx over UPS, although I end up shipping UPS only because I have an account with them (should start a FedEx account, though). Did you price UPS? Was there much difference in price? Audiopile/EWI is in Washington state and shipping cases is outrageously expensive from coast to coast. The only reason keeping me from buying their large cases is that the shipping is almost as much as the case. So I'm glad you could work it out to ship this safely and cost effectively. Nice job on the wiring, by the way.

Originally Posted by guru007

FYI: UPS Ground was almost twice as much as FedEx Ground/Home Delivery.

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

Interesting. Maybe I'll give Audiopile a call and see if they would consider using FedEx. I'm on my way to register for an account now.