Heavy lifting, -shipping issues

[Tengu]

Getting a quotation for shipping my kit up to Scotland.

It will be in a container. The company suggest a weight of not more than 1 ton.

Which will be problematic given my books.

Books are heavy.

Any suggestiions?

(I will strangle anyone who suggests getting rid of them. Books are my life, -and used in my work. I have very few not useful books).

 

[Chris]

A kindle...? *ducks*


I suppose either a shipping container or a 'man-with-a-van' sort of service are the only options, unless you can pay to keep them in storage. Really depends on the prices you're quoted really. There's no getting around it after a certain point, though - large, heavy items cost a lot to transport.

 

[slowworm]

What will the company charge for another container or more than 1 tonne?

 

[Broch]

Is the plan that it all stays in the container when it's been taken up to Scotland? If so, you're likely to lose some of those books anyway through damp. If you haven't sorted a house yet why are you shipping everything? If you have sorted digs, why not just do a normal van rental? Forgive me, I'm a bit confused.

 

[Stew]

What’s your budget?

 

[Paul_B]

How big a container? We used to ship out many tons in our containers in my old company.

You know what, you could palletise your books and use a pallet service like Palletline. Or speak to a local logistics company to where your books are, there will be one that is part of a network that carries low numbers of pallets rather than charfing by the truck. On top of that there sre many Eastern euopean man with box van who your local logistics company can access to carry low numbers of pallets too.

IIRC you can get more than a ton on a pallet. Indeed you can put a lower load on more pallets and it could be economic to ship them that way as a pallet service. Just make sure you use a relable service as it is not unknown for loads to get damaged in trans-shipping between truck companies or from one local truck to a cross country truck then a local truck at the other end. Ususally they are Ok but one in several hundred has issues.

I reckon you could lay your hands on a medium or heavyweight pallet and then you need packaging cling film and probably pallet banding. Card sleeving is useful too. IF you can't get them then any long run of cardboard can be wrapped around and cling wrapped and banded. Perhaps a local company could help you with the packaging. I found that if you put a cardboard layer on the pallet it helps protect the contents. You can get boxes and lids to go on pallets too.

 

[demented dale]

Getting a quotation for shipping my kit up to Scotland.

It will be in a container. The company suggest a weight of not more than 1 ton.

Which will be problematic given my books.

Books are heavy.

Any suggestiions?

(I will strangle anyone who suggests getting rid of them. Books are my life, -and used in my work. I have very few not useful books).

There is a website called shipley where you post the job and couriers and private people bid for it by offering the best deal. they have testimonials and feedback etc. some people go up and down the country regular and just do it to pay for there fuel etc. well worth a look x
ps you do not need a container for 1 ton. Any transit sized van in the world can carry that amount easy. x

 

[GreyCat]

If it's a shipping contaier, 1 tonne doesn't seem like much of a payload.

One ofthe challenges we have in railfreight is that some containers coming off ships are sometimes greatly oveloaded, if the dock crane can lift 'em, they will. Then the WILD (Wheel Impact Load Detector) gets set off a few miles down the (rail) road...... This is on wagons whith have 4 axles each allowed 22 tonnes...... Yeah, some containers on ships are well overloaded (or very unevenly loaded).

Standard HGV load is up to 44T. Most container are moved on them.

Now, I have a LOT of books, but I think I'd struggle to overload a standard container.....

I have been moving my books to the new place, 5 boxes at a time. Small boxes, half filled otherwise I cannot lift them andor they break, so maybe 10kg each box, so 50 kg of books a load, so far done 3 loads.....a few more loads to go......

[I also have a lot of books on kindle].

GC

 

[Tengu]

Thank you for your advice, guys.

at 10kg a box that is 10 boxes a metric ton?

I really am having a big downsize. I have no idea what situation I am going into. (Probably a 2 bed flat...)

 

[Wildgoose]

There is 1000kg in a metric tonne. So 100 boxes at 10kg each

 

[Paul_B]

You can get different sized containers. Typical ones are 20ft, 40 ft and FT HC (HI-cube). Any one of those could easily take more than 1 metric tonne!! You could get that weight on a single pallet!!

 

[GreyCat]

Just remember, if you palletise, do so somewhere that a forklift truck can pick it up from...... and have an unloading plan for the other end (always assume bad weather on arrival).

I am using small boxes as I have to carry each one downstairs, around some obstacles, through a narrow door, load the car then unload at the other end (down 2 steps, through a nice wide door).

Big packing boxes seem great until you find you cannot lift them once full, much less get then downstairs and into a van.

GC

 

[Tengu]

Im going to get a typical box weighed.

 

[Falstaff]

I like Paul B's & Dale's suggestion, Shipley is very useful and economic. Any Storage firm sells boxes and industrial rolls of clingfilm. They delivered small pallets to me in the past. Even small vans can usually take a couple of euro containers.
On the pallet, lay some plastic sheet before the cardboard, put the smaller "handling" boxes on it, then pull up the base sheets sides and clingfilm the lot, before and after surrounding cardboard if you have it. That way it's relatively waterproof in transit and maybe at a storage facility.

On Shipley, specify pallet handling & that they have to have a pallet truck and tailgate to load/unload. Most do have this, but not all.

The 1 ton sounds like either break bulk (a portion of a larger container) or they are going to use a 1 tonne van.