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Best way to ship tool box...

Mark P.

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 1, 2021
When our shop closed, my older brother said he wanted a couple of the tool boxes we had there. It ends up he'll only be getting my grandfather's old Craftsman tool box. It's 25x19x14. Haven't weighed it but I'd guess with some of the tooling inside it's at least 50 lbs. If there's one thing I've learned on this forum it's cheap shipping ideas. The tool box is going from NE Ohio to Tampa/St. Pete area. What's the best/cheapest way to ship? Thanks in advance
 

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Something that dense and heavy will need to be in a wooden crate, perhaps sent by motor freight.

Pack everything in newspaper, so it cannot bounce around. And insure it.

I shipped a 24 by 36 inch oil painting from Mass to my sister in Florida in a homemade wooden crate. FedX charged me $15 extra because it was not a cardboard box. Huh? The FedX counterman was apologetic, but could not change this. If I had glued cardboard sheets to the wood, it would have been deemed cardboard enough.
 
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Shipping the tool box loaded with tools will possibly damage the drawer slides. During a shop relocation our company had the techs boxes moved with the shop equipment. I had to replace the slides on the three drawers that had the heaviest tool load. One big pothole could warp the slides.
Joe
 
I would ship all contents in separate packaging. The drawer slides aren't made for the live loads that will be encountered in commercial shipping. I'd just put the toolbox in a large cardboard box with some padding. As long as it doesn't reach oversize dimensions shipping cost is by weight rather than size.
 
My very first thought was "Ship it empty". :-) Or you'll be sorry. Rather the recipient will be in any event.
...lewie...
 
I wouldn't make a meal of it. unless is full of unboxed interapids or extremely heavy stuff (its not @ 50lbs), I'd shrink wrap the box to hold the drawers in, then shrink wrap to a small skid and phone some LTL trucking firms for rates
 
If you want it to get there without being destroyed, find a Uship hauler, this would be perfect for one of the small time haulers that moves motorcycles and other smaller non-standard cargo. Might cost as much as the major carriers, but it will arrive intact.
 
I agree with shipping it empty. It could arrive with broken rails. Not worth the risk of its old family stuff. Screws come loose, things don't work as good as they once did.

Remember, there is a labor shortage so gotta rush and get it done asap.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Ship it unloaded for the reasons above. Pack it extremely well. But my big one - Avoid shipping anything possibly fragile between Thanksgiving and New Years if you intend to use UPS. FEDEX, USPS, etc.
 
i was told years ago if you mark something glass or fragile they will just drop kick it .
 
The best way to handle this is load it up with all the tools and possibly add some. Put my address on it and ship it. Send me a private message if you need my address.
 
The best way to handle this is load it up with all the tools and possibly add some. Put my address on it and ship it. Send me a private message if you need my address.

LOL....It's an older Craftsman toolbox. Not sure we are talking Holy Grail stuff.
 
Empty if possible and get it into a crate where it cannot move. I have had poor luck this year getting larger items shipped intact. I got the hint when I saw a driver just shove a box out of a large delivery truck so it just crashed onto my driveway. Guess it would have taken too long to lower the tommy gate. :(
 
When I ship things like that I first encase them in 1" rigid insulation foam. Buildout around the handles with cut pieces of foam and then do a full sheet over those. Tape the whole thing up with filament tape, all three axis.

Then put that in a cardboard box, sheet foam on the bottom, top and corners. The balance stuffed with scraps or bubble wrap, whatever you have.

Tape the box with clear tape, tape every seam and then band every axis at each end. This is a very tough package.

Use FedEX Gound and you should be golden.

Good Luck
 
Many years ago I had a heavy toolbox shipped to me, NY to KC, by Railway Express. My mother had to lug it to the station and I had to pick it up at the station, but it arrived fine. The key, I think, was very little handling.

NE Ohio to Tampa? Should be plenty of snowbirds traveling now who would carry it for a tank of gas.

Or wait for the first nasty snowstorm when your snowblower breaks down. Perfect time to visit your brother.
 
If you ship Fed Ex and they drive through Alabama, beware.

Two separate incidents of loads being thrown in the woods. One driver fired. Been in the local news here.

From the pictures on TV it looks like tractor trailer loads.
 
Drive it there in your pickup.

Really good advice take a vacation and see your relative. Tampa is a nice area. If you see fellows walking around with a big peacock hairdo try to blend in unnoticed into the crowd and then relocate at a safe distance.

We celebrate Christmas down here and the timing for you is very good. Hope you are able.
 








 
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