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OT: Anyone travelled to Canada within the last year to pick up machinery?

Spud

Diamond
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Location
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Post pandemic, has anyone travelled into Canada , by land, from the US , to pick up machine tools / machinery ? Know any American who has? Did Canadian customs let you in ?

There is an exception from the mandatory quarantine if you are going on essential business.

I emailed them asking if I can drive into Canada to pick up machine tools, and drive back to the US the same day. Their response is really complicated and doesn't really give a definitive answer and has a lot of 'it depends' kind of replies.
 
I know of an US expat that was stuck this side of the border over 8 months
Had to enroll as a full time student to get back to he husband in Canada.

So unless you get a definite yes in writing .....
 
Short answer, no.

Only way you can get into Canada is to be a commercial trucker that’s pre-approved, health care worker, and very few other compassionate cases. Recently this has become even tighter enforced than previous thanks to covid variants from UK, South Africa and now LA and New York.

What the OP is proposing is not essential and you would not be allowed into Canada. My guess, and this is only a guess, is that this will loosen up late spring.

If it’s any consolation, I also have a bunch of tooling sitting just across the line in the US that I cannot get. And I do have a covid passport.

L7
 
Short answer, no.

Only way you can get into Canada is to be a commercial trucker that’s pre-approved, health care worker, and very few other compassionate cases. Recently this has become even tighter enforced than previous thanks to covid variants from UK, South Africa and now LA and New York.

What the OP is proposing is not essential and you would not be allowed into Canada. My guess, and this is only a guess, is that this will loosen up late spring.

If it’s any consolation, I also have a bunch of tooling sitting just across the line in the US that I cannot get. And I do have a covid passport.

L7


Recently there was a Deckel FP4M that sold very cheap in Canada. I would've bid on it if I could go fetch it myself. Lots of neat machine tools I see coming up for auction in Canada. Rigging, storage & shipping would be be out of my budget.

I was wondering if I could explain to the customs that this is manufacturing equipment that I intend to use for manufacturing purposes so would that come under the exemptions allowed?? But your reply indicates the customs would be like :nono:

I plan on getting the vaccine when my age group is eligible for it. Currently , Wisconsin is prioritising certain professions and seniors over 65, categories which don't apply to me.
 
Interesting. I didn’t see the Deckel. Where was it?

If you really want to have fomo, a Schaublin 160 in Quebec that looked to be in very good condition sold for approx $5000 US a few months back. Milacron was probably quietly grumbling... ;-) Thankfully a PM member and not an Eastern Canadian dealer got it.

Glad you’re going to get the vaccine!

L7
 
Interesting. I didn’t see the Deckel. Where was it?

If you really want to have fomo, a Schaublin 160 in Quebec that looked to be in very good condition sold for approx $5000 US a few months back. Milacron was probably quietly grumbling... ;-) Thankfully a PM member and not an Eastern Canadian dealer got it.

Glad you’re going to get the vaccine!

L7


Was in Ontario. Sold by Asset Sales. Sold for 2000 Canadian dollars (about $1570 US dollars) not including Buyer's Premium and sales tax. Activ control.

Link to pics below
DECKEL FP4M UNIVERSAL MILLING MACHINE, MODEL FP4M (2202-7395), S/N 23293, 600V, HEIDENHAIN 3-AXIS

Got a link to the Schaublin? Didn't know about that.

The ultimate newest manual Deckel in North America, the Deckel-Maho FP4MK with Heidenhain TNC123, that was barely used, was at a dealer for $20K Canadian. Which is a steal for that machine, considering it was supposed to be in great condition with only 464 hours use. Machine sold in 2016 and went to the Netherlands. I only became aware of it after it was sold.

Just graduated from CNC machining program at Technical College. And prior to that graduated from an Automotive program at same school. Hope to work at a high end classic car restoration firm, so want to get the vaccine as I look after my 84 year old mom. Mom just got the 1st dose of the vaccine.
 
I have customers in CA that normally cross the border and back to pick up shipments to their NY addresses. All that has stopped, seems any crossing needs a 2+ week quarantine, no matter how brief.
 
The trick is to use a freight forwarder and pay the extra for the shipping. I live within walking distance from the border and the place is a ghost town compared to what it used to be.
 
The trick is to use a freight forwarder and pay the extra for the shipping. I live within walking distance from the border and the place is a ghost town compared to what it used to be.


The shipping quote I got from the LTL was quite reasonable, about $950, but went up another $500 if they had to use a US warehouse to unload it off at. The problem was the cost from the rigging company on-location, who wanted IIRC $550 to load it onto the transport and putting it on a pallet and banding was extra IIRC. Since I already have a late model Abene, I passed on the Deckel, after I calculated the cost of delivery.

My sis's in-laws are Canadian, so she used to drive to Ontario every 2 months. Only about a 10.5 hour drive from here. If I was able to nip over for the day and return same day, I would've bid on the machine.
 
Along the same vein, I was curious about American's trying to drive to Alaska and found this from last June:

Canada: Stricter rules for Americans going to Alaska amid COVID-19

and

Navigating Road Travel: Canadian Border & COVID-19 Pandemic

I can understand Canada locking down against travel, but those non-48 states certainly make things complicated. I'm trying to find SOMETHING big-ish for my wife and I to do for our 10 year anniversary this year and thought Denali would be fun.... but might have to keep it further south.

I try to keep an open mind in terms of Covid restrictions and stuff, but the level of lock-down we've seen seems like it will take awhile to recover from. Even once the open the border, I guarantee there will be businesses and organizations that think it's too soon and make things difficult.
 
Along the same vein, I was curious about American's trying to drive to Alaska and found this from last June:

Canada: Stricter rules for Americans going to Alaska amid COVID-19

and

Navigating Road Travel: Canadian Border & COVID-19 Pandemic

I can understand Canada locking down against travel, but those non-48 states certainly make things complicated. I'm trying to find SOMETHING big-ish for my wife and I to do for our 10 year anniversary this year and thought Denali would be fun.... but might have to keep it further south.

I try to keep an open mind in terms of Covid restrictions and stuff, but the level of lock-down we've seen seems like it will take awhile to recover from. Even once the open the border, I guarantee there will be businesses and organizations that think it's too soon and make things difficult.

Have you looked into taking the ferry from Bellingham(?) Washington? I looked into it some years ago, I remember they charge by length of vehicle, I did not do it as I was traveling with 2 dogs and they required dogs to stay in vehicle, only get to walk them twice a day, and iirc its a 3 or 4 day trip.
 
The shipping quote I got from the LTL was quite reasonable, about $950, but went up another $500 if they had to use a US warehouse to unload it off at. The problem was the cost from the rigging company on-location, who wanted IIRC $550 to load it onto the transport and putting it on a pallet and banding was extra IIRC. Since I already have a late model Abene, I passed on the Deckel, after I calculated the cost of delivery.

I know, it sucks. But you have to remember, everything that goes across the border gets inspected. That means your purchase is getting loaded and unloaded 2x before it even gets to your door. Riggers and truckers have to figure on waiting around while the border patrol does their thing -- and time costs money.

Even in "normal" times this happens. Neighbor was a freight forwarder (paperwork guy) for years. FWIW, they just busted a guy with $4 million worth of weed the other week.
 
Was in Ontario. Sold by Asset Sales. Sold for 2000 Canadian dollars (about $1570 US dollars) not including Buyer's Premium and sales tax. Activ control.

Link to pics below
DECKEL FP4M UNIVERSAL MILLING MACHINE, MODEL FP4M (2202-7395), S/N 23293, 600V, HEIDENHAIN 3-AXIS

Got a link to the Schaublin? Didn't know about that.

The ultimate newest manual Deckel in North America, the Deckel-Maho FP4MK with Heidenhain TNC123, that was barely used, was at a dealer for $20K Canadian. Which is a steal for that machine, considering it was supposed to be in great condition with only 464 hours use. Machine sold in 2016 and went to the Netherlands. I only became aware of it after it was sold.

Good buying that one. Not sure if I'm confused between that auction listing and the latter part of the post. That auction one is an MK, it has the late vertical head with hydraulic tool change.

Bit of a worry, looks like it's been operating horizontal without the guard and the dust appears cast iron to boot. Dunno what model the swivelling table is off, not an option on this machine though.
 
Border's basically closed, even citizens flying home need a negative test to board their plane, get another test on arrival and quarantine in one of a few approved hotels for three days or until the test comes back negative.

Then they havta quarantine at home for another 14 days.

Lots of stories about married couples separated because of it.


full



full
 
Good buying that one. Not sure if I'm confused between that auction listing and the latter part of the post. That auction one is an MK, it has the late vertical head with hydraulic tool change.

Bit of a worry, looks like it's been operating horizontal without the guard and the dust appears cast iron to boot. Dunno what model the swivelling table is off, not an option on this machine though.

The last paragraph of that earlier post concerns a different machine, the ultimate manual Deckel-Maho, an FP4MK with Heidenhain 123, which a Canadian dealer had in 2016. I made a thread in the Deckel sub-forum today about the machine, with a picture from the dealer's website from 2016.

The one that sold in Ontario about a month or so ago had just the Activ control. There was another identical FP4M at the same auction which sold for a couple of hundred because it was missing the Activ control, and was used as a parts machine to keep this one running.

I'm surprised it went that cheap , considering it was on Bidspotter.
 
I know, it sucks. But you have to remember, everything that goes across the border gets inspected. That means your purchase is getting loaded and unloaded 2x before it even gets to your door. Riggers and truckers have to figure on waiting around while the border patrol does their thing -- and time costs money.

Even in "normal" times this happens. Neighbor was a freight forwarder (paperwork guy) for years. FWIW, they just busted a guy with $4 million worth of weed the other week.


The shipping cost actually seems low. The rigging, palletizing / banding cost was the deal breaker.
 
The shipping cost actually seems low. The rigging, palletizing / banding cost was the deal breaker.

I think the shipping usually isn't too bad, but its the rigging and palletizing etc -- they want to get paid for standing around while the inspectors take 4 hours with your load. I know, I used to unload and load trucks as a summer job in college. Especially the riggers, they tend to be expensive.
 
I think the shipping usually isn't too bad, but its the rigging and palletizing etc -- they want to get paid for standing around while the inspectors take 4 hours with your load. I know, I used to unload and load trucks as a summer job in college. Especially the riggers, they tend to be expensive.


About 2-3 ish months ago there was a late model Makino KE-55 that sold for about $10K, it was the blue & white paint scheme of the newer ones. The rigger wanted $1500 to just pick it up and put it on a stakebed pickup. This machine weighs just 6400-6900 ish lbs and isn't particularly big. The shipper who quoted me the $950 for Deckel , to pick it up in Canada and deliver it to me in the US , was a different company from the rigger onsite.

Rigging cost for my 4400lb Abene was $150. For my 3900lb Rivett 1020s it was $125.

A few months ago there was a decent looking HLVH at an auction site with no reserve , and mandatory rigging cost of $3500:skep:
 








 
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