Shipping methods of large speakers

[vnzbd]

Hello all,

I'm trying to work out a purchase fo KLF-20s from another forum member. I believe he is in the NY area and I am in FL. He was trying to track down the safest/most reasonable shipping price today. One number he got was approaching $150 per speaker. Ouch! Any information on shipping, sending or receiveing would be helpful. Anything from packing methods, carriers used, freight, etc.

Thanks

[Amy]

We typically use Fed Ex Freight with special shipping instructions (upright, hand truck only, lift gate service, residential), all which add up. It may be difficult to find a low price without compromising care. We've also used Old Dominion Freight Line with good results.

Good luck!

[PYRO]

Go freight, palletize them. FEDEX deliveried my LSII's last month.

[greg928gts]

I shipped a Belle Klipsch by UPS once with no problems, from Maine to Western Canada. It's all in the way you pack it. 2" closed-cell polystyrene foam insulation on all sides, tightly packed, 1/2" plywood inside the bottoms of the boxes. I make my own cardboard boxes from larger boxes so everything fits tight. It's a lot of work, but a lot less expensive than truck freight, especially from way up here in the sticks.

I'm planning to send the Rosewood La Scalas to England by UPS in a couple of weeks. www.dcchomes.com/LaScala5.html

Greg

[dkp]

I am the other forum member who will be shipping these from MI to FL. Is it the general consensus that shipping these via freight would be the optimal method for pricing? The primary concern is cost and safe arrival, not timeliness.

We are looking into a few options right now. Obviously proper packaging will be crucial no matter which way we elect to ship.

There are a few ways to do this, each offering its own positives and negatives.

One, I can try to locate boxes of similar size to the speakers and ship them this way. The most difficult aspect of this will be finding boxes of the proper size.

Two, I can find boxes of similar size to the speakers and secure them to a pallet. Proper packaging would be most crucial on the bottom of the boxes and getting the sizes right would be of less concern here.

Three, I can construct a crate (from plywood or osb).

I would be interested in reading opinions on which of these methods is likely to be most cost effective and provide the best protection for the speakers.

[greg928gts]

This is how I would do it.

Ship From:		KALAMAZOO, 49002, UNITED STATES
Ship To:		TALLAHASSEE, 32302, UNITED STATES
Shipment Date:		Thursday, May 8, 2008
Total Shipment Weight:		110 lbs.
Daily Pickup:		No
Drop-off / Pickup:		I will pay shipping charges and ship my package at a retail location such as The UPS Store® or UPS Customer Center Find Locations
Address Type:		Residential
Number of Packages:		1
Modify Shipment Information
View Package Detail

Service Details UPS Ground -zone5 Guaranteed By: By End of Day Tuesday May 13, 2008 Package 1 UPS Ground 71.65 USD Additional Handling 8.00 USD Declared Value 7.20 USD Fuel Surcharge 4.48 USD Charges Per Package 91.33 USD Shipment Total: 91.33 USD

This price from UPS is for one speaker.

Here's how I would pack them:

Get two large boxes, preferably with double wall cardboard, but the single ply will be fine, but the heavier cardboard if possible. The boxes need to be larger than the dimensions listed above in all directions.

Then you'll remake the boxes into the right size. The boxes will be glued along one edge, just work that joint apart and lay the box out flat on a table. Then use a straight edge, tape measure, and pencil to layout the new dimensions. This can be tricky and you have to really think about how the whole thing will fold back together. You might try taking a small box apart and use it as a test so you can get the hang of the process. I made a few mistakes on the first couple I did, like cutting the pieces the wrong size or glueing the wrong side of the tabs.

The new dimensions will be the speaker size plus 4" in all directions. These measurements need to be taken very carefully and then accurately laid out on the cardboard. Remember, the dimensions are the inside of the box and your layout should figure the thickness of the cardboard where necessary.

Cut out the new boxes from the cardboard and use a small piece of wood or something similar to score the cardboard where it needs to bend.

You should make new tabs for glueing the box back together, just like when you took it apart. Use contact cement on both the tab and where it glues to the other side and let that set up until dry. Then bend the box around and glue it together. Then fold the tabs on the bottom and tape it together.

Use 2" polystyrene foam insulation in 2' x 8' or 4' s 8' sheets. You can find this at a lumber yard. My Home Depot doesn't carry 2" thick material, I go to a building materials supplier. Cut the foam with a handsaw to fit in the bottoms, put pieces in for all 4 sides and make a piece for the top. These should fit snugly inside the boxes.

Wrap the speakers in plastic and drop them down into the boxes. If you measured accurately, they should fit very snugly inside the foam. Usually when I do this the speakers are displacing air and I actually have to push them down in.

This has worked well for me many times. It is a lot of work, but I don't have a lot of good shipping options up here in Maine. I have options, but they're expensive. UPS is still the most cost-effective way I have to ship large speakers like this.

Greg

[JJkizak]

Adopt the attitude of a distressed tow motor operator who drives fast and has no compassion for your speakers, then pack accordingly.

JJK

[WMcD]

I agree with Greg entirely. In my view, the big issue is the use of foam planks or the like made up of stiff building insulating material from HD.

I bought Quartets locally and the seller had the original boxes. There is a foldable styrofoam system which form bisquits. These are similar in function to the padding used to ship so much quipment. The Belle shipping box has a bit more reinforcement but same idea.

A wrapping of bubble wrap will doubtlessly do the same. I'd recommend two inches worth.

One thing you can't rely on is peanuts. The speaker eventually sinks and comes into contact with the cardboard box and then gets all the direct shock from the insults of transportation. The Quartets I bought off e-bay arrive with a crushed corner when packed like this. The cardboard box showed no damage.

BTW a few years ago I shipped an HP oscillator to a buyer here on the forum. I used a generous thickness of insulation foam on all sides and put the result in a plastic storage tub. It seems that when the tub got to Canada, the tub was in pretty poor shape. The instrument was undamaged though.

Gil

[greg928gts]

I neglected to mention an important detail.

Making smaller boxes from larger boxes will probably mean resizing all dimensions of the box, unless one or more of the dimensions work for the new box. But if you need to resize all the sides, you'll have to take the box apart where it is glued together and lay it flat on the table and then cut along the center fold line, so instead of seeing four sides connected together at the fold lines, you'll have two separate pieces of two sides of the box. This will enable you to resize by measuring from the fold line out. You'll have to create a new tab to glue the box back together again. This is harder to describe than it is to do. Try it on a small box first and you'll figure it out.

Greg

[Brac]

I guess it's a maine thing, I agree 98% with Greg. The only thing I do different is the speaker gets a garbage bage then a snug (home made) box. Then I do the foam and outter box. I might try using glue, usally I just use a few rolls of good packing tape.

Brac

[greg928gts]

I tell you mistah, them Maine boys know how ta pack a speakah. Ahya.

Greg

[dkp]

Thanks for the detailed instructions, Greg. They are much appreciated. It turns out that I won't be shipping them as the estimates I received for shipping totaled $360 for boxes and $390 for a crate. I have no idea how your quote came in that low as the weight I provided (to the local Postal Depot) was 16 pounds lighter (although one of my dimensions would have been around 8" wider). After I obtained the quotes we decided that it was just too expensive to ship them properly and the buyer subsequently found a pair about three hours away. The buyer is a great guy and I encouraged him to take that deal; how could he pass it up?

Anyway, thanks for the help to everyone who posted. I really need to figure out what happened with the wide margin of difference in the shipping quote you posted and the one I received locally.

[greg928gts]

I got that quote at UPS.com

Greg

[Brac]

The shipping store, is in business to make money. Why pay them, to pay ups????

That's just silly.

[colterphoto1]

I just go fetch 'em myself.

There's nothing like a road trip for rock and roll gear, my time aint' worth nuthing, and you get to meet all the groovy people!