Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:21:58 -0500
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Shipping Companies
On 12/2/2010 5:55 PM, K7LXC@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 12/2/2010 12:01:13 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> towertalk-request@contesting.com writes:
>
>> I am in the process of purchasing the HDX589MDPL from K0FF. I will be
> picking it up in MO in March. I was wondering what the best method of
> transportation would be to get it from Missouri to California. Ray, N6RV,
> mentioned I should ask here to see if there is a reasonable shipping
> company. Skip, KJ6Y, said I could use a large U Haul flatbed. I figure
> about
> two days travel.
>
>
> Hauling it yourself can pencil out. Several years ago I moved the same
> type tower from San Jose, CA, to the Seattle area. A trucking company
> quoted me about $2k - I rented a flatbed truck and did it for about 1/2 that.
#### You would have to drive there..empty one way 1st. Then load it up,
then drive back. If a trucking co does it, and wipes out, and destroys the
tower in the process, you are insured. Do it yourself, and you are out of
luck.
On a smaller, lighter tower, you would be probably be ok. With 5600 lbs, I
decided to leave it to the pro's.
>
> There's a reason why UST uses a trucking company that picks it up at
> the factory and delivers it directly to the customer - too much handling and
> damage otherwise. If you consign it to a shipping company, there's that
> damage potential.
>
> The trick is that you need handling on both ends - I think the danged
> things weighs about 2000 lbs. (it might be 3000# - it was a bunch of years
> ago) - so you'll need a backhoe, wrecker, crane or something similar.
> Driving it's easy - it's the loading and unloading that's the crux.
Here?
I can rig something for unloading, (I have a lot of steel, a couple of
4000# engine hoists, and two 4 ton cable hoists) but getting something
heavy across the yard and around behind the shop is a real challenge.
It'd take one of those fork lifts with the large pneumatic tires. I'd
have to do it in the winter when the ground is frozen and wait till
spring to install.
One of the old farm wagon frames would be ideal for that and might even
work in the summer, but certainly not in the spring.
## I used.... 'U-ship' to ship a 4800 lb HDX-689 crank up..from
Bakersfield Cal..to Victoria BC. [ original Z braced tower, with 5/8" thick
lower
legs]. A local trucking co, just north of me
bid on the job, along with eight others from the US. My local
trucking co goes down there all the time, and hauls loads in both directions.
That reduced my costs considerably. We used a crane at each end to un load.
A 20 ton crane at my end did the unloading of both the 4800 lb tower..and also
the
560 lb triangular steel base plate. Base plate was in the back of the diesel
pickup truck.
Trailer was 20' long, flat bed, dual axles, and would handle 7500 lbs. The 20
ton
crane rental at my end was $220.00 Only took 20 minutes to safely sling and
un load the behemoth onto 4x4's and then un load the 560 lb base plate.
## No fuss, no muss, no ruts. It was gently placed down exactly where I
wanted it.
I paid cash for the trucking co + the cranes, saving a bunch more money.
We used the same crane co later on, to hover the 560 lb steel base, 5' above
the
lawn, while we installed the 12 x 60" long anchor rods and plates, etc, with an
impact wrench. Once the 12 x anchor rods installed, the entire 800 lb mess was
gently lowered onto a pair of rectangular steel tubes [ 2" x 6" x 1/4"
thick], which
had been laid across the 4x4 wood forms around the hole. The advantage of
using the crane
was... [A] It can move the 800lb assy on both X-Y axis's. [B] you can easily
rotate the base assy
360 deg. [C] you can also swing the 800lb assy like a pendulum. It took a
few try's to precisely
set the base assy onto the pair of rect steel tubes. Part of the issue was to
relay instructions
to the crane op. We ended up with the assy hovering 1/8" above the rect
tubes, and gently
swung it like a pendulum, till one side bottomed out, which just happened to be
precisely
where we wanted it, then had the crane op lower it, till it bottomed out on the
other side.
We had 3 x steel measuring tapes going at once. It's a one shot deal, so
has to be done right.
Later... Jim VE7RF
It took two years to get rid of all the ruts the last time I had a truck
(Hy-Ranger) out there, but I'd sure like to replace that 25G with a good
crank up without spending a fortune.
73
Roger (K8RI)
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