Moving shop cross-country...how do my plans sound?

[VizslaDad]

Hi folks - my beautiful wife and I are leaving the Pacific Northwest for the great state of Ohio (greater Cleveland area). My stationary shop tools have been in storage over a year, and this big move will finally allow me to unleash them once again in my new shop space, so that's exciting. What is less than exciting is the prospect of loading and moving the tools myself, as it is impractical (financially and logistically) to have a moving company do it for me. Thus I hope my plans outline below are sound, or I can be pointed in a better direction.

The bulk of our furniture and other possessions will be moved in those "Pod" moving containers. My stationary tools will be moved in an enclosed rental trailer behind my 2012 Toyota Tacoma. This feels like the safest from a solo loading/unloading perspective, given that rolling everything up a uhaul truck ramp the last time I moved saw my drill press nearly trebuchet me across the parking lot. I'll be loading the following tools:

1. My tablesaw (contractor saw with cast iron wings, 36" fence rails etc.): it's already disassembled, though the main table is still affixed to its stand, on a pallet. Cast iron extension wings (including a 3rd router table wing) are on a separate pallet. I'll strap these down at the front of the trailer to concentrate weight there.

2. My 6" Grizzly jointer will be wrapped in blankets and snugged in next to the tablesaw.

3. My Dewalt planer and its stand will roll up wherever they fit since they don't weight much relative two the other tools. 

4. My 17" drill press and Laguna 1412 14" bandsaw will be transported on their side and back (respectively) in 3/4" scrap ply crates that I will screw together around them in their storage unit. This will allow me to (hopefully) safely lower them from their upright positions onto furniture dollies for rolling out and up the ramp. The interior height of the trailer is not sufficient for them to be moved upright anyway.

5. (Different kind of tool) my wife scored a Wolf range off Craigslist for a ridiculous price in anticipation of putting it in the new house we are now not going to build, so it's going in the house we're buying instead. That puppy will go close to the front too I suppose. 

6. The rest of the space will be filled with densely-packed plastic warehouse fliptop bins full of finishes, fasteners, etc.

 

Does my plan sound reasonably sound (especially number 4)?

 

[Bankstick]

Never had to move anything heavy like that but I'm sure there are those who have and will help you.

Cleveland, Ohio is described by the people of Cincinnati as "The Mistake on the Lake." Will you actually be in Cleveland or an outlying area? Good luck with the move. Be prepared for the Canadian cold fronts- wind and snow.  My father saw one of the streets along the lakefront covered in two feet of ice. Waves were coming inland that far! FWIW, there is a snow belt from around Mentor to Erie, PA. Saw snow in that "belt" but none west in the city.

[VizslaDad]

My wife lived for several years in Cleveland proper. We’re going to be on the east side, though...more horses than stoplights. I’m looking forward to actual seasons and real winter conditions, though it seems cruel that there are very few skiable mountains close by haha. Climate control is going to take on a new meaning to me in the shop I imagine. 

[Chestnut]

In repose to the green Yes it's how i moved my 14BX. I cling wrapped a board to the spine to prevent scratching and slid it into the back of a uhaul.

I detailed somewhere on here that i had to have my tools in storage for a bit so i took Rig grease coated the cast iron surfaces. I then cut plastic to cover the grease and cling wrapped the whole thing so i could move it with out getting greasy. By cling wrap i mean that moving plastic wrap stuff not the food cling wrap.

https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Gadget-Industrial-Stretch-Supplies/dp/B01MXF3K9S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1537822031&sr=8-6&keywords=moving+plastic+wrap

[VizslaDad]

1 minute ago, Chestnut said:

In repose to the green Yes it's how i moved my 14BX. I cling wrapped a board to the spine to prevent scratching and slid it into the back of a uhaul.

I detailed somewhere on here that i had to have my tools in storage for a bit so i took Rig grease coated the cast iron surfaces. I then cut plastic to cover the grease and cling wrapped the whole thing so i could move it with out getting greasy. By cling wrap i mean that moving plastic wrap stuff not the food cling wrap.

https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Gadget-Industrial-Stretch-Supplies/dp/B01MXF3K9S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1537822031&sr=8-6&keywords=moving+plastic+wrap

Great tips, thank you. I moved from the wet side of Washington State to the dry side, so my (likely misplaced, given how dry it is east of the Cascades) paranoia about rusted cast iron encouraged me to bathe everything in Boeshield. I have visited my tools several times to get things out of storage and haven't seen a single speck of rust, so I should be ok...

...until I am in an uninsulated two car detached garage in the midwest. Dehumidifier (and structural upgrades) are on deck!

[RichardA]

Try to get your weight evenly spread and as much as you can get the heavy stuff over the wheels.  To much weight in either the front or back will give you fits while driving. It has been known to flip the trailer along with the car or truck.   This is from an old trucker.

[Coop]

Good luck bud on your move. Sounds like you have your stuff together as far as packing. I hope theclimate change is not a rude awakening. Anyplace north of Dallas is too cold for me. I’ve heard ofthe Lake Effect 

[G Ragatz]

I think I'd pick up some of those heavy furniture mover's blankets to wrap around the DP and BS before you crate them.  Home Depot sells several different brands, not terribly expensive.

Good luck with the move!

[..Kev]

2 minutes ago, G Ragatz said:

I think I'd pick up some of those heavy furniture mover's blankets to wrap around the DP and BS before you crate them.  Home Depot sells several different brands, not terribly expensive.

Good luck with the move!

This is one item that I'd actually pick up at harbor freight.  They actually have good prices on them.

[wdwerker]

Stretch wrap is great for getting packing blankets to stay in place.  Label each box with everything that's in it. Otherwise finding stuff is a nightmare until every single box is unloaded.

[AJ_Engineer]

Condolences on moving to Ohio, from someone who grew up in Michigan.

I did a cross-country (or rather, to another country) move last year with all of my tools. Although mine was with a professional moving company. They didn't do anything special with the tools, just loaded them on the truck and strapped them in place. I will second the option of picking up moving blankets at Harbor Freight, I did many years ago for random things and they work well.

For your bandsaw, tipping it over should be fine, just protect it from scratches and maybe put something over it so you have a flat spot to stack other light things. You may consider taking the table off, that's usually easy to do.

The drillpress, consider taking the head unit off. Generally they come off of the post fairly easily and now you won't have such a top heavy item. Throw the head on the pallet with your table wings. When I bought my drillpress that was how it came in the box, so you may be able to take it apart it fairly easily.

Moving these things on their side in/out I would use a big pry bar to lift up the tool, slide a furniture dolly underneath, then move it out. Or spend a few bucks and hire some help for a few hours to load/unload.

Dewalt planer I would take off the stand, idea is to reduce the high up weight of the tools if easy/possible so you are less worried about strapping things in.

Overall just mind the weight distribution on the trailer to make sure you have the proper tongue weight, and since it's a rental double check the tires when you get it.

[Mark J]

How much will all this weigh with the trailer?  And no doubt you're going to load the truck bed, too.  So just make sure you're within the load tollerances for your truck.  

When is the move?

[Chestnut]

Wave when you pass by Maple Grove on your way through MSP. I'd offer a rest stop but if it were me I'd be gunning to get through.

Fargo has the cheapest Gas fill there before crossing into MN. If you want some restaurant suggestions through ND let me know I've eaten a lot of places along 94 across the state.

[Damon777]

Boeshield T-9 on exposed ferrous surfaces. it's easier to get off than grease and does well to prevent rust.

To add on the fuel thing, fill up in MN before crossing over to WI as well. They get hammered on fuel tax over there (but have amazing paved back roads to show for it)

[Chestnut]

34 minutes ago, Damon777 said:

Boeshield T-9 on exposed ferrous surfaces. it's easier to get off than grease and does well to prevent rust.

To add on the fuel thing, fill up in MN before crossing over to WI as well. They get hammered on fuel tax over there (but have amazing paved back roads to show for it)

Yeah that stuff i linked isn't axel grease it's a light weight grease and cleans off as easy as T-9 does. I used denatured alcohol and a rag. Depends on how much protection you want as well. I wanted to be able to protect against direct water contact in my research T-9 did't quite cut it.

[Damon777]

I get you, I just hate getting grease all over everything. I would rather deal with cosmoline.

[Chestnut]

12 minutes ago, Damon777 said:

I get you, I just hate getting grease all over everything. I would rather deal with cosmoline.

Oh this stuff is WAY easier to deal with than even cosmoline but somewhat similar. I found the lightweight greases like the one i linked when i was searching specifically for cosmoline.

[legenddc]

Someone said it above, but I'd be careful of the weight. You've got some heavy tools, a heavy range and probably 2,000 lbs worth of trailer. That 6,500-7,500 lb towing limit might be exceeded pretty quick. Factor in fuel/hassle, it might be cheaper to use another POD.

[VizslaDad]

22 hours ago, RichardA said:

Try to get your weight evenly spread and as much as you can get the heavy stuff over the wheels.  To much weight in either the front or back will give you fits while driving. It has been known to flip the trailer along with the car or truck.   This is from an old trucker.

Thank very much. I've only towed anything of any substantial weight (for my 6 cyl little truck) a handful of times. Uhaul instructions are not to be trusted implicitly I guess!

[VizslaDad]

6 hours ago, Mark J said:

How much will all this weigh with the trailer?  And no doubt you're going to load the truck bed, too.  So just make sure you're within the load tollerances for your truck.  

When is the move?

The move is in early November (we close on the house the first week, and my wife and most of our stuff will arrive on or shortly after closing day). I have to stay in Washington for work for a bit but hope to make the drive before Thanksgiving.

Weight-wise, I estimate 3500-4200 lbs including the trailer (it depends on how much of my precious lumber I keep). I hope to avoid loading the truck bed much if at all. We're sending the bulk of our stuff in Pods, so what I pick up with the trailer will be limited to my tools and lumber that are in a storage unit an hour from our current house. 

[VizslaDad]

5 hours ago, Chestnut said:

Wave when you pass by Maple Grove on your way through MSP. I'd offer a rest stop but if it were me I'd be gunning to get through.

Fargo has the cheapest Gas fill there before crossing into MN. If you want some restaurant suggestions through ND let me know I've eaten a lot of places along 94 across the state.

I'll give a wave for sure. Thanks for the tip on gas...I've done extensive road trips on the west coast but this will be my first big drive headed east. I'm definitely interested in pit stop/restaurant options! 

[Mark J]

Oil change?  Tranny?  Radiator?

[Chestnut]

1 hour ago, VizslaDad said:

I'll give a wave for sure. Thanks for the tip on gas...I've done extensive road trips on the west coast but this will be my first big drive headed east. I'm definitely interested in pit stop/restaurant options! 

I hope you get lucky and don't hit a day when the wind is out of the east. MT and ND  will make your vehicle cry like a baby if that happens. It only happened to me a couple times but i got 5 miles out of town and turned around because the wind was too strong to drive into.

[VizslaDad]

23 hours ago, Mark J said:

Oil change?  Tranny?  Radiator?

All on the docket, plus new tires. I'm not going to chance anything. I'd like to survive to use those tools!