Suggestions needed for best way to pack the planes so that the movers will not damage them ? Tks

Show them to the agent who comes out to give you the estimate. They are the best people to ask, since they are ultimately responsible.

It will be expensive, since they will probably suggest something that will be overkill, but they want to be sure.

There is no simple way out......airplanes are fragile.....and the move can be rough. They gotta be packed to take the worst.

Some movers may not even want to move them.

Wooden crates are the best way. You build the crate to hold as much as it safely can. Lotsa foam and bubble wrap. And fasten everything down to prevent movement during shipment.

Good luck.

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My girlfriend had just recently ordered a new fridge ( $800 ). It was delivered in it's own box. I got thinking to myself this would make an excellent box for shipping planes. I should have taken some pics of the box. It was reinforced at all the corners with wood and is the right size for an 60 size plane or larger. Only a trip to the appliance store where they would probably be glade to get rid of any surplus fridge shipping boxes. Just add some of that 1-2" blue foam board cut to your planes fus shape and your off to the races.


http://www.crbest.com/crating/crating.htm




Grinder.

I used a wardrobe box for my 40 size planes that made it across
the country unscathed. I hung them vertically from the metal bracket that comes with the box and packed wrapping tissue
between them. Good luck...

Sportflyer

I've moved my stuff several times and never really got any damage. I did take off the engines and removed the radio gear, landing gear, etc. I've had the planes standing up in a wardrobe box and also laying down in flat boxes. Never did any special packing other than the fuses and wings wrapped up in the quilted looking wrapping paper. Good luck

Sportflyer,

You could always fly them alongside the truck or car you'll be riding in... :bananahea

You can always rent a trailer, just for the airplanes.

Rent a few dozen furniture pads, and wrap everything well. Tie up the pads with twine. Lean the fuselages vertically against the front of the trailer, then the wings.

You can move quite fleet this way, and never have to build a box.

later.....

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Sportflyer

depends on the type of truck, but in a ryder u=haul style truck, there are rails down the side that go all the way to the ceiling , if you fix rods across these you can hang the complete airplane just like from your ceiling if you store your planes that way. the planes should ride very nicely like that ,

Highlander

Guys this is Indiana to Washington State move. Uhaul is out of the question, because I have to drive one other car . The last time I moved , the movers wrapped the planes with bubble pack then placed each plane in two large boxes taped together and filled with foam pellets No scratches or dents. I was wondering whether there is a better way without the trouble of making a crate. Tks

Unfortunately, I believe you are going to have to crate them up yourself if you want them to survive. I'm sure you've dealt with movers before.. . . Nobody is going to take care of your stuff like you will.

Or. . .You could take them to a local shipping store (Pak-Mail or similar) and ship them individually. . .

Or. . .as a last resort, sell them all and then buy new ones when you get to Washington State. I've known guys who wished they had done that after trying to move long distances with airplanes. . .

Good luck!!

I moved all my belongings (and myself ) from Utah to the Virgin Islands a few years ago. This entailed a u-haul drive across the country, then loading everything onto pallets for the final boat trip down. I took my *entire* fleet of power planes and sailplanes to a local pak-mail place and had them crate it all up. It wasn't cheap, but everything survived the long journey intact.

Just FYI.

Go along with the 'Wardrobe' route....place the wings/fuse between clothes and it will not get hurt! been there , done that!

Jerry

Build creates from inexpensive 1/4" cheap ply, fur strips and dry wall screws. The ply is about $4.00 a sheet. Gather as much free stuffing foam as you can; it's quite expensive when you purchase it. Wrap your fuselage's with plastic garbage bags, then use spray foam caulking to isolate them from the create and other components.

Sportflyer,

I've had my planes shipped to and from several overseas locations without incident. I just made sure the carrier was pre-informed and I assisted at time of packing. Planes were cardboard boxed with plenty of bubble-wrap. The most important aspect of shipping is to CLEARLY mark boxes "This Side Up" and "Place On Top" and "Do Not Stack. Boxes should not be forced tight into the shipping crate. (Packers like to do this). Only snug enough to prevent sliding.
Hope this helps and the planes arrive safely.

Sportflyer,

There is a lot of good feedback here. I'll tell you what I did on my recent move from Vancouver, BC Canada to Pennsylvania (coast to coast), in case you want more ideas. I took a bunch of large boxes the movers supplied and cut them out and pieced them together as required to make a number of large 'coffin' type boxes. I used a hot glue gun and lots of packing tape. Inside the crate I made craddles for the wings and fuselages etc. I wrapped the models in some bubble wrap sheet and placed them in the craddles. Then I made 'reverse' craddles to go on top of the fuse and wings so they are supported on all 3 sides. I made up some triangular tubes and glue gunned these across the box to add rigidity. Filled the entire box with crumpled up news paper and styrofoam popcorn (provided by the moving company). Sealed up the box again with the glue gun and packing tape. Then spray painted using a couple paper stencils the words 'fragile', 'this end up', 'place on top', as mentioned by ED, etc. Finally I watched as they loaded everything into the moving van. And again, I was here when they unloaded. Everything shipped without a scratch (wish i could say the same for some of the stuff the moving company packed). Maybe it was overkill but if you consider the amount of time it takes to rebuild those planes or repair them it was worth the effort. All in all 4 large boxes took 2 days work to pack. Also, if you are going to have movers pack your stuff also pack all your glues and paints yourself and mark the boxes as 'supplies'.....most companies at the last minute won't pack this stuff and take it if they know what it is....this would be ashame if you had to throw it all out on moving day. Just some thoughts...sorry for being so long winded!

Thanks for all the inputs. I will go with the cardbox box , bubble wrap , popcorn foam routine. Once I move planes from Singapore to USA using this method and they survived intact. Definitely need to mark Fragile, this side up etc. Tks everyone

Amongst the other suggested packaging materials, you might try using partially filled regular ole party balloons to help fill up any empty space inside the crate/box used for shipping. The balloons will prevent the parts from shifting and they will create a very soft buffer zone between the box and the components inside. By partially filling them (about half way), they will be less likely to pop.

Just another suggestion, that's all! Good luck!

Ted