Shipping a tool box

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
Does anyone have experience shipping a full tool box?

My father inlaw is ill and no longer turns wrenches. He has Med Sized Snap on box with a Mac Box on top. It is completely packed.

What i need is someone who can pick it up from a Residential garage and put it on a pallet and then ship it. I dont really have anyone in back in Virginia who can help and I need it to go all the way to Colorado.

The first quote I got was $3500 so that is a bit too much.
 

logan_gibson

Well-known member
Dec 20, 2016
258
47
Alabama
How did you do it?
You should be able to ship it LTL, just chose the other section for it and pick what applies.
UPS Freight should be able to handle it. You just need someone to wrap it before they pickup.
Local moving company could probably handle something like that for you. Then Schedule the uShip
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
I just shipped my tool box full of tools from NYC to LA. A friend helped me with a commercial account and it cost me around $800, but that was from a business address to a business address with a loading dock. I got a pallet for the box from a Snap On dealer as they have ones that are super heavy duty and fit the box in a way that prevents it from moving on the pallet. I had physically weigh all of the tools in each drawer and add that to the weight of the box based on Snap On's website. This doesn't sound practical for you since you aren't with the box, so I would think U Ship is going to be your best option. You can search on the U Ship site to see the quotes others have received. I would plan on it costing around $1,500 or so.
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
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Los Angeles, Ca
It took me the better part of a day to weigh and package everything.



In the end, the shipping company badly damaged my top box by seemingly hitting it with a forklift. I really should have crated it completely with wood, but that wasn't really practical for me to do in NYC



 

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
Jimmy, is it going to be a bitch to load my KRL and a crate on a trailer? I have to move this thing in a few months and I'm kind of dreading it.
 

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
well, I am talking to a company who will meet my FIL at his garage and coordinate a roll back truck to pick it up then back up to a RAM 3500 Dually. They will then roll the box onto the RAM and drive that out to Colorado.

They need to come to Colorado to pick up a boat or something....

but now yall got me worried about shipping it with the tools in there

Here is a link to my post BTW
https://www.uship.com/shipment/1-Other/212977558/
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
I have not had good luck shipping toolboxes with tools in them. Yeah, it's a PITA of biblical proportions, but your toolbox is likely the most expensive tool you own, take care of.

I've moved my box several times and always with the tools in it. I bought the box from a guy on Long Island and trailered it back to Va. Then moved it from my house to the dealership. When I moved to NYC I trailered it back to Long Island. I left that dealer and went to Land Rover Manhattan. I've never had any issues with damage from leaving the tools in it. I found the best thing is just pack all of the drawers with thick packing paper and nothing will move. I keep my box pretty organised (with the exception of one drawer).

Shipping everything from NYC to LA I did a pretty shitty job packing the inside of the box. I lost a few sockets and a line wrench. Plus all of the damage to the box. All of this could have been avoided if I had done a better job of crating it.

Jimmy, is it going to be a bitch to load my KRL and a crate on a trailer? I have to move this thing in a few months and I'm kind of dreading it.

Are you going to move it yourself? If so, skip the crate. Rent a U Haul motorcycle trailer with a ramp. Get a used tire to put at the front of the trailer and strap the box against that. Use the casters to secure the box as the box can get damaged if you put straps on the edge trim. I would also recommend putting straps around both banks of drawers. Snap On's locking mechanism is pretty shitty so the drawers can come open when you hit a bump. You can probably push the box up on your own, especially if you utilise the slope of your driveway.
 

adriatic04

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2007
2,506
2
cleveland, oh
crate it and find a national LTL carrier. Uship will be like dedicated truckload pricing. A slower LTL carrier will take some time as it hits different depots but they will get it there.



check someone like R&L Carriers, they will allow residential but you need to palletize/crate. Know the rate and pallet dimension, smaller but heavier is ok to lower the class. You can use a freight class calculator.
 

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
Well, I am going to have the guy from UShip do it.

He has a brand new Ram 3500 dually with air ride suspension. I hate the idea of LTL since it would get moved around to so many trucks.
 

BarryO

Well-known member
May 15, 2018
98
7
Bend, OR
When I moved last year, the movers took the upper box (just the Harbor Freight box, nothing expensive like the Snap-On) and turned it vertical, so it would fit in the remaining space in the truck. Yes it was loaded with tools; I couldn't believe it. Other than everything getting piled onto one side and getting all disorganized, nothing got lost or damaged, but I think I was lucky.
 

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
Are you going to move it yourself? If so, skip the crate. Rent a U Haul motorcycle trailer with a ramp. Get a used tire to put at the front of the trailer and strap the box against that. Use the casters to secure the box as the box can get damaged if you put straps on the edge trim. I would also recommend putting straps around both banks of drawers. Snap On's locking mechanism is pretty shitty so the drawers can come open when you hit a bump. You can probably push the box up on your own, especially if you utilise the slope of your driveway.

I will have a lot of stuff to move. I need to move my guns and a bunch of computer stuff that I don't want the movers to take. Might move the XZLs, too, just because they're such a PITA for the movers. What I need to figure out is how to get the box out of my garage and down the (steep-ish) driveway and somehow onto a flatbed trailer and the Snap-on crate.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Jimmy, is it going to be a bitch to load my KRL and a crate on a trailer? I have to move this thing in a few months and I'm kind of dreading it.

You should empty the drawers Chris. Looks like Jimmie took them out. That's an option. Loaded and bouncing around on a trailer might do damage to your slides. I like to throw all my tools in boxes or totes and haul them separately. I like to lay the box down on its backside and strap it down. Kind of easier to just tip it back and then slide it up on the trailer with a little help from your stronger friends.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Jimmie, looks like they dropped your top box. Maybe the picture is not showing the angle right, but that looks to me like it got dropped. Sucks cause that's a nice box. Older than I would have expected from a young guy like you. I've seen that box in red, but never saw a green one. Not sure your aware yet but JLR plans to require us to have black tool boxes. I'm trying to move my shit into those carts they issue to the vet to tech program. I've got the one I bought used so overloaded that the wheels are coming apart. I've got another one coming brand new, supposed to be the biggest box of that style, I'll let you know how that works out if it ever arrives. It's already about 6 weeks late. I'm still amazed how much shit I got in this one.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Jimmy, is it going to be a bitch to load my KRL and a crate on a trailer? I have to move this thing in a few months and I'm kind of dreading it.

Have you seen enough of Kansas or where ever you ended up? Where to next? Or are you finally getting your stuff moved to Kansas? Sorry to say I've flown over Kansas and I can't see any reason to land. Farm fields aren't supposed to be round.
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
You should empty the drawers Chris. Looks like Jimmie took them out.

I only had mine out to weigh the tools for shipping. I've always moved my box full of tools.

Jimmie, looks like they dropped your top box. Maybe the picture is not showing the angle right, but that looks to me like it got dropped.

My top box is bolted to the bottom box. There are clear marks on the top where they likely hit it with a fork lift.

Sucks cause that's a nice box. Older than I would have expected from a young guy like you. I've seen that box in red, but never saw a green one.

I know, I lucked out when I found it on Ebay back in '09 I think. I paid $8,500 with tools.

Not sure your aware yet but JLR plans to require us to have black tool boxes.

Yeah I heard. There is talk at our shop that they want to have all of our tool boxes painted. There is no way I am doing that. I might just lay all of my tools out on a work bench. I also have this older single bank SO box at home that I could use, but even then, I don't really want it painted black. I hate black tool boxes.