Shipping a 575 Pound Smoker

I have never shipped a smoker, but a few years back we had a custom oven shipped for our new house. The main thing to watch for is damage insurance. If they get in a wreck and your smoker gets demolished you don't want to be out your money and a smoker. Most frieght companies will provide you with their insurance info. Hope this helps

on a pallet, use styofoam to pad the corners, plastic wrap to help in keeping dings and weather off it, make sure when they deliver that they have one of those mini forklifts to take it off the truck and set it down where you need it, the bottom line is, if you are paying to ship it the shipper should be able to pack it for you, but make sure you mention that you want these things followed and make sure when they strap it down with the metal banding that they pad under the piece of 2x4 with styro so you do not have wood rubing on your metal. and inspect upon delivery for damage and insure for double the cost, this will cover your product and shipping cost ...just in case

RR/ Mike

Not smoker specific, but is this to be a residential delivery?

A couple of years ago I bought a 20x20 industrial party tent that was being shipped to me from about 450 miles away. Residential delivery was ridiculously expensive and the shipper asked if I had the means to pick it up the trucking depot that was 10 miles from my house. That saved a bunch, and all I had to do was drive the ten miles and the trucking company brought the pallet out of their warehouse on a fork lift and just placed it right in the back of my pickup. Real easy for me and saved some $.

If you are buying the smoker new from a fabricator do they have a shipping company they work with regularly or can recommend? You may want to see if there's a shipper that has a track record with that company. When I got my Klose they set up the shipping, but I dang sure paid for it.

Hey Bo -

Is the unit already packed up / crated / skidded? Are you buying it from a manufacturer or a private party? If you are buying from a manufacturer then they should already have it properly packed.

If you are buying it from a private party then you are relying on their skill to pack it. If you have them pack it and they don't have any experience then I would worry. Best advice to make it easy is have them get a pallet or make a skid that has at least 12" from the edge of the pallet to the smoker - this will avoid accidental fork lift bumbs and dings from other shipment loads. They probably won't have a strapping tool so have them buy a 4 pack of ratchet straps from Harbor Freight or Home Depot and use those - better than rope and simple enough to strap down tight.

Shipping companies - if you don't already have a relationship with a LTL carrier your best bet is to use an on line service such as freightquote.com. You can instantly get rates and choose the carrier you want. They are all basically the same - don't worry about who is better. Try and figure out what the freight class NFMC is - you want the lowest number they will allow for that commodity - try for a 50 or 85 - it should be dense enough for that class. How are you going to get it on and off the truck? Does the person / company you are buying it from have a dock and / or a forklift? Do you? You may need to get a truck with a lift gate. Then you can pallet jack or man handle the skid onto the truck. Still not easy but much cheaper than having them come out with a fork truck.

Insurance - they will give you an insured amount based on the class and the weight. Example - class 85 is $.35 per lb - IF - there is any damage when it is received - NOTE IT IN WRITING on the Bill of Lading or you will have zero shot at a claim. If that rate doesn't cover the cost - purchase additional insurance from the carrier / web site. You may want to buy it anyway - it's pretty cheap.

More questions - PM me.

www.uship.com - multiple offers online

PS.... whatcha getting? :boxing::boxing::boxing:

Don't forget...residential delivery... the liftgate option.

Depending on the type of smoker, you are looking at a class of 77.5 or higher. I just had a Stumps Smoker shipped to me and it was class 77.5. It could be higher and the larger the number, the more expensive. Residential fees, liftgate fees are all extra and may or may not be included in the quote. Make sure whatever you do tell them if it is going to a residence and if a liftgate will need to be used.

Freightquote.com is a good company. Never used Uship.com.

I found the best prices at www.myfreight.com

BBQBandit hit it. Great web site...and yes, request a lift gate...unless you own a tow motor.

Might be excessive, but when I bought my Klose, I opted to pick it up. I used the $ shipping would've cost to take the family to Houston for the weekend. Rented a small U-Haul trailer and picked it up on the way back out of town. Might cost a little more, but we had a fun weekend instead of paying someone else to drive it.

Most of us manufacturers have a shipping company that they deal with. I use Old Dominion because the are very careful not to damage my cookers. It will cost you an extra $ 100.00 or more for residential delivery. It is cheaper if you have it delivered to a Business or if you pick it up from their terminal. If you let the manufacturer arrange the shipping, any damage would be reflected back to them. Make sure to inspect the cooker for any damages and note it on the bill of lading prior to signing for it and contact the manufacturer ASAP.

Or you could do it Dogstyle:

1) Find a crazy Brother that will ride with you. (Thanks Arlin)
2) Find a crazy Brother that will meet you 1/2 way. (Thanks Phil and Co.)
3) Find more crazy Brothers that will help you load it. (Thanks Chi-town Bros.)
4) Hold a mini Bash with all crazy Brothers.
5) Drive home and get still more crazy Brothers to help you unload it. (Thanks Wichita Brothers)
6) Have a great time doing it using the money you would have spent having it shipped.

Bigdog said:

Or you could do it Dogstyle:

1) Find a crazy Brother that will ride with you. (Thanks Arlin)
2) Find a crazy Brother that will meet you 1/2 way. (Thanks Phil and Co.)
3) Find more crazy Brothers that will help you load it. (Thanks Chi-town Bros.)
4) Hold a mini Bash with all crazy Brothers.
5) Drive home and get still more crazy Brothers to help you unload it. (Thanks Wichita Brothers)
6) Have a great time doing it using the money you would have spent having it shipped.

Click to expand...

Thought that was coined the Brethren Relay... and it works, too!

When I bought my Klose from Parrothead, we had to arrange shipping from his house in IL to me in NY.

About 800 miles cost me $800...

Make sure they have a proper sized liftgate !!!! What happened with me is that they loaded it in IL on a truck with a larger liftgate... Then it was brought into a truck depot in NJ, and rolled off (no liftgate needed).. Then the next morning it was rolled onto the local truck but they once again didn't need the liftgate at the depot... this smaller truck had a smaller liftgate..

The truck pulls up to my house, and the drivers realize the pit is too long to fit onto the liftgate no matter what angle. They had to drive away with my pit and then had to schedule re-delivery !!!!

All was well though... and came in excellent condition.

Inspect it before you sign anything. The driver might not be thrilled at having to wait while you uncrate your new toy, but you have to note damage at the time of delivery in order to make a shipping claim later.

I had two pieces of gear shipped via freight last year.

The first looked perfect on the pallet, but a hinge was bent and part of the latch was damaged. Apparently, something fell on it during transit.

The second looked terrible. The pallet broke in two. The wooden guards are the side were missing, and the unit was tilted and hanging off the pallet. Some of the boxes shipped with it were open, and the parts sticking halfway out of the box.

The unit was flawless, and nothing was missing.

Appearances tell you nothing, you have to uncrate it.

Here's my advice: Find a solid reputable shipper. Then, find something to brace yourself on when they bend you over and give you the bill....Bring some duck fat and take it like a man...:tsk:

Shipping sux - it's expensive and shippers will find every way possible to break or damage your sh$t. Make sure the cooker is fully crated and supported before it gets dropped off for shipment. Remember that you need to make it shipper proof, if you expect it to get to you in good order. Paying additional cost to cover the increase in weight from strong packing materials is usually a good investment.

Shop around - it's a commodity service. If you bomb proof your item prior to shipment, any monkey can transport it successfully.

Bo - did you finally get that Lang? :becky:

You did not say which one your getting? (on purpose maybe?)