Shipping a transmission cross country?

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mrdance123
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My tercel:: 84 and 85 4wd wagons

Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by mrdance123 »

Does anyone on the forum have suggestions....
who to use for shipping a T4 transmission ?
Someone who collects the purchase and shipping cost from the buyer
before it is shipped (after I drop it off to be shipped) ??
85 T4 Speedy Blue, SR5, 270-312k, operational R12 A/C, in use.
84 T4 Curmudgeon Copper, 188-294k, my first T4 in 1990, now Dad's daily driver.
RIP - 84 T4 Foxy Blue, 256-288k, engine died 2021, sold to PNP
Sold: 86 T2 Silver, VIN ending 5847, 194k, cherry condition, now in a good home.
RIP - 83 T4 Smokin' Gold, 270k, rusted out body, parted & scrapped
RIP - 84 T4 Quicksilver SR5, 125k, blown engine no oil, had sat 10+ years, parted & scrapped.
RIP - 80 Corolla (purchased new), 0-473k, 358k original engine, rear-ended totaled in 2003.
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BaileySims
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Re: Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by BaileySims »

I remember someone mentioning greyhound bus co, might have been petros. He'd know more about that.
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Petros
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Re: Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by Petros »

heavy items like engine it is FedEx freight this usually best. Greyhound is good for big parts like plastic bumpers that do not weight much but are too big for most shippers, they go by weight only and is a good deal for bulky items.

fedEx freight you have to build a sturdy wood crate to protect it (I bolted the crate to the various mounts on the engine I shipped). And than cover it with cardboard so it looks like a cardboard box. if it has handles, is anything other than cardboard on the outside, they will charge you extra. They just want plain box, no matter how heavy.

Usually you will have to take it to a shipping center becasue the local delivery guy will not want to lift a 120 lb box into his truck. same thing with the other end.

When I shipped a honda engine (it was only about 90 lbs), I got detailed instructions over the phone, but they still screwed it up. they charge me more at the depot than the quote over the phone, and they never did deliver it to the local shipper at the other end (the driver did not want to lift the box out of his truck), so it ended up back at the distribution warehouse. We finally tracked it down and drove over and got it. But their records showed it was delivered to the local shipping depoe, and it was not there. we lost a day looking for it, and I was rather miffed at the shitty service and indifference all the way around. they also claim they will handle customer complaints quickly, they just ignored mine.

overall it was still the cheapest way to ship an engine, but it would have been nice if one end of the company knew what the other (the end that actually handled by shipment), knew what was going on.

Get a price quote in writing by email, and take it with you to the shiping office. and just assume it will be in the centeral distribution center to pick up.

There are not many shippers what want to ship heavy items, your only other option is to truck freight it along with other shipments. not really practical for one small box, even if heavy.

Another alternative is to strip the trans in to smaller parts and and ship separately. the belling housing/front diff assembly is small and light enough (about 45 lbs as I recall) to go USPS. As can the transfer case off the back. the actual gear box may than be small enough and light enough to ship USPS or UPS, etc. But that makes for extra work for yourself.

The important issue is you build a wood box strong enough to take handling, conveyor belts and fork lifts, and hold the trans and protect it on its journey.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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Petros
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Re: Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by Petros »

you have to pay the shipping cost up front, so I suggest just collect payment from the recipient before you ship it. paypal is good for that, or mail a check via snailmail.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
mrdance123
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My tercel:: 84 and 85 4wd wagons

Re: Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by mrdance123 »

Thank you Petros for your awesome response with your experiences that I do believe, and your suggestions are excellent.
Before posting question, I did call Fedex Freight, twice about a month ago. First agent said nothing about this, second agent told me they will not ship used automotive items that are not totally refurbished like new, not dirty or dripping fluids. I asked if it could be wrapped and sealed in plastic layers for containment inside it's crate or on the pallet, he said no. It's like they would open and inspect a crate if I packaged it up. They also said I could mount and secure it on a pallet for shipment assuming it was 100% clean /refurbished. But I have to wonder how that is stack-able unless it's in a square crate not just a pallet.
I may try calling again and see if they say same thing or if this agent was full of it.
Better yet I just wait until someone who wants to buy can come pick it up.
85 T4 Speedy Blue, SR5, 270-312k, operational R12 A/C, in use.
84 T4 Curmudgeon Copper, 188-294k, my first T4 in 1990, now Dad's daily driver.
RIP - 84 T4 Foxy Blue, 256-288k, engine died 2021, sold to PNP
Sold: 86 T2 Silver, VIN ending 5847, 194k, cherry condition, now in a good home.
RIP - 83 T4 Smokin' Gold, 270k, rusted out body, parted & scrapped
RIP - 84 T4 Quicksilver SR5, 125k, blown engine no oil, had sat 10+ years, parted & scrapped.
RIP - 80 Corolla (purchased new), 0-473k, 358k original engine, rear-ended totaled in 2003.
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Petros
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Re: Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by Petros »

I think if you pressure wash the outside after using degreaser, and than flush out the inside with solvent, and allow to dry, it would be fine to ship. You can understand their problem if any old oil leaks out, they would be liable for the damage to all adjoining boxes.

I would just get it clean, and solvent flushed, blow it off, and than double wrap with plastic after it is dry. No, they will not open it, unless it is leaking smelly oil.

the engine I shipped was freshly rebuilt, no oil in it. I have shipped the T4wd front diff assembly/bell housing via USPS, not new, but cleaned up, wood box bolted in place, and wrapped with heavy cardboard. It weighed about 40 lbs.

strapping it to a shipping palate is common for trucking shipments, if you do that, you might check with freight shippers. though you might have to deliver to a shipping center, it might be cheaper than FedEx.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
vwrobus
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My tercel:: 1984 tercel 4wd SR5 wagon

Re: Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by vwrobus »

I did it and it was a pain for both me and the buyer. It is difficult to box up, and I am speaking from personal experience. You have to build a sturdy wood box that can be picked up by a fork lift. It ends up being a quite large box that is hard to load into a Tercel 4wd...and then finding a shipping outfit to make it all happen...an experience I wish on no one. Find one locally, wait and let one find you.....
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Petros
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Re: Shipping a transmission cross country?

Post by Petros »

these are some random pictures I found on the internet. I never did get a picture of how I crated the engine nor the diff/bell housing I shipped, but it was similar to these below. It must be sturdy enough to stay in place and protect the engine, and than it gets covered with cardboard. If you have lots of scrap wood and wood tools, it does not take long to make such a crate, less than an hour. The time consuming part comes in figuring out the best way to secure it and hold it in place. Screws are much better than nails, and allows for fairly easy dismantling of the crate. I made the plywood covering no larger than necessary to enclose the item in a rectangular box, so the crate below is actually a bit larger than necessary. Some shippers charge both by weight and size, so smaller is better.
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'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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