Just checking if others have found ways to ship tool boxes, small tools, limited amount of furniture a long distance, say Florida to Indiana? I've received a quote from PODS and seems quite expensive. So I figured I would ask this group! Thanks in advance for your input! Troy
I'd expect there to be a few dressers, king bed headboard/foot board from a "sleigh" bed, queen headboard/footboard, not sure about any mattresses and a couple of book shelves as well. Thanks for the question Jim! Troy
The first response is UHaul or Penske rental trucks. Sometimes they will have special rates to load balance their trucks. Search around on Google to see what may come up. Also watch local ads for drivers looking for a return trip load. I have used several like that. There are a few trucking companies that move for do-it-yourself movers. They drop off a pup trailer for you to fill and the then deliver the trailer at your new place to unload. Carolina is one I believe. Where are moving to in Indiana? Good Luck. Lou
That is what I thought too Ethan, but with the dressers and that, it will get to be a pretty big pallet, and could be expensive. I would say that if you can do it personally, a rental truck is your best bet. JW
My sister and BIL moved from FL to SC and used ABF Freight. Not sure if this is overkill or similar to PODS. BIL is on the thrifty side. May be worth a look?
When I moved from Northern Ohio to Greenville, SC, about a 10 hour drive, I rented the largest enclosed Uhaul trailer one way to move my 4 car garage full of stuff. They allow 3 days with the trailer so I made 3 trips in 3 days to move my tools, parts, etc. My dad helped do half of the driving. The last trip was one way solo. I was exhausted afterwards. A moving company moved stuff from one house to the other but I didn't trust them with my tools and rare parts.
Road trip! Regardless of the rates I'd go with Penske over UHaul. Their trucks are always in way better shape. If you are also moving a car you could go all out and rent a car towing dolly and kill two birds with one stone. Make it an adventure! See the sights!
Rates for rentals vary depending on the time of year and where you are going. Florida to Indiana will be expensive this time of year because the "snowbirds" are all heading North; they don't want a bunch of equipment sitting around in Indiana all summah. If you were to do this move in the early to mid-fall, they would practically give you the truck or trailer because they need the equipment up nawth to rent to the snowbirds heading south. I worked for a truck and trailer rental company many years ago - we sometimes would give a trailer to someone going to New England from Florida in late summer, we made them pay the insurance only. We were desperate for trailers in NE in the the fall. Timing is everything. BTW: look over the equipment that they rent you, dealers like to keep the best equipment local and ship the junk somewhere else. Unless you are an experienced truck driver, buy the insurance for damage to the vehicle; low-bridging a truck can ruin your day, and repairs to the truck can be very expensive.
I have seen people purchase equipment to move with and then resell it later, sometimes even making a profit. Just another option to think about. Keith
Unless it has sentimental value and you need that specific stuff, the logistics on it and cost as you have found isn't exactly cheap or easy. When we moved form Texas to Wi and then back again I had a 40' shipping container and know a guy with a truck and flat bed. Just the loading and unloading is something I wouldn't do again as I'm not young as I once was. The problem with the freight deal is the damages that could(will) occur and dealing with more hassle and disappointment. Might be an easier deal to just sell it, donate what doesn't sell and move forward. But as a self proclaimed(and told by others) hoarder I know how difficult decisions like that are.
Exactly what Rich said, I had 3 stories of furniture in my townhouse, lots of antiques, and high end furniture. I sold it all prior to moving to Florida, made good money on it, I felt it was cheaper to sell it and buy new than pay to transport it all. The same for the cars, to pay for transport and registration I could take that money plus what I made on the cars and buy others. I purged to the point of having these two loads which I hauled down myself. Sounds like for what you have you can do it yourself.
I will second the comments about selling the stuff. Be very pragmatic about what you will actually use. I'll bet that the bride and I paid to move 1,500 lbs of stuff from MA to FL that we donated, sold, or just junked in the first year of living in Florida.
This page needs a TRANSPORTATION section for individuals to post transport needs, trips your taking where one could assist another member, etc with parts or transport needs/wants. Like this one on the Steel Soldiers site. https://www.steelsoldiers.com/forumdisplay.php?67-Transportation-Needs
All, thank you for taking the time to respond to my thread. So, many of you know my father died 6 1/2 years ago. Last month we lost my mother. There are a few items I'd like to keep for many reasons. Namely, dad's tools and some of his equipment. We are going to have a huge sale while we are in Florida for the celebration of life for my mom. If anyone in the Clearwater area is needing household items, there will be a huge sale the last week of May first week of June. I'm coming to grips with, just sell most of everything, I think my sister is of the same state of mind. Our issue is doing it quickly. We will also have a very nice home for sale! Thanks again for everyone contributing to being of the right mindset and doing what really needs to be done with this stuff. Troy
I used Uship with good results. I shipped bulky parts from FL to MI. I was able to find a guy who makes the trip between the two states often. https://www.uship.com/?r=2304&cmp=b...MItr-R4MmF2wIVHIezCh3AOA-6EAAYASAAEgL_6fD_BwE
Another thing I have seen is the pods brand storage containers. They bring it out and drop it in the driveway, you fill it they pick it up and it gets shipped where you want it. Not sure what it costs but that could be a way to get things across the country.
