I am working on plans to purchase a Tokheim 660 and transport home. My concern is that several rods are rotted off at the jar lid and the jar lid is heavily rotted. As a result, not all 11 rods are holding the cylinder to the jar base securely.

I am concerned that when I lay the pump down on a tire the weight of the partially secured cylinder will allow it to break during transport.

Is there anything I can do to minimize breakage? Should I transport the pump upright if the shippers trailer can secure a vertical pump?
Joe

I have only shipped visibles in a cradle shipping rack that I build and enclose the cylinder in plywood. So...I had control of protecting the glass. Sounds like you are buying it somewhere and having it delivered to you? If you are hiring an over the road trucker, then yes, have it shipped in the standing position, if at all possible? I have not found many companies that can get an upright gravity feed pump, attached to a pallet, through the rear door. About all trucking companies put the freight on pallets so that they can be loaded with a forklift and moved inside the truck with a pallet jack. The combined height is too much to clear the opening. The other issue is that a crew going to pick up your pump, will never spend the time needed to wrap it correctly. I have always traveled to pick up visible pumps for these reasons. Went all the way to Kansas and back, with proper equipment to do just that. Just my opinion. Paul www.severngaspumps.com

Thanks Paul. I will be there for every step of the prep for transport. The pump will be transported 74 miles most in an open trailer with steel side tails. Vertical transport is an option. I will have the cylinder area wrapped with bubble wrap and blankets, but as you can see from the photo, the cylinder is covered with hail screen. So the cylinder won't be directly wrapped.

Maybe I should remove the hail screen bubble wrap the cylinder and then replace the hail screen.

I’ve transported a lot of visibles. I wouldn’t touch the hail guard. Leave it on. I wrap mine in two harbor freight shipping blankets held on by industrial Saran Wrap, then I place a piece of cardboard over that. I’ve never had a problem. I’d throw a strap over the top of yours to help keep the top, the jar lid and the glass from moving, since some of the rods are broken.

And if your wondering this picture was taken after I removed an elaborate grid system made of 2x4’s that sits on top the side rails which holds all the pumps in place.

Thanks Speedracer. You mentioned throwing a strap over the top of the pump to support it due to several rods.

My problem is I can't figure out how to install the strap to do that. Are you talking about a ratchet strap?

I assume the side of pump withe the most intact rods needs to be down. I was going to buy large blocks of foam rubber and place under the pump top. Not sure if that will work.

Yes, if you stand it up, I was talking about a ratchet strap, just so the wind doesn’t take the top.

If you lay it down, I put a tire down with a few blankets on it. Then I rest the lower jar lid on the sidewall with the few blankets. Then I stack blankets (maybe 3 or four folded up) on the other sidewall up to the cylinder to relieve some pressure from it bouncing up and down. I have hauled a lot of visibles this way as well, however I did haul a pump this way with a badly cracked cylinder and it was toast when I got home.