Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion CRATING AND SHIPPING A 6' SIGN

OK, SO I'VE SHIPPED SEVERAL SIGNS, BUT NEVER CRATED A 6' SIGN. I RECENTLY POSTED A 6' SINCLAIR ON EBAY AND HAVE SEVERAL POTENTIAL BIDDERS WANTING THE SIGN CRATED AND SHIPPED. CRATING IS NO PROBLEM BUT WAS WONDERING IF ANY OF YA'LL HAVE PICS OF SOME CRATING IDEAS, AND IDEA OF WHAT THE PRICE TO FREIGHT SHIP ONE OF THESE

I worked for a Home Moving & Storage Co as a teen. Never forgot what is required to properly ship items. Biggest shipment was a Jag XKE bonnet (whole tilt hood assembly) I charged the design, buying ,building and shipping charged buyer $400-500 or so just to crate it. Essentially took two days building and a easly a few hundred dollars at LOWES. IF I was shipping a large lighted sign I'd dam well use a pallet as a base and a bunch of lumber..

Make a frame out of 2 by 4s, then use 3/4 inch plywood on both sides of the sign.Center the sign and the plywood inside the frame amd nail both sides in with 1 or 2 inch strips of wood. This will keep the sign from bending and have a good solid frame too. You might want to wrap the sign with old sheets before putting it in the plywood. If you have a local salvage yard,you can pick up used lumber to save money. The crate doesn`t have to be pretty,it just has to get the sign there safely.

I forgot to mention,once the sign is framed, you should run a 2 by 4 up and down the center on both sides to keep the sign from bowing. If you use used wood the whole thing should be less than 50 bucks for material, and if you get paid as well as I do, about 5 bucks for labor.:-)

Thanks fellas

I have shipped these large signs before & I stay away from the 3/4in plywood since it adds a lot to the weight & price to ship it. I use exterior plywood it is thinner & lighter like paneling & comes in 4X8 sheets like plywood. I make a 2x2 frame that is about 3in bigger than the sign. Get some thin blue board insulation & put that on both sides of the sign to help protect it. I also use some small scraps of wood on the inside to help the sign stay in one place. Everything gets screwed in place. If you want to call me feel free to & I can explain it better than typing it down LOL

I WOULD USE 3-3/8" PCS OF PLYWOOD AND 2X3'S AS A FRAME. AS BRAD SAID, MAKE THE OUTSIDE EDGE FRAME ABOUT 2-3" LARGER THAN THE SIGN.

OR GET CREATIVE AND JUST TRACE THE SIGN ON 2 SIMILAR SIZED PRECUT PIECES OF 3/8" PLYWOOD. CUT A CIRCLE 1" LARGE THAN THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE SIGN SIZE. IF 72" MAKE IT 74" - DO IT TWICE AND THEN PANCAKE THE SIGN BETWEEN THE 2 PIECES OF PLYWOOD. FASTEN THE 2 SIDES TOGETHER THRU THE SIGNS FACTORY EDGE HOLES. USE A 1X4" OVER THE SEAM WHERE THE TWO PIECES OF PLYWOOD MEET AND CUT THE EDGES ROUNDED. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PICK UP THE SIGN ON EDGE AND ROLL IT. BEWARE...THE SIGN WILL PROBABLY WEIGH TWICE ITSELF WITH ANY ENCLOSED LUMBER ENCASING.

I crated a 6 footer richfield sign one time with 3/4 inch plywood...long story short the box weighed 250 pounds...luckily fedex had a fork lift when I showed up with it...we ship large signs all the time...I always use luane (1/4 inch and about 10-13 dollars for a 4x8 sheet - you can get it at lowes/home depot/ or your local lumber yard (it weighs nothing when compared to 3/4 inch plywood)...use 1x4s for framing (or 2x4s)...and definitely go with foam board inside (keeps the sign nice & snug so it doesnt get beat to death during "handling" by your shipper (sheetrock screws work like a champ 1 1/2 incheres for securing the wood together). Best of luck

The reason I use a thick frame and sheets to cover is UPS. Several years ago,I sent out a porcelain sign between 2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood,screwed on all ends. UPS BROKE THE SIGN IN HALF!!! They then proceeded to deny the claim because "the sign was in contact with the packing material" Since at that time they billed you and the company I sent it through owed them over 2 grand ,and the guy was a friend of mine,he refused to pay that weeks bill. When his rep from Indianapolis stopped by to see what was wrong and looked at the sign that was broke in half, the claim was paid. I got lucky but learned a valuable lesson. Better safe than sorry. Something as big as 6 foot should go by truck freight anyway,and a big frame adds security.