Palletising/packing service?

[KingAether]

Maybe im using the wrong terminology but i'm struggling to find any business that provides a palletising service.. Or a courier that will also palletise.
Do they exist or is there H&S that applies making it not worth the hassle for people?
I'm looking to get a wadkin ags10 from Newcastle to the south-coast but the older gent wont be able to palletise it ready for a courier; i thought it would be a fairy simple "handyman" service to find online and now im just curious why not?

 

[Cabinetman]

I’ve sent things via a pallet service in the past and it’s very efficient, Lorry turns up pallet truck onto the ramp and away it goes. But I see your problem, I would imagine if you looked for handyman services in his area you would be able to find somebody who could go round and put it on a pallet for him and strap it down ready.
Handymen like that really don’t mind what they do as long as they get paid. Ian

 

[LJM]

Because people are crap at weights and measures; someone offering the service would need to know exactly what was going to be put on the pallet, in terms of weights and dimensions in order to quote. Or to make an inspection of it to quote. It all adds up, and few would pay it.

 

[Cabinetman]

Well maybe, but in this case the OP knows exactly what it is how much it weighs and what size it is no doubt. Also most handyman just charge by the hour, it can’t take more than an hour to put the machine on a pallet and strap it down I wouldn’t have thought.

 

[KingAether]

Because people are rubbish at weights and measures; someone offering the service would need to know exactly what was going to be put on the pallet, in terms of weights and dimensions in order to quote. Or to make an inspection of it to quote. It all adds up, and few would pay it.

I would have thought it would be all the same as getting one picked up for delivery in terms of having to be under or at the size and weight for the pallet specified but i get your point.
Ill go with @Cabinetman's idea and take a look for handy men in his area and give them a message see what i can sort out

 

[clogs]

speak to pallet line....found them very helpful in the past bringing big D engines over to France......
the last one was 300kgs, from Lancs to SW France £250 plus a 10er for a pallet......
also look at machinery removals, they collect all kinds of stuff...(they clear factories etc) they will palletise it for you and if ur in no hurry prob get to ur address.........on their next trip down ur way or meet up at their depot in the south.....

 

[LJM]

I would have thought it would be all the same as getting one picked up for delivery in terms of having to be under or at the size and weight for the pallet specified but i get your point.
Ill go with @Cabinetman's idea and take a look for handy men in his area and give them a message see what i can sort out

what I mean is that people are often inaccurate in their descriptions; they could easily mislead someone in terms of how long it should take to get the stuff onto the pallet. And that not even factoring in that it may be in the back of the shed, at the bottom of the garden, which is a steep slope with streps...

But in this instance, you can provide detailed dimensions and weight, as well as how to break it down to manageable bits, if needs be. So I think the suggestion of a local handy-person is a good one.

 

[flying haggis]

but to strap it down you have to have the right equipment and as it is heavy that usually means metal straps or decent ratchet straps and it has to be a strong enough pallet as well

 

[D_W]

A fair number of the equipment auctions here actually state that you get the item, but they won't palletize it. I wonder if there is an insurance reason for it (as in, if they don't pack an item, they not only don't need to screw around with packing, but they also can't be accused of poor palletizing resulting in broken goods).

 

[Sideways]

Picture the process:
You've sourced a (decent) used pallet (quite a lot of them are falling apart and dangerous by the time they have been used several times).
You've paid your £70 to £100 quid for a pallet delivery service to come and pick it up.
You have to place the pallet where the shipper can get a clean run to it with his electric pallet jack - not too far, no substantial slopes, absolutely no step edge bigger than 1/2" to 1" or so, no gravel paths.... remember they offer a kerbside pickup and delivery service, anything more is at the discretion and goodwill of the driver.
You have to lift your machine onto it : an AGS10 or 12 can be walked by two men, a Sedgewick 10" PT likewise, a TA315 table saw maybe but darn they are heavy, a small / real engineering lathe can hit 750Kg easy, my SCM tablesaw is small enough to sit on a single pallet but weighs 3/4 ton, Sedgewick MB / CP seriously challenging.
The standard rating of a pallet is 1 metre square, I think 1 metre high but never had a problem sending taller loads, weight anything upto 1 ton. The challenge is usually getting your machine up in the air to get a pallet under it. Local handyman isn't going to lift a ton easily or safely on their own without specialist kit.
Then you drill and bolt the machine to the pallet at 4 corners (cordless drill, M12 or bigger bolts and penny washers. Take care with your fingers underneath something that might weigh a ton
Then optionally strap it if it is top heavy and could topple (bandsaw, lathe, morticer, planer OK / big floor standing drill would have me in a cold sweat)
Then secure all the loose accessories onto / inside the machine so that fences don't get lost / bent if the pallet gets bumped and the spanners / chucks / blades whatever don't rattle and ruin the new spray job.
Then a roll of industrial cling film and wrap it top to toe for protection when it gets stood out in the yard during transfers and again to stop pieces getting lost / scratched / dirty ...
Prepping a heavy or awkward machine for transport isn't a trivial task. When you see how badly some people do it, the grief this causes the carriers and the state that a machine might be in when delivered or just returned to sender, you don't want to cheap out on the job..

 

[KingAether]

I was assuming that was something of the case @D_W
I guess i hadn't thought of it like that @Sideways as in my head its just an AGS10; easy enough for a single person to tilt and shuffle on to a pallet and its hard to imagine someone not being able to strap it down properly but maybe im giving people the benefit of the doubt
At a bit of a loss currently as the old boy cant pallet it alone, his son dealing with the sale is in London while im in Dorset. Its still worth it for me to pay for a courier and a handyman to pallet it but i just need to find one

 

[Cabinetman]

@Sideways there speaks the voice of experience! Still doable but a lot to think about, your right. Ian

 

[Jameshow]

It might be easier if access is good to get a hauler with a hiab to lift into thier truck.

A machinery mover might do it as a back load for instance?

Cheers James

 

[KingAether]

It might be easier if access is good to get a hauler with a hiab to lift into thier truck.

A machinery mover might do it as a back load for instance?

Cheers James

Not sure about access but it looks like a large open warehouse so should be ok, im going to see if i can find any located local to him and hopefully it'll bring the cost down a bit

 

[julianf]

Below is the AGS 10 that i shipped last year.

All the parts touching the wood were also screwed down, into the pallet.

The buyer mail ordered ratchet straps off eBay and gave me as a delivery address, so i had more than i needed.

You could have turned that pallet vertical, and nothing would have fallen off.


Don't ever expect anyone else to put in the same amount of effort, but, if you do want a seller to palletise anything, send them more straps then you think they will use, to at least make a point of what you want doing.

 

[Mick p]

I would make a long weekend of it go and collect it nice hotel once loaded then a steady drive back you then know all is well

 

[KingAether]

Below is the AGS 10 that i shipped last year.

All the parts touching the wood were also screwed down, into the pallet.

The buyer mail ordered ratchet straps off eBay and gave me as a delivery address, so i had more than i needed.

Don't ever expect anyone else to put in the same amount of effort, but, if you do want a seller to palletise anything, send them more straps then you think they will use, to at least make a point of what you want doing.

Thank you for that, i will steal the picture if you dont mind and send it to the guy im dealing with so he can tell his can pass on the message of how its done!
I think this is going to be my option currently, make sure someone is there that can get it on the pallet, have a bunch of straps shipped to him and pay the courier the extra to provide the pallet. With that and once i pick up a local 1ph motor for it ill be around double the cost of the saw but still within bargain budget range

 

[julianf]

and pay the courier the extra to provide the pallet.

I think you're vastly underestimating how long it takes to properly secure an item to a pallet, and / or how long a courier would be happy to wait around for.

The job really needs to be on a pallet the night before. As the one in the photo had to be on public ground, I had everything stacked just inside, and got up early to secure it to the pallet on the day of pickup. Of course they didn't turn up untill late afternoon, but they would have charged if they turned up and the job was not availible for collection.

Again, I'd be very careful about any assumption that a courier will be happy to wait any time at all. I have an accquantence in the pallet moving game and the systems are unusually stressed this year as it is.

 

[KingAether]

I appreciate the warning, i was going to call in advance and see what the deal is as i would definitely expect some amount of wait time if i am paying £25 for them to provide the pallet. Although now i think about it, that's likely just there to help the company recoup the pallet from the customer and not one for that actual shipping consignment

 

[pip1954]

What about van man we shipped a table and they wrapped it up for us they charge for there time and distance might be worth a try