shipping bikes in a container myself (and ramps) ???

[elkroeger]

We are fast approaching our big move to Hawaii (don't shoot me). We need to put 2 bikes in a shipping container with our household junk. Any advice on how to affix the bikes inside the container?

 

I believe the container will be off the trailer here, so we should be able to just wheel them in easily. But at the destination, it will remain on the trailer, so we'll need a ramp. Any advice on ramps? Rental? Home built?

 

There may also be a forklift available at the destination. Is it possible to fork a bike, without it being palletized?

 

Or another option: I should have several guys available. How many grown men does it take to lift a bike out of a semi trailer (safely)?

 

Thanks in advance!

[tallman]

Have it shipped to a dealership.

They will have the forklift/ramps.

 

And the experience.

Will not cost much, if anything.

[realshelby]

Ramps to get it out of a container.....well they would have to look like a bridge more than a ramp! The container on a back of a truck could easily be over 4' high. If you have access to a forklift at the removal site I would recommend thinking of a way to use it. Don't know of a way to get it off without a pallet, and if the forklift doesn't have extended forks even a pallet might be a bit risky unless you can turn it sideways. The pallet may be MUCH easier to figure out your tie down mounting also.

[cris nitro]

Well, if you are talking about an RT, figure 650 to 700#'s to lift off of a 4' platform to the ground. If it's on a pallet like they come in a crate, not bad for 5 to 6 guys to get down. if it is just the bike itself, very awkward.

 

You should be able to make a ramp pretty easily.

[99Roadster]

Hawaii huh?

 

I suppose you could either strap it to pallet like they typically transport bikes or just have me hold it.

 

[Daryl W]

Forget the ramps. Get a 8' x 4' pallet, attach a wheel chock to one end for the front tire, strap the bike to the pallet, have a forklift unload from the trailer. Wheel chock can always be re-used, or sold. The wheel chock will keep the bike stable during transit, and too many straps is ALWAYS better than not enough.

[AlanS.]

You could give a local Honda dealer a call to see if they have any crates from a Goldwing. Most just throw them out.

[elkroeger]

Hawaii huh?

 

I suppose you could either strap it to pallet like they typically transport bikes or just have me hold it.

 

Sorry man, we're bringing the bikes but no car. OTOH, I got a Dodge Dakota for sale.

 

There are a few videos of strapping down bikes in containers on youtube. Looks pretty easy. I didn't know they had tie-down points inside the containers. I will have to check with the shipping company and make sure they have this feature in the one they're sending out.

 

Also, I saw somewhere the suggestion of having a flatbed towtruck come out. Wheel the bike onto the flatbed, tilt it up, and roll it down to solid ground. Sounds simple enough.

[tallman]

elk,

 

Suggest you try to find a dealer when bikes are delivered by truck and watch.

To many things to cover in a post but I'm not big on the idea

of manhandling a crate to the ground.

Enough strapping young men might do it but we used a fork lift

ez peasy.

 

Most bike delivery that I know of require a loading dock or forklift.

A loading dock would allow you to extract bike easily and the ride down.

Best wishes.

[dirtrider]

Morning elkroeger

 

Last time I unload a BIG bike from a semi trailer I just backed the trailer up to the loading ramp at a local store (quick & easy)

 

In the past I have unloaded big bikes from high trailers by backing my pickup truck up the semi trailer then using a small ramp to get the bike into the truck bed.

 

Then backed the pickup truck into a ditch & just rolled the bike out on the far berm.

 

Hopefully your crate will show up on a low-boy trailer so is a lot closer to the ground.

 

A store or tractor dealer cement loading dock is the safe & easy way though.

[AndyS]

This is how you get it on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG2Qff5euCU

 

This is how you DON'T take it off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZFPflC94pc

[TEWKS]

This is how you DON'T take it off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZFPflC94pc

 

Now that's what you call a

 

Ouch!

 

Pat

 

[The Rocketman]

Another suggestion:

http://www.chonday.com/Videos/bubikelo2

[UberXY]

I shipped a '47 Indian to Norway. I put two pallets on the floor next to each other and connected them with a sheet of 1/2" plywood and a bunch of 2x4s. Strapped the bike on this platform redundantly and awesomely. Then built a crate around the whole thing with plywood and 2x4s. Forklift into container. Arrived safely.

 

I wasn't paying the shipping so I didn't care how much it weighed. If you do something like this, best if it isn't over 95 inches long.

[roadscholar]

As has been said use a loading dock, or maybe find a straight truck with a lift gate and back it up to the container.

[LBump]

Crate and Ship is one method I've used. Didn't have one problem. You do need to build a crate. Good luck however you do it.

 

 

 

[eddd]

As has been said use a loading dock, or maybe find a straight truck with a lift gate and back it up to the container.

 

This one gets my vote. It might be the easiest and safest solution.

[realshelby]

Don't forget he is going to Hawaii. Things over there are quite a bit different than in most other states. Things we take for granted here...are either not there or hard to find and very expensive. Like flatbed wrecker trucks!

[Will Stagg]

One word of caution. When I moved to the Big Island a few years back, the shipper was pretty hard core about vehicles in shipping containers, was not allowed!

Safety was the claim but the shipper was also in the vehicle transport biz.....Other word of caution is that sometimes those containers get shook around some. I had some stuff get broken from shifting. Once the container is on the ground you should be able to roll the bike right out, dissassemble a crate in the container. Definetly crate though. Hawaii is a trip, enjoy it.

[elkroeger]

Update: We got the bikes into the container yesterday. There was a small hurdle. Well, I guess "small" depends on your perspective.

 

I skipped the pallet / crate option. Both were just too much to do, and I've run out of time (that, and I'd have to go rent a forklift anyway).

 

We went and looked at the ramps available at our local rental shop. The ramp may have worked, but jeez, the container is 5' off the ground. The ramp was only 9' long, or so. It was looking pretty steep, and I wasn't comfortable with that.

 

So I called a flatbed wrecker. Everything was going swimmingly, until he backed up to the container. There was a good 12" or 14" step up to the container. So after scratching our collective heads, and with my wife on one side, and the driver in the container grasping the front wheel, we lifted up the front of her 650CS and got it in. Then the rear went in. :-) Man, my wife's a good sport - and stronger than she looks! But still, that was about our limit of what we could lift.

 

Her CS is 425lbs. Next was my 1100RS at 550 lbs. Yikes. Just as the driver was backing up to the container I had a eureka moment: We put a couple layers of 2x4s under the wheels, raising the flatbed several inches. Then repeating the previous procedure, it went in without a hitch. Both bikes are now strapped down nicely. We jumbled some boxes and duffle bags in between the bikes and straps so if they break loose, hopefully they won't flop around too much.

 

So the damage for the wrecker was $170, plus a nice tip for the driver.

 

Matson (the container people), recommends deflating the tires to 15psi, and nailing down some 2x4s onto the (wood) floor of the container, to prevent the tires from sliding around.

 

Talking with the wrecker driver, I was a little surprised to hear that they do this sort of thing pretty regularly, although he said usually it's putting cars into containers.

 

So the last thing on my list is to double up my straps with some rope. All our junk is in the container, and it departs today for Kona.

 

My neighbor stopped by and asked how much it costs to ship a container to Hawaii. When I told him ($3800), he says "Aw hell, I would've BURNED it all!"

[elkroeger]

Final update.

 

Well, things are going well over here. I got a nice rental lined up BEFORE the container arrived, so I was able to skip the storage locker shuffle. And getting the bikes out of the container was a cinch. Turns out a guy just a couple doors up the street runs a tow company out of his house. I was out there unloading boxes when he came home for the day in his wrecker. I ran up and asked if he'd lend me a hand. He gave me a cash price of $60. I threw in a six pack. 10 minutes later we had both bikes on the ground. (the 16' ramp at the local rental shop was $65/day, without delivery)

 

One thing he did, that helped quite a bit, that the first guy (who helped us load the bikes) didn't do: He had a large block of wood, maybe 12 x 12 x 24, that he put under the rear car lift of the flatbed. He then put the rear lift down on it, and continued lowering it, which lifted the entire rear of the truck up to the container level. Easy Peasy.

 

Something I thought about later (after having loaded the bikes and sent the container off) is the question of the strength rating of the ratchet straps. Originally I was gonna use 2 pair of straps on each bike, but the placement of the tie-downs in the container led to both pairs pulling backwards a little. So I added a 3rd pair, placed such that they pulled forwards to counter this action. Anyway, each strap was rated at 500 lbs., which is about what the bikes weigh (425 and 550lbs). I looked around on the internet, but didn't find any guidance on what the straps should be rated for, in relation to the weight of the vehicle. As it was, they arrived safely. But I'm curious. Anyone have a rule of thumb for strap ratings?

 

btw - look me up, if you're out this way. West side of the big island.

[szurszewski]

 

Something I thought about later (after having loaded the bikes and sent the container off) is the question of the strength rating of the ratchet straps. Originally I was gonna use 2 pair of straps on each bike, but the placement of the tie-downs in the container led to both pairs pulling backwards a little. So I added a 3rd pair, placed such that they pulled forwards to counter this action. Anyway, each strap was rated at 500 lbs., which is about what the bikes weigh (425 and 550lbs). I looked around on the internet, but didn't find any guidance on what the straps should be rated for, in relation to the weight of the vehicle. As it was, they arrived safely. But I'm curious. Anyone have a rule of thumb for strap ratings?

 

.

 

Rule of thumb: bigger is better!

 

Seriously though, I'm sure your straps were fine - I'm not sure I'd really trust the ratings of any straps per se, but if we think of yours as being able to hold 500lbs each, and they were really just trying to keep your bike from falling over... Well, your bike leaning wouldn't exert anything near it's full weight until it was practically horizontal, and even then still not the full weight. ...and if you had multiple straps sharing that weight.... you know what I mean?

[elkroeger]

Oh well, yeah, there was plenty of strap strength to go around. That's pretty clear. I'm just curious what the rule of thumb is. What I was able to find on the internet only mentioned to be sure to use straps that are "designed for motorcycle transport". Well, that's not terribly helpful, especially if I'm transporting other things (which I do quite a bit).

 

What makes me wonder about it, is the g forces that are developed when the truck bounces around. How much inertia do you normally need to account for? Maybe I should ask my new tow truck driver neighbor....