Inclosed or open transport?

Jim Staruk

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It's about that time for me to start planning on getting my car home to where she belongs. The trip will be from Ed's place in South Dakota to Massachusetts. Since the car is once again like new, I'm thinking of spending the extra money to have her shipped in an enclosed carrier. Does everyone agree with me or would the car be just as safe on an open carrier? Any nightmare stories of open carriers anyone want to share with me?

Jim
 
I have an online friend who had his hearse hauled on an open transport, they put it on the top and hit a traffic light with the hearse's roof... really did a number on the vynl top just above the windshield!
 
in or out

I would vote for an enclosed carrier if one is availible. There may not be that much difference in price. You may have to dust the car off in you take if from an enclosed carrier. On an open trailer or flatbed you will probably have to wash the bugs off along with the dust and dirt from the road. Now let's see what the rest of the group thinks.
Mike
 
open or enclosed car carrier

as long as you hire a reputable firm,an open carrier is much cheaper! whomever hauled that hearse and damaged it should have been liable to repair any damages and make it right.sounds to me like he did not check the height of his load before he left.enclosed carriers cost a lot more!!!!! if the car is transported in the summer it should be fine.should just need a good bath and removal of accumulated bugs. I speak from expierence as I drive a car carrier for cassens transport co. I've done it for over 30 years. Make sure you hire someone with insurance,and who will give you references from satisfied customers.there are a lot of fly by nite gypsey outfits out there so use caution!Good luck!:my2cents:
 
Jim, check with Sancrest in Billings Mo. They haul all our stuff and they do sub some of it out but we have always been satisfied and we use them almost weekly. They haul alot of new stuff for accubuilt so they can handle it. They do get dirty not enclosed but no worse for wear but Sancrest offers both choices.
 
Call and talk with Kevin Parkinson in Swartz Creek, MI. He just had FedEx deliver his hearse from California to Michigan. I'm sure he could give you some advise. I like the idea of an enclosed trailer for transport.
 
I don't know the year/make of car in question, but if it's restored, why not drive it east? Then you could spend the night in Indiana and I could round up plenty of people who would gather to see it.

Over the years, I have had at least 8 cars hauled on open trailers. In one case a BMW arrived with several feet of snow on it, but otherwise I've had no problems with open trailers, as long as you trust the hauling company and/or drivers.

Tom

www.bippusautostorage.com/cars
 
Call and talk with Kevin Parkinson in Swartz Creek, MI. He just had FedEx deliver his hearse from California to Michigan. I'm sure he could give you some advise. I like the idea of an enclosed trailer for transport.

I got a quote from FedEx enclosed... almost $4,000.00! That's why I'm thinking open carrier for half the price.
 
shipping

Jim: keep shopping. After all of the work done, ship it enclosed. You would hate to see anything happen in transit.
I have shipped several vehicles from the US up here to Canada and have done it for @1/2 of the Fed Ex quote. Established firms. Even my 76XL. A pro car is definitely more, but you should be able to do better.
If I could suggest getting a copy of Hemmings and contact several of the shippers that serve the North East.
 
I got a quote from FedEx enclosed... almost $4,000.00! That's why I'm thinking open carrier for half the price.

That's about double what I paid them for enclosed from CA to MI last month. Your trip couldn't be that much farther. I can say that they treated my car with great care but you have to find the carrier you are most comfortable with considering price and references.
 
Ive got a guys number

Jim, send me a PM and I'll give you a number. His name is Walter Flowers and the company is Personalized Automobile Transport.
 
Jim if we coordinate shipping with one driver we may be able to save some money. If a guy brings yours back home, he can pick mine up, especially beneficial if he is based in that part of the country. E-Mail with ideas or thoughts.
 
One thing that was not mentioned is the fact that if the carrier has a haul back, you can usually negotiate a lower price. In other words, if you can wait until they have a trip in the opposite direction, the cost per mile usually will go down. I had my wife's 2004 Town car shipped in 2006 from South Carolina to Arizona on an open carrier for $900.
John Dorgan
John Dorgan
 
I use a gentleman by the name of Bob Kohrs, who lives just south of Red Wing, MN. He has carried cars for Jon Wurm and I several times and we've been 100% pleased. Bob uses an open trailer and pulls it with a Dodge diesel pickup with an extended / sleeper cab. He has carried classic cars and restored popcorn wagons around the country for years and knows what he's doing. He charges $1.25 per loaded mile. As I write this, he's bringing our most recent acquisition home from Idaho.

Let me know if you're interested in talking with him and I'll provide you with his phone number.
 
I would go for enclosed if the car is super nice.

I had my '62 landau car shipped from Washington to Michigan in an enclosed trailer in Feb.

When I got the car, it had some damage between the two doors on both sides near the bottom.

It ended up rubbing on the aluminum fenders inside the trailer.
The car was tide down well but I guess with shaking around in there it rubbed a little.

I saw the damage after the car was out of the trailer. Funny thing is the guy wanted his money for transporting it before he removed the car. He also asked if I had seen the car before it was put into the trailer.
Now I know why. He knew he messed up.

At the time is was the coldest day of the year, wind blowing, freezing cold.
I just wanted to get it put in storage and get indoors. I thought it was just some paint rubbed off. It turned out to have even some aluminum still on the car and a little worse than I thought.

Lucky I decided not to tip him after seeing it. He should have been up front with me and discounted the move. Some people aren't that way I guess.

I think I remember paying about 1700.00 for that move.


When I got my next '62 full window hearse last August, I decided to drive it from Great Falls MT to Toronto. It went super well and Im sure it cost less including gas, hotels, food. And no damage !

That was one incredible, memorable, and super cool thing to do in an old car.
Cross the country with not a problem at all. Truly a dream trip.
I will have hundreds of pictures of this trip to show everyone in Albany this July. I will have that, new to me, '62 there.

If you think the car would make it, go for it ! It's amazing.
(I do know of others who tried to drive a car home after buying it and didn't make it so I know it's not always a good idea. Anything can happen at anytime.)


From what I heard, my 2 '62s are the centerfold of the current PCS magazine.
I don't have my copy yet so I can't confirm it. Maybe someone can let me know if it is or not. Last time it was a month after the first person posted that they got their copy in the mail before I got mine. Hopefully it comes soon.


Take it easy,
Darren
 
Here is a preview of the centerfold.. The 2010 first quarter magazine is more than 40 pages!!!:wowguy:
 

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I can only tell you how it went for me.

I bought my 74 Superior 3 way from Ronnie Grubbs in Long Beach California, and he found the transporter for me. The guy's name was Gordon Gipson I believe. The car cover that the car came with was put inside the car as were the hubcaps as I was afraid to maybe lose them. The car had a journey on an open normal type carrier from Long Beach to somewhere in Wisconsin, down to Texas, up to Chicago down to New Orleans up to NYC back to Detroit and a major zig zag all over the country. It took honestly, about 12 days to travel from Long Beach to Alexandria Bay in N Y state. Mr Gipson was in contact with me all of the way, and we talked every few days while he told me where he was and where he was going next. He seemed like he was picking up cars along the way and dropping off as well, and I have no doubt that my car had to be loaded and off loaded a few times during the process. Mr Gipson also phoned me from around NYC to tell me his brakes had caught on fire and there was going to be a delay for that. I had visions of my car all sooty. When he finally arrived, the car looked fine, but I was rather disappointed to find that the only way Mr Gipson could get into my car...based upon where it was placed on the carrier, was THROUGH THE FRONT DRIVER"S SIDE WINDOW WHICH WAS OPEN! Again I had visions of dirt and dust and soot inside, but when he finally got the car off, it appeared to be fine. I do not know if I even asked why he had had to do that...I guess I was just so happy to see the car finally. I believe the price I paid, in cash, at delivery was about $1200. Not a bad price overall considering some of what I have seen in previous posts, but I know if I could afford it, or if I were transporting vehicles like in the centre pages of the magazine, I'd opt for closed if possible. I also remember thinking that I SO wanted to fly out to Long Beach and drive it back, stopping for photo ops at the Hoover Dam and the arch in St Louis and so on, but I was nervous about getting fleeced on some lonely stretch of road somewhere if it ever broke down. Anyways..I got her and she was not damaged and not too dirty, even with the window open and I was happy. You can see photos of her arrival, window open and all at this link:

http://www.pbase.com/bif/74_hearse_at_the_border

regards

Dave
 
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Dave

It was the same thing with the enclosed trailer !
He had to go throught the window to get into the car inside the enclosed trailer.

At least stuff couldn't blow in from the open air, but like you, I wasn't impressed.

Unless you have a custom trailer made where they make the trailer door
open where the car door is, there is no other way to get into the car.

Dan in OH has a sweet trailer for his '59s ! The nicest one I have seen with a huge side door in the trailer where the car door is. Makes things so much nicer.


Darren
 
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