Just had a machine shipped to California from the east coast and have to say it’s a wonder it arrived in unbroken condition .
Loosley fitted inside a uhaul wardrobe box with little packing material so as the machine just flopped around in a box . A couple of small pieces styrofoam and an empty 12 pack box of blue moon beer don’t cut it !
You want the machine to arrive alive .
If you pack and ship a machine like this don’t have the nerve to blame the shipping company for any damages incurred!
Take a little effort and pack it properly. I
I have a few suggestions for shipping a machine . I have shipped at least 15 machines and fortunatley to date not one has been damaged during shipping .
1.) Empty all the coins from the machine . If they are to ship with the machine wrap them securely and put them in the cash box tightly so they cant move .
2.) Put the machine in an extra large plastic bag or wrap it in plastic film . This keeps any debris out of the machine and also keeps any screws nuts or parts from escaping where they may be hoplessly lost .
3.) Find and use a good shipping container . ( I have used boxes from Home Depot . They carry extra large box size in heavy and extra heavy duty . I put one inside the other and make my own cardboard top . In order to put 2 boxes inside each other I put the lighter box in the heavier box by gently rounding the bottom 4 corners of the lighter box with a small hammer , then you can proceed to gently push this box inside the extra heavy duty box .
4.) Packing material . My favorite is the insulating foam board comes in sheets about 1 1/2” thick it can be cut to size to line the “6” sides of the box . A few extra layers between the machine and the cardboard box is insurance that will lessen the chance if something jabbing into or out of the box .
5.) Now its time for the filler “PACKING PEANUTS” put enough peanuts in that box so your cherished machine won’t move a hundredth of an inch !
6.) At this point I find my box just a bit small at the top so I top it off with peanuts add a layer of the foam board then a good heavy duty piece of cardboard is fitted to the top before I bend the top flaps to fit at which point upholsterers glue is sprayed to hold the cardboard flaps to a custom fit top .
7.) Packing tape lots of it ! All the way around the box in several locations . Seal every joint and seam with it . Run it across the entire top . Tape it and tape it again !
8.) Shake the crap out of your sealed up box , if you hear or feel any movement of the machine open the box and pack it tighter !
This might sound like alot of work and there are probably other good methods that you might share and please do !
Your machine is worth the time and effort .