Transporting an engine?

[RScott]

I bought an engine in Colorado, I live in Oregon, 1200 miles away.

I can pick up the engine & bring it home in the back of my pickup which has a weather tight steel canopy. So what's the problem?

The engine costs $13,500. This is winter. Roads can be slick. I want this insured for the trip. Called my insurance company and neither homeowners nor auto will cover it. Can get project insurance, but they want the astronomical figure of $750. A shipping outfit wants $974 to crate & ship.

Any suggestions on how I can get this home for a reasonable price, insured?

[Mark Burns]

I got $40,000 of builders insurance from http://www.nationair.com/ for $450 yr. It covers the trip to the airport too.

Mark

[Guy Prevost]

Crate it and ship it. I'm guessing you can do that for <$400.00.

It's in Albuquerque, but I have the bottom of my crate. For the cost of shipping, I'll pull the 3 metal brackets that attach the engine to the crate and send them to you. They hold the engine by the prop hub and the two bottom mount holes. They're what my Mattituck engine shipped with.

You're welcome to the whole pallet if you want, but you'll have to arrange pickup.

Guy

[cjensen]

I have an Avemco builder's policy with $20k in coverage right now for $286/yr. I don't have an engine yet, but the prices from Avemco are really competitive, and will roll in to flight coverage with a quick phone call when ready.

[Bevan]

Why do you feel you need special insurance. You will be with the engine the whole way. No one will look after it better than you. You are going in person and that's better than any insurance money can buy. If you have an road accident where the engine is a write-off, it will be the least of your worries.

Perhaps there is a risk of theft of your truck and engine while you're at a motel for the night. But that risk is small and may be further minimized with creative strategies.

I would save the money and put it towards gas and a decent motel. At least that way, if your truck and engine are missing in the morning (worst case scenario), you can at least smile and say "I slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night!"

Remember to enjoy the journey.

Bevan

[jdeas]

For such a long haul would it not be cheaper to fly there and rent a truck. I believe most truck rental companies offer movers insurance. At least that's what I remember when I picked up my QB from Vans and drove it to L.A. Just take a hammer and find a pallet when you get there.

[RScott]

After all, it's $13,500. My main concern is a wreck. It is winter, the roads can be slick, it's 1,200 miles each way.

I am not particularly concerned about theft as I hope to stay overnight at Air Force bases, FE Warren, Hill and Mt. Home and lodging for retirees is cheap, so that is not an issue.

Freight quote from Partain came in at $750. Another was $974. Tony doesn't normally haul engines, but I am only 28 miles from Van's, so I am not far out of his way.

Got a pallet from a guy who bought his engine from Aerosport. It has brackets similar to the ones Guy shows. All I have to do is get there & back safely.

Avemco--first time I heard of them having reasonable rates. Got a quote from Falcon for $750. They are nuts. They wanted to sell a year of builder's insurance. I insure my Interstate Cadet for about that amount and it flies!

[RVadmirer]

I bought an engine on E-Bay and had it shipped (insured) from Detroit to california for under $500. Just check with shippers. Just tell them it's an engine, you don't have to say aircraft. Box it up in that Mattituck crate you were offered. Mine was in a stock Lycoming box. If you look around there is a website where you can state the size and weight and you'll get bids back. I got several starting at $900 and it finally got down to $375 or so after a couple days then I purchased insurance. It was essentially painless.

[tyconnell]

Originally Posted by lcnmrv8r

Ask yourself how much will it cost to go get it? 2500 miles round trip/15 mpg=170ish gallons@3.10= $527 bucks in gas. A couple of nights in hotels. Food. (All these are off the top of my head so no flaming for the math)
Have Partain do it for $750. That makes the most sense-- if you're the sensible type.

And if you want to think about it further, figure the cost of depreciation (mileage) on your asset - at $.10 / mile, that's another $250.

Add that to the ~$527 in gas, and you make $27 having Partain ship it.

[RScott]

Thanks for your ideas. Sure, the easiest thing is to have Tony ship it and it comes insured.

I don't know the seller from Adam. If I go there, I am there to check the serial #, make sure it matches the SN in the logs he sent, see the engine to be sure it wasn't misrepresented, then pay the balance. I am there to be sure it is crated and loaded securely in the back of my pickup, that I actually get an engine instead of seeing my money go off in some crook's pocket.

Would you send off $13.5K to someone you don't know? Logs look very good, <50 hrs SMOH, photos look good. Are the photos really of the engine that was advertised? If this was a well known company that would be one thing and they would have a regular way to ship it. But it is a private party.

Sure, if the engine was misrepresented and it was sent to me sight unseen I could sue. And spend big bucks on legal expenses, especially suing across state lines, maybe recover a fraction of my $13.5K.

With the comments I have received, if I can't get insurance to cover it on the trip home, I am inclined to think for me it is still a better option than having it shipped and I don't mind a short vacation. 17+ mpg in my little truck, mostly depreciated already (1997 model) cheap lodging, probably $700 RT including food, time doesn't matter too much--retirement is gooood.

Thanks to all of you for your input, and to Guy for the offer of a pallet. 2 quotes on truck rentals came in at $562 and $566 and I would still have to get there (air fare to Denver, $168, plus car rental), buy gas, pay for lodging, etc. so that's out.