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Shipping a large item like Prop or Engine.

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Redbud40

Well Known Member
Im looking into shipping costs for a propeller. UPS store says it’s too big. Fed Ex ground freight quoted some ridiculous price close to 1000.
Any suggestions on a method that was successful and at a reasonable cost.
I doubt Hartzell pays that absurd price.
Thanks.
 
Find a friend who has a business. Use his/her commercial shipping rates and location. I had an IO_540 shipped from Florida to my buddy's business a few years ago for ~$125. Rates are way up from then, but at the lower rates, I probably saved $250 or more by having the engine delivered to a commercial business with a loading dock.
 
Depending on your location, if you have a freight terminal, ship it there and then pick it up.
You can also try one of the broker services, freightquote.com, is one. They will list your “load” and carriers bid on the delivery. Your hope is a trucker is coming your way anyway and might have room for your stuff.
 
I just had my Hartzell (2-blade) prop shipped from northern Vermont to southern Connecticut for $376.90. The good news is the return freight cost me only $375.00. The only happy part of this story is that compared to the cost to overhaul the prop, I hardly felt the shipping charges.
 

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Greyhound

Not sure if they can take a 3 blade prop but I had very good luck shipping my 1/3 rd scale RC planes a few years ago by Greyhound. Very reasonable. Boxes up to 8 ft long not a problem.
 
One option = find someone with a commercial UPS (FedEx, DHL, Roadway, whatever) account. The rates are seriously discounted. Whirlwind shipped a three blade 72" prop from San Diego to Orlando FL for $385. I would have lost that over/under bet.
 
When using a trucking shipping company; be sure to buy insurance for the full replacement value of the prop. I had a 7 hour prop shipped from southern Florida that got damaged. Since it was not new they wanted to compensate me 19 cents per pound of net weight or less than $10 for a $20K prop...
 
We timed our prop and engine delivery to coincide and had Van's arrange customer pickup and factory tours. Then we drove to the Lycoming and Hartzell factories and made a mini vacation with tours out of it. Probably not as cheap as shipping, but more fun and no worries about shipping damage.
 
Have Hartzell pick it up...

Redbud40 said:
Im looking into shipping costs for a propeller. UPS store says it’s too big. Fed Ex ground freight quoted some ridiculous price close to 1000.
Any suggestions on a method that was successful and at a reasonable cost.
I doubt Hartzell pays that absurd price.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Here is what I have done in the past (with a different company)...

Not sure where you are sending your prop (Hartzell?), but have the receiving entity request a pickup by the carrier and have them put the charge on your service bill. Hartzell for instance can have their carrier pickup your prop and obtain the volume shipping discount from the carrier. Verify with Harzell what the charge will be (i.e. that you will be the one receiving the discount for the shipping).
 
I asked a Prince propeller for shipping create. He recommended having UPS do the packing. He has trouble getting damage claims paid.
 
UPS

I have had a UPS store employee that if they package a item UPS can still use their famous "improper packaging" excuse to not pay a claim.
I fought Fedex for months after they destroyed a lycoming crankshaft that was in a 3/4" plywood box.
I managed to get in touch with Fred Smith's secretary and she approved payment, otherwise they were going to screw me.
The Post Office always pays up without question, I use them exclusively because of that.
 
Check with your local fbo. Our regional prop shop has a van that goes around once a week and picks up/ drops off and all the major shops in the state.
 
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