 | Home > Expedition & Overland > ISO Container/Shipping your truck |
 
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| T1G UP Member Since: 08 Dec 2009 Location: Bath Posts: 3101   
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i am currently organising a some big bits of machinery to go to kenya in december in 35, 40ft containers!
they are high cubes...9ft 6" inside and cost around £3k to buy. you can get a 20ft high cube aswell. we are using a shipping company from leeds to organise the paper work etc. theyre are other options such as RO-RO etc but contained is the safest, read securist method as they are sealed with bolt seals. 6 week trip to kenya via ship and overland |
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28th Oct 2012 7:00pm |
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| Pam W Member Since: 25 Oct 2011 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 1169 
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As far as RO-RO is concerned it is a no-no for shipping expedition vehicles, unless you ship all the contents, kit, etc over separately in a container ie. on a ro-ro uou can only send an empty vehicle - you cant load it with all your kit, spares, tools, roof tent etc.
We have shipped a land rover twice to Australia in a container, in a standard 40ft with 2 other vehicles (a rangie and an ibex). All the vehicles were quite tall and only just squeezed in height wise. Next time (end 2013) it will probably be ours only so might go for a shorter one, and go hi-cap so we can ship with the roof tent on. Our blog - http://landytravels.com/ Yorkshire Off Road Club - http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net |
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28th Oct 2012 7:32pm |
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| SteveS Member Since: 05 Oct 2010 Location: Devon & Berkshire Posts: 388 
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I'd like the convenience of keeping the roof tent on top of the truck rather than having the faff of lifting it back on and bolting it down - so it seems that I will need a "high cap"
Pam - what do you do to prep your truck before the voyage? |
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28th Oct 2012 7:49pm |
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| Pam W Member Since: 25 Oct 2011 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 1169
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Can't remember what exactly what the prep was so I'll get the other half to reply!
(also, should read 'hi-cube' in my previous post, not ' hi-cap' - sorry, my bad!) Our blog - http://landytravels.com/ Yorkshire Off Road Club - http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net |
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28th Oct 2012 7:56pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888 
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As far as vehicle prep is concerned the main thing is to make sure the batteries are isolated. Either using an isolation switch or by physically disconnecting the battery leads. The battery should last the journey as long as it's not connected.
If you aren't loading the vehicle yourself put an A4 laminated sheet in the cab with explicit instructions on how to start the vehicle and how to leave it including battery isolation but preferably you want to load the vehicle yourself. If you are not there to unload it they'll either drive it out or tow it out if they can't get it started. Don't rely on the shipper to isolate the battery unless you really have to. If you have twin batteries disconnect them from each other so if one goes bad it won't drag the other one down. You can also swap them over to get the vehicle started if the main battery is left connected by the shipper. When you strap the vehicle down make sure you strap the axles with a strap at each corner - don't use the recovery straps that go around the tyres, a slow puncture will loosen the straps too much. If for whatever reason the batteries aren't disconnected and it arrives DOA at the other end, try and get the battery charged for a few hours or even better overnight before trying to start it. I had horrendous problems with mine after jump starting it with the alternator stalling and overheating due to the batteries being so far gone. The batteries never fully recovered. I wouldn't discount shipping without the roof tent on the roof - the bonded warehouse or the agent will normally give you a hand and have fork lift etc.. to help refit it. Container owners don't like oil on the floor of the container and will charge you for cleanup if it's excessive - putting some cardboard or similar down is a good idea if you have any oil leaks just to protect the wooden floor. Be VERY careful when choosing an agent, don't just go for the cheapest quote as one slip up with the paperwork can cause you huge problems. Last time we shipped the UK agent messed up and the vehicles would probably still be circumnavigating the planet if it wasn't for the switched on agent we found in Sydney that sorted it all out. Next time the agent in Sydney is going to do the job from start to finish. Ideally you want someone with experience in shipping vehicles, the company we used in Sydney ship V8 super cars and Moto GP bikes and you could tell the difference when talking to them. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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28th Oct 2012 8:52pm |
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| Retroanaconda Member Since: 04 Jan 2012 Location: Scotland Posts: 2552 
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What sort of price is one looking at to ship a car to the states these days?
I've always fancied touring the USA in mine, but presumed the shipping to be massively expensive. |
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28th Oct 2012 9:17pm |
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| SteveS Member Since: 05 Oct 2010 Location: Devon & Berkshire Posts: 388
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Dave W - thanks for the info.
You don't use the tie down or jate rings - is there a reason for that? Do you ever get any problems with strapping the axles causing problems with damaged brake pipes etc Do you load your truck with all your kit inside it or do you pack it loose? I've read that it is sometimes better to get it packed by the shipper as it is less conspicuous to the Customs. I assume the shipping agent can organise total loss insurance - how is the value agreed? |
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30th Oct 2012 11:16pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888
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We didn't use the tie down points or similar because the vehicle is potentially going to be rocking from side to side as the container and ship move. Barring punctures the axle shouldn't move relative to the container while the body/chassis will move on the suspension and any straps connected to the body will constantly change tension. You could always do both of course  Just bear in mind that the vehicle is going to spend several weeks trying to move on it's suspension.
To avoid damage to the rear brake pipes we just put the strap between the axle and the pipe. Handling customs requirements will probably vary depending on the destination but for Australia we packed everything inside the vehicles. I emptied the vehicle completely and put everything out of it in the kitchen. I then repacked the vehicle and made up a spread sheet which showed every item and where in the vehicle it was stowed. Everything that went through the door to the vehicle was listed. A printed version of that spreadsheet then became the manifest for my vehicle, detailing everything the vehicle contained and where. This was actually a real bonus when we got there because whenever we needed a spare part we could just consult the manifest and know exactly where it was. Australian customs weren't a problem, all they were interested in was the Carnet de passage and the vehicle ID (chassis and engine number). Even when one of the vehicles in our container had a mismatched engine number they weren't bothered as long as we changed it on the paperwork. Australian quarantine officials on the other hand, you really don't want to go there
Total loss is simply a case of you estimating the value and as long as you're not obviously taking the proverbial they'll let it pass. Obviously the higher the insured amount the bigger the premium but they really don't care what's inside the container when it comes to total loss. Don't use the same value for your carnet though, the Carnet should reflect the value of the base vehicle whereas total loss covers everything in and on the vehicle as well. As long as your figures are believable you shouldn't have a problem with either. Get the Carnet sorted well in advance of your shipping date as although the carnet itself isn't a major problem we found getting the bank guarantee in place to support it was a major PITA because finding bank staff that actually had a clue what you were asking was VERY difficult. i ended up in the bizarre situation where I had to tell the bank's "personal adviser" the telephone number of their own office in Birmingham that would sort it out and then watch while the "advisor" was taken step by step through their own system over the phone. Even then they managed to give me a bank guarantee that lasted a year longer than the carnet ! http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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31st Oct 2012 12:20am |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8578 
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Your shipping agent can arrange total lost insurance however expect costs to be around 3-5% of insured value.
What the shipping agent will do at the other end depends both on the quality of the agent and the country you are shipping too. Personal possessions/camping gear/spares etc should be boxed up in wolf boxes ali boxes etc. Carefully number the boxes and put a laminated list of contents on the box. Also have a master sheet of the vehicle contents listed by the boxes. Leave a copy inside the vehicle and send one with the shipping documents. A good shipping agent will provide bags of silica gel inside and outside the vehicle to prevent mould damage etc. Clearly label everything possible. If you want the shipping agents to reconnect your batteries etc. apart from laminated instructions attached a suitable sized spanner and clearly have all the cables correctly coloured with terminals clearly marked. Check very carefully the customs regulations of the country you are going too. Countries such as Australia and New Zealand will require your vehicle to be cleaner then clean! Also countries such as these will not allow any wood/plant products into there countries unless it is certified as pest/infection free etc. Check carefully with the country you are going to exactly what there regulations are, as regulations will change between countries and will change with time as well. Brendan |
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31st Oct 2012 12:25am |
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| noworries4x4 Member Since: 24 Dec 2010 Location: Newton Abbot Devon Posts: 1195
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I shipped the Bowler and the P38 to Iceland direct from Immingham, loaded them myself on the Quay locked it up, unloaded in Iceland, Easy i will try to put some photos up later. If everything is under control you are not going fast enough.
Every Day 16 MY Discovery 4 Commercial Workshop and Escort Vehicle Weekends 07MY L322 TDV8 Vogue SE Series 1 80" 3ltr 6cyl with overdrive No Worries 4X4 |
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31st Oct 2012 10:26am |
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| SteveS Member Since: 05 Oct 2010 Location: Devon & Berkshire Posts: 388
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Noworries - that would be great
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2nd Nov 2012 12:54am |
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018 
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I find your explanation a little unbelievable and very poor advice - the correct tie down points are designed exactly for the purpose of shipping and will load the suspension springs a little to stop anything above swaying inside the container. By contrast, the axles are not designed for this purpose and loading the axle tubes is this way has potential to damage them. I've seen webbing straps "saw" through metal on relatively short sea journeys when used incorrectly. |
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2nd Nov 2012 2:49pm |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888
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In order to compress the suspension sufficiently to prevent the vehicle moving on it's suspension you need the strap angle to be at 45 degrees or more towards vertical. In a container your primary problem is of a vehicle moving fore and aft along the container and your tie down points are all at the sides of the container at floor level. Having the straps towards vertical means you're reducing their effectiveness at stopping the vehicle moving back and forth. You don't really need to worry about side to side movement as any impact/movement large or violent enough to cause that is going to cause you problems however you tie the vehicle down and with a maximum of around a foot between the side of the vehicle and the container you're pretty much screwed for angles anyway. By strapping from the axle to the container tie down point you can angle the strap so that it's nearly horizontal maximising the fore/aft control of the strap. The two rear straps and the two front straps are then pulling almost directly against each other through the vehicle's suspension. Even in the case that a tyre deflates during the journey the drop in height has less effect on the straps because of the angle. For the front and rear vehicles of our three we cross strapped them with the two rear axle straps going forwards and the front axle straps going backwards, that way you can get a decent angle with the door/container end being too close otherwise. Just make sure none of the straps can rub against another one. The Defender axle is MORE than capable of being used in this way, what do you think happens every time you brake/accelerate ? Let alone cornering forces and simply being sat on your drive with the weight of the vehicle on it. You can bend an axle by getting 4 foot of air under the vehicle and landing it heavily on one rear wheel (IME) but fortunately that doesn't happen very often in containers. You are adding straps at the same points that the suspension radius arms mount to the axle so not only is the axle capable of it, it's designed for it. For us, twice now, strapping the axles down has worked fine, sending 3 vehicles to Australia and back in a container. That's 3 vehicles all strapped down by their axles in a 40 foot container travelling for around 8 weeks each way. So around 32 weeks in total with no damage or problems even with vehicles that had one or more slow punctures and hence flat tyres when they got to the destination. You'll note that (although you chose to delete it from the quote for some reason) I also suggested you could do both. Now that's out of the way perhaps you could answer the OP yourself from your first hand experience of shipping Land Rovers long distances in containers instead of sniping at other people who made the effort to actually reply ? http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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2nd Nov 2012 5:23pm |
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| noworries4x4 Member Since: 24 Dec 2010 Location: Newton Abbot Devon Posts: 1195
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At Immingham Docks
 Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge At Iceland Container Terminal (please don't expect me to spell it ! ) Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge If everything is under control you are not going fast enough. Every Day 16 MY Discovery 4 Commercial Workshop and Escort Vehicle Weekends 07MY L322 TDV8 Vogue SE Series 1 80" 3ltr 6cyl with overdrive No Worries 4X4 |
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2nd Nov 2012 8:01pm |
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