packing for the exodus!

[mobile_bob]

well the time is drawing near, and  because of financial issues that have beset my landlord, i find that my 4 month time frame
got moved up first to 20 days (oh my frigging lord!) and finally set out to 50 days (ok that is almost manageable) so let the logistics begin.

so how does one move about 40 tons 1850 miles, when  you have limited time and don't want to make any more than one trip?

a shipping container, thats how...

that took all of about a week to sort out, as it appeared for a while i might be able to homestead mars far easier and for less cost, finally
a solution boiled up out of the literally hundreds of phone calls and emails.

a 53 ft shipping container delivered to my home here in tacoma, left with me for 30 days to pack, and then they pick it up, put it on a train
and ship it to kansas city, mo, where the offload it onto another chassis and truck it to the final destination in central kansas where i am allowed
7 days to unload the container so they can recover the thing.

while it won't handle 40 tons it will handle 43k lbs which is enough, given i have an isuzu npr i can use to transport the household junk.

this is going to be an exercise in learning how the egyptians built the pyrimids in that i have to raise 43k lbs off the street level into the back of that container at a load height of around 36 inches or so.  a rental forklift seems most reasonable for most of the stuff except for old "brutus"

brutus is my baby, he has outlived a couple ex wives, 4 daughters and is my only remaining tie to my youth.  yes it is my old 55 chevy 2 door post, 472 caddy powered turbo 400 , cone lock differential narrowed axle, ladder bar rear with coil overs, steel tilt front end, and 4" twice pipes.

yes ole brutus and i are going home! and who knows i might even get around to finishing him off so i can drive it again?

now getting brutus from street level up into that container is going to be interesting, i am hoping a roll off wrecker deck can lift him up
and we can then slide him into the container mid ship.

i thought seriously about selling the old car, but how do you do that to a trusted old friend?

had to take a break from packing my books, and electronics from my prototype bench, that took about 15 or so small book boxes, which btw are quite handy, got them for half price because they are red and green xmas colors and out of season, thanks uhaul!

i did get busted though, when my wife found out how many pairs of work boots i have in reserve, (12 pairs bought on ebay for a total cost
of less than what i paid for one pair before the company sold out to wolverine and was discontinued, so i don't feel bad), however
12 friggin pairs?   jeesh one would think  i was born into abject poverty and never owned a pair of shoes before! 

probably trying to compensate for something, who knows

odd thing is, unlike those special angle grinder nuts, chalk lines and tape measures, i have not lost a single pair of those boots!

tomorrow i start on shop!

onward

bob g

[LowGear]

Hi mobile_bob,

A.   I've used the movable deck tow truck to unload a couple of containers.  With a couple of people a 20 foot container takes about 2 hours.

2.   Have you considered just shipping your old friend to Kansas as a car.  I know it sounds cheap and rude but sometimes a guy has to do what a guy has to do.

III.  I build a second deck inside the containers I ship.  Of course, I'm actually smuggling treated wood but it allows me to pack some really heavy stuff on top of some other really heavy stuff.  I've also been caught using potting soil, Cedar Grove Compost of course, to protect "special treasures".  Yup, I'm smuggling soil too.

D.    I'd be down to about seven pairs of shoes if I could just bring myself to toss out the totally worn out ones I have laying on the porch.  Its tough saying good bye to loyal servants.

Casey

[deeiche]

rm /

[mobile_bob]

my problem was

how do you pass up boots that are

highest crush rateing
highest drop rating
10k volt electrical hazard rated
water proof clear to the top of the boot
stitched with kevlar
with kevlar laces that cannot be worn out

for 18 bucks a pair?

only boot i ever wore that i could work double shifts in and have feet that felt like they had been cushioned by air.

so i guess now i am "comrade imelda mobile bob"



bob g

[LowGear]

What size are they?

Do they go well with white socks?

[JohnF]

Bob;

Good luck on your move - and if you really must part with the old jalopy, just drop it off at my place on the way past - OK, it's a "teeny" bit out of your way but you'd do that for a buddy - wouldn't ya?

[dieselgman]

Yep, I think double decker is the way to go with that container! What town in Kansas? I guess we will be neighbors soon?

Best of luck with the move.

dieselgman

[mobile_bob]

Florence kansas, the cultural center of the universe!

at least that is what i tell everyone out here, truth be told it is about as dead of a little town as you can get
and still have a post office.

bob g

[vdubnut62]

I wouldn't put my 57 in a container for love nor money! Tow it on a trailer behind the NPR.
My worries are the unloading in KS.
FWIW
Ron.

[rcavictim]

So Mobile Bob is moving to F-in-K.    F'n Kool. 

BTW Bob,  I believe Ron is spot on about NOT putting that dear old Chevy in a container with the rest of your treasure.  If you leave it out it will reduce the dent city of stuff in the container, primarily the old Chevy.

[mobile_bob]

the 55 has to go in the can, no other way to get it back to kansas, so i guess i will pack it in well, block it tight
and put a plywood wall front and rear to protect it from whatever happens on the way.

the container is supposed to be here on friday, a 53 foot high capacity, that is supposed to hold 43k lbs legally, and i think i can max it out.

started on the garage today, holy friggin crap!

i am going to palletize everything i can, and i think i can load 20 pallets without any problem.

packed 10 handy sized boxes with small parts, most weigh 30 to 50 lbs, gotta keep the weight down to something i can manage.

took a look after the 10 boxes were packed, and i can't see anything has changed in the garage! 

i swear this stuff is breeding, like gremlins, this stuff must have gotten wet!

should have called an auctioneer and just bit the bullet.

suppose i will be happy i took it all once it get it all to kansas, but looking at it all from this end, it is hard to imagine being happy about
anything right now.

bob g

[billswan]

Well bob we are all praying for you!

Be careful with the weak back, don't over lift. Hire some help.

Good luck!

Billswan

[BioHazard]

I keep thinking about moving too. The idea of relocating all the crap I have amassed always makes me think again. Ain't no one gonna put my '67 mustang in a metal box!

Truth is I could probably walk away from most of it and not even remember...

[mike90045]

I'm Mike, and I'm a hunter / gatherer. 

  Last week I loaded *one* of my storage lockers into a 16' u-haul and drove it 600 miles to my own storage container.  2 containers full, and one more storage locker to go.    Well, not all of the stuff is mine, about 20 years of old tax forms, which I think I can bill the storage and maintenance of to the IRS.   I'll let you know how that comes out.

[dieselgman]

Good luck with that IRS business! At least they only require records maintenance for 7 years. The rest should make a good bonfire! 

dieselgman