Best Way to Ship Driveshafts

ToledoDan · Jan 30, 2018

Got a good deal on some drive shafts. Now I have to get them from IL to TX. one is approximately 38", the other is approximately 59" collapsed. Both have a slip joint with the longer being about 48inches when it is split. I plan to replace the u-joints so I could probably get the seller to remove a u-joint to remove the drive flange. this would allow me to ship the shaft and put the rest in a USPS flat rate box for less than $20 and just deal with the shafts. FedEx tube is about 38" long.

Fastenal quoted $175 and Grey Hound quoted $140, looking for something a little cheaper??? Am I dreaming?

Let me know how you have shipped drive shafts cheaply.

onepieceatatime · Jan 30, 2018

Run a metal strapping band around each end to hold them together and slap a shipping label on the shaft itself?

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nvrenuf · Jan 30, 2018

By "best" are you looking for the cheapest or safest (damage free)? I've had shafts shipped to me via UPS in long boxes and with (surprisingly) no damage.

Regardless, I'd recommend paying the extra cost of adequate insurance. USPS and UPS typically only cover $100 value unless extra is declared/payed, no idea on Fed Ex.

Juan_Hong_Loe · Jan 30, 2018

Depends on the size but I would think if theyre not too big maybe some PVC pipe?

grcthird · Jan 30, 2018

Juan_Hong_Loe said:
Depends on the size but I would think if theyre not too big maybe some PVC pipe?

I was going to say cardboard tube like Tom Woods does but this is a great idea, glue the caps on, duct tape them together and send it.

TacomaJD · Jan 30, 2018

Re: Re: Best Way to Ship Driveshafts

Juan_Hong_Loe said:
Depends on the size but I would think if theyre not too big maybe some PVC pipe?

Ding ding ding. Glue cap on one end, insert shaft (haha), stuff some packing material in the open end as much as you can fit, put the other cap on, duct tape around the cap down onto the pipe and back up to the cap several times. Should be good to go. But that sounds like a lot just to ship a couple driveshafts. Lol. I'd imagine it's still gonna be fairly expensive to ship em even if packaged in pvc pipe though.

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slravenel · Jan 30, 2018

Juan_Hong_Loe said:
Depends on the size but I would think if theyre not too big maybe some PVC pipe?

that is exactly how we would package driveshafts when i worked in nascar...and if its good enough for them....

didnt even glue them, we drilled a hole through the thread and the cap when it was tight and ran a piece of small allthread through it and put a locknut on each side.

ToledoDan · Jan 30, 2018

the packing part is easy...it's finding a company that does not want more than I paid for the drive shafts to ship them.

TBItoy · Jan 30, 2018

ToledoDan said:
the packing part is easy...it's finding a company that does not want more than I paid for the drive shafts to ship them.

shipping long and heavy stuff is expensive unless you have a good business account discount.

Do you really need the tube? Are you going to have to re-tube anyway?

Sometimes a deal aint a deal

TacomaJD · Jan 30, 2018

Re: Re: Best Way to Ship Driveshafts

TBItoy said:
shipping long and heavy stuff is expensive unless you have a good business account discount.

Do you really need the tube? Are you going to have to re-tube anyway?

Sometimes a deal aint a deal

That last line is what I was thinking.

I shipped 118 lbs of gaskets next day air yesterday via UPS at work. Starting price was $770, negotiated total after corporate discount, $148.....numbers are crazy.

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gottagofast · Jan 30, 2018

Couple months ago I shipped an xj rear shaft to a buddy 3 states away.... fully wrapped it with masking tape and took it to ups.... was like $20

gottagofast · Jan 31, 2018

My bad... was even cheaper than I remembered

ForMud · Jan 31, 2018

TBItoy said:
shipping long and heavy stuff is expensive unless you have a good business account discount.

I got a quote the other day for $187.00 for shipping a 6'x2'x2' box of foam ( it weighed less than 10lbs ) It was going to have to ship truck fright because of the length. Most of the time it's a volume issue over weight.

ToledoDan · Jan 31, 2018

gottagofast said:
Couple months ago I shipped an xj rear shaft to a buddy 3 states away.... fully wrapped it with masking tape and took it to ups.... was like $20

good idea! I will ask him to try it.

TBItoy · Jan 31, 2018

ForMud said:
I got a quote the other day for $187.00 for shipping a 6'x2'x2' box of foam ( it weighed less than 10lbs ) It was going to have to ship truck fright because of the length. Most of the time it's a volume issue over weight.

which is crazy, because I got a gas grill the other day, big one probably 150lbs, in a BIG box regular UPS ground. No idea.

The box even had "Mech Lift Required" with a pic of forklift. laughing1

TacomaJD · Jan 31, 2018

Re: Re: Best Way to Ship Driveshafts

TBItoy said:
which is crazy, because I got a gas grill the other day, big one probably 150lbs, in a BIG box regular UPS ground. No idea.

The box even had "Mech Lift Required" with a pic of forklift. laughing1

150 lbs is the max weight for regular ups shipments. The max dims are added in a weird way.

That said, we commonly ship gaskets in large flat cardboard boxes that are oversized (79"x49"x4-5") according to their dim spec limit, but they take them anyways because we ship so much with them every day. Long as it aint over 150 lbs, they will take it from us. But as an individual, they would be more stringent on dims.

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