Squee! I may soon be purchasing a 40-shaft, 48″ AVL Production Dobby Loom. For a very good price.
Not so squee!: it’s in Minneapolis. I would be responsible for breaking down, packing, and shipping. So I would likely have to fly out there for a blitzkrieg weekend of loom disassembly. And this is a 500-pound, 5′ x 5.5′ x 6′ monstrosity. Not to mention going to Minneapolis in winter. I’ve lived in California my entire adult life and have never driven in snow or on ice. I don’t even own a warm coat! So the prospect of Minneapolis in winter terrifies me.
Anyway, I’m doing some final legwork on whether I want to buy the loom, following which it will be a lot of logistics. Breaking it down and packing it seems daunting enough, but trying to do so in an unfamiliar city, on a short timeline? Yikes! I’ll probably have only a weekend (or a long weekend) to do it, so proper preparedness will be essential. Any advice you might have on disassembling, packing, and shipping a loom would be gratefully received.
Hi Tien,
Use this link from Weavolution to help:
http://weavolution.com/forum/chat/tale-avl-or-how-ship-production-loom-27452
Good luck, Wee
I shipped a very large and very heavy carding machine from Maine. If you could get someone to break the loom down, that would be a good start and then call UPS, or Fed Ex, to start. I might be able to find my notes on companies that pack and ship. A lot is economics on this. I paid $1000 to pack and ship that carder, but it wasn’t broken down. It had to be crated and then delivered. They may have had a forklift to get it out of their truck and on the ground.
Also, if you decide to purchase this loom, look into purchasing a warantee agreement from AVL. I did this with an old one. It cost about $400 and gave me the rights to the software and to be able to contact them for help when needed.
Take lots of pictures during the disassembly process. Make a drawing with the parts numbered, and tape corresponding numbers on all pieces.Keep the drawing with you, not in the crate. Make sure you get the loom manual along with the loom.
I agree with everything Sandra says. Label all pieces include the harness orders.take pictures, also mark which side faces front. tie the harness together in groups (all if you can) but also number (don’t ask). Take time to put it back together asap again, don’t ask, and remember to look at the shadow marks on the wood to insure the right placement. It takes longer to label than it does to tear it apart. Bring tools. you should be able to take it apart in 6 hours or less.
Having come from Mpls., I can lend you a proper coat, at least. Mittens/gloves, likely, as well. I also highly recommend a visit to the Textile Center…
Tien, right now it’s cold here in MN but no snow or ice, yet. Perfect time to come visit.
We have disassembled and moved my AVL twice. I agree with all of the above about pictures and labeling. Plus, bubble pack is really good around a sectional beam. And lots of stretch wrap to hold similar pieces together. Plastic bags to hold all of the bolts and washers. Helps if they are also labelled as to where they are used because many are similar but not identical. (Learned the hard way.)
A friend just recently shipped a motorcycle with sidecar by using a website where you bid to have someone haul something for you (I could ask them for details).
So–couldn’t it be trundled in one piece onto a U-Haul and drive out to you?
@Ann: if it’s anything like my 48″ AVL, it probably won’t even get out to door of the studio without being disassembled.