Hauling AS front end from ID to PA. Need advice!

[mgjurina]

Hey everyone, please see picture below. In August, I'm travelling to ID to pick-up this front end to repair my front end. I'm using a 2014 Ram 4x4 truck, 4-door, with tool boxes. AS Front end dimensions: 8' wide, 3' deep, 6.7 feet tall.
The base (end touching ground) has C-channel and marine plywood still attached. Here are my ideas.
1. Load the front end as is on my truck with the windows facing the driver side. I will place a wood pallet on the open side (passenger side) and tie down the front end and pallet to my truck bed.
2. Get some 1/2" plywood and cut into 8' x 7' section. Lay that new piece on the bed rails of my truck covering the tool boxes with the 7' side over the tool boxes. Place the front end laying down on the plywood with the base facing the engine. Strap front end down. The new plywood will be bolted to my bed and secured before I set the font end in place.

Any input is appreciated.

[Gregsch]

Looks kinda scary to me. Have you considered renting a trailer ? You could lay it flat on a carhauler type trailer or maybe an enclosed trailer like a U-Haul. When you rent them for 'local moving" it is pretty cheap. As far as I know the term local is open for interpretation. If you rent it in one state and return it to another it can get pricey. Never hurts to ask.

[tjdonahoe]

If you have a long box, I would look at going with 2-6's across the bed and lay the airstream open side down and then tie it down , no wind resistance this way ?,

[cwf]

I 'hope' you will have the open side 'secured' to minimize 'wobble' and bending. There needs to be a gridwork of wood behind it...

ANY 'motion' such as 'strapping' to the exterior surface will 'buff/scratch' it... just by wind buffeting. You will be ... er... disappointed....

Once 'secured' to the 'gridwork', extending to create a 'pallet' on the open side, you can then secure to the 'wood' parts and lay it across your truck bed.

Note: The shape will be a huge 'airfoil'... So, if that was my haul, I would get a flatbed trailer with railings... say, 5x8... then build a 3 sided box out of the 15/32" (formerly known as 1/2") Plywood/chip board. Use Tywraps to secure the corners and along the railing to the trailer. You can then slide in the cap and screw the 'wood grid' to the plywood sides.

That would give you high security from road debris and wind...

[Sbb]

Lots of bubble wrap over soft micro fleece. That is a tricky move.

[william Haym]

Originally Posted by mgjurina

Hey everyone, please see picture below. In August, I'm travelling to ID to pick-up this front end to repair my front end. I'm using a 2014 Ram 4x4 truck, 4-door, with tool boxes. AS Front end dimensions: 8' wide, 3' deep, 6.7 feet tall.
The base (end touching ground) has C-channel and marine plywood still attached. Here are my ideas.
1. Load the front end as is on my truck with the windows facing the driver side. I will place a wood pallet on the open side (passenger side) and tie down the front end and pallet to my truck bed.
2. Get some 1/2" plywood and cut into 8' x 7' section. Lay that new piece on the bed rails of my truck covering the tool boxes with the 7' side over the tool boxes. Place the front end laying down on the plywood with the base facing the engine. Strap front end down. The new plywood will be bolted to my bed and secured before I set the font end in place.

Any input is appreciated.

You might want to build a wooden crate to prevent it getting damaged.
I picked up my front end at Airstream(Jackson Center,Ohio)
That is how they did it. I strapped the front end to my snowmobile trailer.
I made to Canada no problem at all !!!

[54fuselage]

That's a long way to drive for something you could have moved by freight for a few hundred dollars. It would be upright and inside a trailer, protected from the elements.

[markdoane]

#2 is what I would do. Sounds like a good plan.

[txtwin]

Im in agreement, get a freight carrier to ship it to you. They will package it for you, and they will take the risk.

[mgjurina]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Freight is $1400.00 from ID to PA. I paid $500.00 for the front end. At $2000.00, I might as well buy the panels new. I like option #2, building a box and laying it open side down. Thanks again for all your help.

[Gnorts]

I agree, rent a car trailer. Rent locally and return locally. Secure wood cross-bracing to the trailer, lay the part on the bracing open side down, top forward. Carefully pad all contact points and strapping. Piece o'pie.

[Ace RV]

When our dealership picked up front or rear caps at Jackson Center, we laid two 2x4's across the top rails of the pickup box parallel and about 48" apart. We bolted them thru the top rails with 5/16 bolts. When we got to the factory, we laid the cap, windows up and top toward the truck cab (bottom open toward the rear). If there was excess sheet metal extending beyond the main body rib, we would either snip the excess metal ( no further than the rib) or we would cut off the 2x4 . We would then drill 1/4 " holes through the 2x4 and then into the main body rib and tighten a hardened 1/4" bolt in each of the four holes. The process was simple, looked good, and rode beautifully. Our trip was only 565 miles but it never gave any problems. And the load was not wider than the 8' 2x4.

[NavyCorpsman]

I would brace it up and move it in an enclosed trailer. Option 2 would be to brace it well and stand it up in the bed and strap it down. Bubble wrap duct taped to the glass.

[slowmover]

To keep freight expense in perspective, for someone who buys new and keeps a vehicle five years covering 60k miles, your truck has an expense of just over $1.00/mile when all costs are figured.

[mgjurina]

I'm traveling to/from Utah and ID for business. On my return trip, I'll pick-up the front end. Fuel and maintenance costs billed to my company. My travel time to/from is paid. Right now, it's a toss up between loading the front end upright with supports and/or loading it laying flat, open side down. I removed my existing front end and will use it to experiment while driving down my local highways. I still like the idea of laying it down. Standing upright it becomes a giant aluminum sail.

[Aerowood]

If your original front end is off then you have the opportunity to experiment with different methods. I like the bridge the bed idea, haul it open side down, and window forward. Just have good attachments to the bridge. You might have to enclose the rear facing opening with some ply to keep the open end from creating a vacuum. And do not drive 60 Mph backward

[Aerowood]

I think the types you are interested in would be the late 40s Airstream, Curtis Wrights and Silver Streaks

[Aerowood]

Originally Posted by Aerowood

I think the types you are interested in would be the late 40s Airstream, Curtis Wrights and Silver Streaks

Ignor the last post as I attached to to the wrong thread