Transporting my C & P 10x15 old style press from Virginia Beach to Tampa,Florida

These presses are quite heavy (around 1500lbs, I believe) and top-heavy, as well as being awkward to pick up. My suggestion would be to take it apart and reassemble it at your destination, with cleaning in between. If you use a shop floor crane like the ones automotive shops use to pull an engine, you can do it all without strain. But you’ll need to be careful to rig it securely, and take good notes about how it came apart and be sure it goes back together the same way! You could move it in one piece with a crane and a low-floor trailer like a U-Haul closed van trailer, but be sure you allow enough height. You can remove some parts to lighten it a little, but the bed and frame are the really heavy parts. I’ve moved several, and I’m in Richmond, so if you want to discuss how to do it get in touch.

remove the flywheel, ink disk and feedboards. Lag bolt the legs to 4x4s or a very sturdy skid. If you use 4x4s you may have to add 2x4s across them to lift with a pallet jack. I’m not sure but I think these presses should be turned until the platen is closed, then strapped so they remain that way.

Did you already pay for this press? If not you may consider this:

http://briarpress.org/15264

I don’t know if it’s still available, but it would be far easier moving a press in town. It’s especially helpful if the press is on a pallet or something that can be easily lifted with a pallet jack or forklift.

Brad.

sfucito - You might consider trying to find a printing equipment dealer or mover in the area in which the press is located and hire them to skid the press and prepare it for shipping. A press of this size will travel easily on a pallet and can be easily crated for transport to your location. Most dealers I know have the equipment to pick up and move the press easily and are well versed in the best ways to transport a press over long distances. Some dealers or movers make regular trips over long distances and could put your little press on a truck with a larger item and charge you less as a piggy-back item. Trucking companies price shipping by 1000lb increments so pricing should be rather easy. It is worth a few phone calls to try to locate a company that would make your life easier by professionally handling your acquisition.

In addition to removing the ink disc and feedboards, I also would close the press and wire it shut. A printing press is heavy, but brittle.
As for shipping … if you do a google search on antique tractors, you will find companies that specialize in moving old farm equipment for collectors. I no longer have the web address, but the one I used twice listed haulers, their origin and their hauling destination. These guys have experience at tying things down, and many have extra room on their trailers for another piece, if it is on the route, coming or going, while doing a tractor move. One time, I had a hauler deliver a 1930 pickup truck while he was driving empty to pick up a tractor; another time, a hauler picked up a press here and hauled it to a buyer 300 miles away while hauling a tractor for someone else. The charges were very reasonable. I called a local car-towing place with a winch truck to lift the press onto the trailer with a nylon towing strap. I hope this helps.
Kevin

I found the website — go to www.yesterdaystractors.com, then go to “community” and click on “hauling schedules.” Someone there surely is heading toward Florida to pick up something …
Kevin

We recently moved an old style C&P much like yours. We closed the platen and tied it shut and also tied the flywheel in such a way that it would not rotate. We levered the press legs onto increasing thicknesses of wood until we could slide 4x4 posts under the legs. The ends were mitred like ski tips. We then used come-alongs to winch the press onto a trailer that we rented from U-haul.
Renting the trailer and truck from U-haul was pretty reasonable, and the come-alongs and straps were the only special moving equipment we needed. Also, we got to do it ourselves, slowly and carefully.
It was really not as hard as we had expected, and we didn’t take any parts off the press…jest made sure they were secured well.
I also recently used Uship to get a mover to bring a smaller press to me from FL to VT. Good deal and good service.
LHB