10x15 C&P New Style Move - U-Haul Trailer, Penske Truck, Hertz

maybe check with a local tool rental place. we have one here in our area that rents all kinds of stuff including really nice heavy duty tilt trailer for much cheaper than U haul. i would pad and cover the ink disk but, now that salt season is over that press can handle just about anything. some oil at the end of the trip should keep it happy. i don’t know that i would oil it before as that might make road dust and dirt adhere to it more. a tarp, well bound, should be fine.
PS: i am taking it for granted that you ARE going to strap it down and protect the disk no matter what…..

It will be easier to tie or strap the press down on the trailer. If the truck is enclosed, there probably won’t be any tie-down points except weak wooden slats. Then you have to improvise something, like bolts through the deck or wooden cross-braces.
A friend wrecked a C&P by strapping the press to the wooden slats inside a U-Haul truck, and the slats broke during a U-turn, tipping the press. The main shaft broke trying to right the press, as did the throwoff lever bracket.

I’ve moved a 10x15 New Style at least a few hundred miles in a U-Haul 5x9’ trailer without a problem. The trickiest part of the whole move was the load and unload. Even with the ‘ez load’ gate the press was difficult to get in and out of the trailer. That being said, as long as you can get the press in the trailer you should be fine. Bring along plenty of tie-downs rated at the appropriate working load limit and position the press over the trailer axle. Check the tires of the trailer for proper pressure before you start your trip.

Take some pictures and let us know how it goes!

Hope this helps,
Brad.

Oh, and avoid the 16 foot Penske. The lift gate is too shallow. The 26 foot Penske (with bigger lift) works like a dream for short moves, but the wooden slats in either are dangerous for prolonged travel.

A circa 1915 Chandler & Price catalog lists the weight of the 10x15 press as 1500 lbs. Boxed for shipment it is 1800 lbs. but boxed at that time meant an enclosed and heavily constructed wooden crate so I wouldn’t consider a palletized press to be boxed. Your press may have a motor attached but for working purposes I’d use the 1500 lb. figure.

I’ve moved presses in a van and in a rental truck with a standard lift gate and I’ve moved other kinds of large older machinery in trailers. I moved my 10x15 in a rental truck with a lift gate. It was diasassembled at the time, including the bed, flywheel and main drive shaft. So while I did have it strapped and braced I didn’t have the kind of overbalanced tipping issues one would have with an assembled press.

Based on my own experience with rentals, I think the trailer is going to be the least expensive way to go. Just make sure the load rate is at least 1500 pounds.

While not absolutely necessary, it is helpful to remove the flywheel, drive pulley, and main drive shaft. Also the throw off lever, ink disk, and motor (if any). These can be put in the truck. I moved two 8x12’s once without disassembling anything but an 8x12 weighs 500 pounds less than a 10x15 and are smaller and easier to handle.

With the above listed parts removed, you’ll be able to hande the press easier for on and off loading because it’s less bulky, and tie it down easier without the potential of the straps pressing against and possibly breaking things like the throw off lever. It will also reduce the weight on the trailer by well over a hundred pounds.

One thing to do whether you disassemble anything or not is to tie the bed and platen in the closed position using a tie down strap, rope, etc. This will make the press more compact and center the weight better, among other things. I’ve found that removing the feed and delivery boards makes doing this easier. If you do take the flywheel, pulley and driveshaft off, close the press and tie it first.

Again, disassembly of these things is not essential but in my experience moving a half-dozen presses I’ve found a few minutes of extra time spent doing this can make a difference. If you’re close on the weight capacity of the trailer this might be essential. I’ve always disassembled my presses completely for cleaning and adjustment once I got them home anyway.

Rich

Front Room Press
Milfor, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com

P.S. Below is a photo of my 10x15 during the restoration process last year. After I reattached the bed I tied it in the closed position until I reinstalled the main shaft with its pinion gear and the flywheel. I didn’t want it flopping open on me suddenly even though the arms would catch it. The strap needn’t be as heavy as the one I used, it was just handy. The strap goes under one of the delivery board brackets and is hookd on either side of the bed. The excess strap is wound around the bracket to keep it out of the way. I could have used rope, wire, etc.

Partially Restored 10x15 Right Side - Reduced.jpg

I’ve made a 150 mile move with a 10” X 15” on a U-Haul trailer as you describe. Just make sure that the bearings are well packed and don’t put anything else on the trailer. I am not sure why people keep tell others to take their presses apart (except the ink disk). You want to avoid that, unless it is an absolute necessity. Anchor the press with straps; make sure the throw wheel can’t turn. If you leave the press in an open position the weight will be better distributed. Take it slow and you should do ok. A good breeze will knock a lot of crud off the press, but a rain shower is not so good. Check straps periodically as they will loosen. Have a good trip.

Also, the mesh on the bottom of the trailer can hinder the forward movement of the press. You might want to lay down some plywood to make it a little easier (and it helps to distribute the weight).

Josh:

Put the press on a trailer. It’s a lot easier and safer. The NS presses are a bit heavier than the 1500 lbs mentioned above for. 1650 is a figure I’ve seen mentioned regularly.

The pallet jack is not how I’d move the press onto a trailer. Seems a bit tippy to me. I’d just pull it up with the comealong. Never had any problems with friction, but you could lay down plywoood if that’s a concern. On the way out of the trailer, that friction is a friend that will slow down it’s descent. If necessary, give the comealong some slack and lever the press down the ramp with a johnson bar or similar lever. When moving heavy stuff slow is usually good.

Tie it down securely with the appropriate straps and if you’re worried about rain put a tarp over the press, though the rain won’t do any permanent damage over the short time it’ll be exposed. As long as you dry it off later. Likely the press, if it’s been well maintained has a layer of oil almost everywhere and that will protect the press to a great extent.

Leaving the press open puts 2/3 of the weight directly over and partly beyond the two rear feet of the press with the bulk of that weight at the highest point on the press. The weight should be as centered and compact as possible over the four feet of the press. Closing the press does this and therefore distributes the weight more evenly. It prevents undue stress on the rear feet and helps prevent the chance of the press tipping over during sudden starts, stops, or turns. It will also make the press easier to handle in general during loading and unloading and with less chance of it tipping over.

If you’re going to move the press on the pallet make sure it is bolted to the pallet either directly through the feet if it has no wooden runners or through the runners. There’s no reason it can’t be moved around on just the runners of course using three of four 30” or so lengths of 3/4” iron water pipe or something similar. I agree that it would be more stable taking it on and off the trailer without the pallet jack though for flat surfaces that would work well.

Rich

Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com

It sounds like the U-Haul trailer will work, but check around and see if you can find a small hydraulic drop trailer to rent instead. Mine is about the size of the U-Haul mentioned. Because the entire trailer bed drops down, the rear is at ground level and the front is around six inches higher, making a fairly gentle slope. You can just roll the press into the trailer (whether on a pallet jack or on rollers). With the press in, then you bring the trailer back up to normal height, tie things down securely, and you’re on your way. I guess I’ve done half a dozen 10x15” press moves with no problem, although I admit that pushing Marjorie’s press up into the trailer by myself was a bit of work (much easier with two people, or an 8x12” press!).

Dave R, San Jose Printers’ guild

Points well taken, everyone! I’ve overwhelmed by the amount of support and information you have provided. I’ll definitely post pics of the move. Driving to Vegas from Denver this coming Saturday, returning Sunday with the press!

Based on your input, it seems that the uhaul 5x9 is the best approach. Arie, I agree with your thoughts on only using a come along to pull the press onto the trailer (no pallet jack). I’ll pickup a sheet of plywood to help minimize the friction (just in case). I’ll also look into the best options for attaching the come along to the pallet or very bottom of the press.

Today, I purchased a come along, several medium/heavy weight ratchet tie down straps, nylon rope and some smaller rubber straps for the press itself. I’ll also bring a tarp just in case the weather acts up.

I’ll close and secure the press, remove the ink disk, throw off lever, motor (already removed), etc.

Thanks again, everyone. It’s very reassuring to have your insight into this.

Josh

Josh:

I would not attach the comealong just to the pallet or only low down on the press. Aim for both low and higher near the center of mass. Arrange the straps to the comealong so that all points are being pulled evenly.

Thanks, Arie, for the additional info. Very good to know. :)

You might want to check the distance between the wheelwells on the trailer and the width of the pallet, you may have a hidden problem. Remember that wood does not slide well on wood, so if you are planning on trying to jerk a pallet onto the trailer without roller, wheels, etc… the pallet will try to dig into everything on it’s way. Pallets are usually not made very well (I had to make a custom one to move my Washington Press) and are designed to be lifted (forklift) or rolled (pallet jack) rather than dragged. Rarely will rollers work under a pallet because of the construction.

I’ll agree on the pallet. Your better off bringing some lengths of 4” x 4” wood beams with the bottom ends cut upwards at an angle. Lag bolt the feet directly to the beams. It’ll also help if you grease the bottom of the beams first to aid in sliding.

Hi,

I wanted to give an update on my recent move of a C&P 10x15 New Style Press from Las Vegas to Denver (the last weekend in April). The move went remarkably well and I couldn’t have done it without your assistance.

So, the trip totaled 1,500 miles. 13 hours there, 18 hours back. The drive back to Denver was complicated by blizzard-like conditions for the majority of our travels on I70E (thus the additional 5 hours of driving). The press was covered the whole way though. It was quite the physical and psychological test, trying to make it through rocky mountain snow and traffic with the C&P 10x15 on the uhaul trailer. It was completely worth it though and I would do it again if I had to. Not sure my wife and our dog feel the same. :)

The highlight was not the returning drive though. It was about 12:30am (Sunday morning) and we were loading the press from the previous owner’s garage into the uhaul trailer. Things were going well when all of the sudden three Las Vegas police officers approached quickly. “Come out with your hands up!” There were three of them and they clearly felt it necessary to hold us at gunpoint. “Now, up against the garage! Put your hands up! Move, move!” We gathered in front of the garage with hands held high. The police proceeded to question us about what we were doing, where we were from and required that the press/home owners provide proof of residence. We later received a sarcastic “Welcome to Vegas” remark when we told them we were from Colorado. They told us later that their disgruntled neighbors called the police and told them that we were stealing from a nearby vacant home.

So, I’d love to hear if anyone else has been held at gunpoint while moving a letterpress? If not, any other interesting stories?

The successful move included a uhaul 5x9 ez-load trailer, pallet jack, comealong and several ratchet straps. The moves from the original owners garage and our garage were greatly simplified because each garage has a downward ramp to the street. That meant that the ez-load gate was essentially horizontal to the ground. We were able to easily move the pallet jack and press onto and off of the trailer and only required a comealong when we moved the press onto the trailer. The comealong was attached to the pallet jack and the front of the uhaul trailer (near the trailer hitch). The press seemed very balanced and secure so we didn’t feel the need to remove the pallet jack for loading/unloading the press.

Oh, before moving, I removed the ink disk, throw-off lever and motor. The feed boards were not attached to the press. I closed the press with straps and also secured the flywheel in place.

I’m absolutely thrilled to have purchased this press. It was a challenging trip but the entire time I knew that it was the right decision. I’m planning to restore the press and will post another note shortly with some initial questions.

Thanks again to all of you! This move was successful thanks to all of your input and guidance.

Joshua

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