Emily-more details on container?

[NancyF]

This sounds like a great idea! How much did it cost to ship, and where did you buy it? Other details about how did you load it with your cars, how to get it from Hilo to location. You could help a lot of us here. We might even load building materials to bring!

[emily]

We bought the container from..... http://containermarketing.com/
It was $1,400 for the 40 footer, $250 delivery to Naperville, IL. We had it stored at a place for a few months to load it up. We put all of our "stuff" in the back making sure to leave enough room for the cars. Matson charges a vehicle fee, but only one time no matter how many vehicles are in the container. It is $960 I believe to add the cars. The total shipping cost was $7,675.50 from Naperville, IL to Hilo. The tricky part was figuring out how to get the container onto a truck to ship since it was on the ground, and then how to get it put onto the ground in Hawaii. Matson usually leaves the rented containers on the chassis (wheels) for people to load and unload.

How did we get our cars strapped in? Well, it was pretty simple actually. My husband measured where the wheels would be in the container and nailed 2x4's to the ground so that a 2x4 would be in front of and behind each wheel. Then after we drove the cars so that they were sitting inside the 2x4's, he nailed more 2x4's perpendicular and on top of the others on the outside of the wheels. This made it so that the cars could not shift side to side, or front to back. Then we took wratchet straps and tied the cars very tight from their frames to hooks that were on the bottom of the container on the walls. The cars did not shift at all.

So from Illinois, we hired a crane to come and lift the container onto the Matson chassis (Matson came with a chassis only since they new we owned our own container, and no we did not get any kind of discount since we owned the container, if anything, it made it more expensive). The crane was around $250. Then the container was off to Hawaii.

Once the container made it to Hawaii, we used Conen's Freight Transport (808) 969-9341 to bring the container up to our land. Matson gave us 10 days to get the chassis back to them which was good since our land wasn't quite ready for our container. So our container was sitting on our road on the wheels. We slept in a rental car the first night on our road The next day, Keaau Service Station, AKA BJ's in Kurtistown (808) 966-9373 sent a flatbead tow truck to get the cars out. My husband had to wiggle into the container to take the straps off and the 2x4's that were on the outside of the wheels to get them ready to move. When the flatbead arrived, all they had to do was lift the bed of the truck up to the container height and we brought out the cars one at a time - Simple! We had to get the cars out to make the container light enough for a forklift to put it onto the ground. Otherwise, we would have had to have a heavy duty crane come up to our lot to lift it down with the cars and that would have been really expensive (got a quote for $2,000) because that big of a crane requires a police escort and the crane has to be carried on another truck. So anyways, Keauu Service Station only charged us $65 to get both cars out!

The next step was to get the container onto the ground. Our land clearer (Willy Yoeman Jr. who I HIGHLY reccomend 808-895-4803) had a truck that he was able to move the container onto our land for us. After living in the container for a few days on the road, and 4 ft into the air, it was nice to have it on our land. So the container on the chassis was in the spot that we wanted to have it on the ground. We used Conen's again for this step. They had to bring a truck to carry the chassis out from under the container, and also a forklift to lift the container off of the chassis. The only problem was that the first forklift they brought was too small and couldn't handle the load, but they had another one in the area so we only had to wait about an hour for the other one to come. So two forklifts lifted it up, we put concrete blocks from Jas. W. Glover (8 blocks total about 12x12x6 $66.00) under the container as it was still in the air and then they lowered it onto the blocks. Blocks are a good idea to help with moisture/rust. Conen's took the chassis back to Matson and we were on the ground - HOORAY! The total charge for Conens was: $197.57 to bring the container to our lot and to take the chassis back to Matson and $380.44 for them to put the container on to the ground (better than 2K for a crane!)

So that's it! It took a lot of calling around to find the best way to do all of this. It all worked out great though. So the total cost for us to buy a container and get it to Hawaii and on the ground was approx. $10,350.

Finally, we do have pictures of some of this. Go to http://photos.yahoo.com/emilyeissner Check out "our land", "Miscellaneous", and "How we live" for pictures relating to this.
I have been putting these pics up to keep family and friends back home up to date.

Any more questions? Ask away!

Emily

[NancyF]

Thanks for the info! And for your pictures!

[HADave]

I thought I would use this place to post so everyone could see the smart approach to unloading a container, for those who wonder how it would be done, see Emily's photos from the previous post. That method can also be used for the following thought of mine that I discussed with the folks from Matson's who thought of it being an excellant idea.

To help with loading and unloading. The funds saved by a quick load 2hr versus 48 hrs is about a 650.00 savings at least from Matson's. Contruct 2x2 framed plywood/osb sheathed enclosures with strong enclosed floors so they with slide easily once on the ground. Contruct to inside demensions provided by the shipper of the container being used. label each built mini-container as to its contents and packed as elaborate as one wants building shelves and such inside will only add to the strength and allow for good utilization of space. Example: all furniture and household goods, Tools and equipment, building materials, so on. When it comes time to unload everything will be in its own storage unit so it can be easy pulled from and onto a ramp truck for easy placement to a convient place on the lot instead of transfering to a rented storage unit. A 10x30 rented storage unit in Keaau when available is about 300.00 per month.
I think the idea has good merit and if one takes the time to construct the tool container with a door as well as the building supply box or however or whatever you want to label it as, you can have a lockable easy access mini storage unit on sight and the money to build them will come from the money you save from having been able to load from your departure point in less than 2 hrs. Having plywooded both sides of the floors of each unit will allow for easy sliding around on the ground by your vehicle and also provide a stronger surface to jack against to lift off the ground to a raised platform for long term storage. I believe they will be both large enough and heavy enough that no one could easily come in a take them away. they can also be covered with a water proof tarp to keep the contents dry. this will be my plan and I thought I would share it with you.

Aloha HADave

.......You Don't Have To Be a Farmah to be Outstandin in Yah Field...... )))