How to Ship
Below we have gathered some helpful tips to properly ship your crankshaft to reduce the risk of any damage from occurring.
Here are some examples of how some cranks arrive at our shop. Sometimes boxes show up even worse than this. Many times the parts are damaged and/or missing upon arrival.
To help avoid any damage to your parts, and to keep your package from looking like those above, use these tips for shipping your crankshaft. These tips involve using basic shipping supplies which are readily available for consumer use.
Tip #1 - Package Your Crank Yourself
Do not allow a "professional" shipper to box up your crank for shipment. What we mean by this, is package your shipment yourself. Most personnel at shipping companies (such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS, or general shipping/mailing businesses) will not take the time to properly package your parts to avoid damage. Many of them also do not understand the delicacy of your components.
Tip #2 - Spray With WD-40
Spray all your steel parts with a lubricator like WD-40 before shipment to reduce the risk of any rust buildup. After spraying with a lubricator, you may also place your crank and/or components inside a plastic bag to keep all the parts intact and to help seal them from outside air (gallon size Ziploc bags work well with single cylinder cranks).
Tip #3 - Use Bubble Wrap
Wrap your crankshaft really well with bubble wrap, and tape the wrap to secure it. We have found this to be the best way to protect all areas of your crankshaft using basic shipping supplies.
Tip #4 - Don't Use Packing Peanuts
DO NOT, we repeat, DO NOT just place your crank in a box with peanuts! This is a sure way for your crank or package to get damaged during transit (see images at top of page). Peanuts are easily shuffled and allow your crank to easily move around in the box. Even worse, do not just toss your crank in a box by itself with absolutely no packing materials (surprisingly, some customers actually send their crank to us this way).
Tip #5 - Don't Use Packing Peanuts Continued
Even if you wrap your crank really well with bubble wrap, we still recommend avoiding the use of packing peanuts to secure your crank. The idea is to keep your crank secured in place during transit, and packing peanuts allow your crank to move around in the box.
Tip #6 - Secure Your Crank in the Box
It is recommended that you use whichever materials you can to secure your crank in the box. You may use additional bubble wrap, high-density foam, rags, towels, small boxes, or anything else to stuff around your components (again, do not use packing peanuts for this).
Below are examples: example 1 is stuffing newspaper around the crank to secure it; example 2 is cutting and fitting high-density foam around the crank to secure it.
Example 1 - Newspaper
Example 2 - High-Density Foam
Tip #7 - Gently Shake the Package
A good way to check your work on securing your crank in the box is to gently shake it around. If there is very little or no movement inside the box, you have done a good job securing your components. If there is modest to a lot a movement, open the package and do some more work to secure your components.
Tip #8 - Tracking & Insurance
Hold onto your tracking number in case your package is lost or damaged. Tracking your package will also let you know when your package is supposed to arrive at our facility.
We recommend adding insurance to your shipment, especially if the value of the contents is over $100. While you can do everything possible to help eliminate damage, things do happen, and human error can occur during transit.
Bonus Tip - Only If You're Using a Wooden Box, Read This...
If you construct a wooden box to ship your crank in, great! This is an excellent way to reduce damage to your components. BUT, we recommend placing your wooden box/crate in a cardboard box before shipment. The reason for this is that shipping companies like UPS and FedEx typically charge an extra fee if shipping with anything other than a cardboard box. The extra fee can be anywhere from $10 - $30.
How Crank Works Packages Cranks
Step 1
Our custom dual-ply reinforced boxes are folded and taped together.
Step 2
The crank is sprayed with a lubricator to help keep rust from building. The crank is then sealed in 6mm plastic tubing with anti-rust paper to keep it safe from outside air and contaminants.
Step 3
Plastic foil is placed in the box, and a base layer of expandable high-density foam is sprayed and encased in the foil.
Step 4
The crank and all components are placed atop the base layer of foam, and the foam forms around the components as it expands.
Step 5
Plastic foil is placed over the components, and a top layer of expandable high-density foam is sprayed to fill the remaining space in the box.
Step 6
The box is then taped up and sealed for shipping.
- We recommend:
- Please fill out a work order form with every order »
