My brother and I have ordered 3 cookers from a guy in Louisiana. They are set to be ready in April. I haven't hauled anything for quite a long time let alone 1000 miles away. I am not uncomfortable doing it but I'm trying to choose the least painful option. The seller is quoting me $500 per cooker to ship from LA to MN so $1500 total to ship all 3.

Guestimating the weights:
Vertical smoker - 1200lbs.
Rev Flow Offset - 1000lbs.
Santa Maria Grill - 800lbs

I have a new Toyota Tundra with tow package.
I have access to a featherlight covered trailer, or a flatbed uncovered trailer as well.


I like the idea of going there and seeing what I'm getting before final payment, but not 100% sure that is the best plan. I think we could do it 2 days best case scenario or up to 4.

Thoughts or suggestions?

The shipping for something like that seems fairly good. Taking into account the time involved you could not do it for that.

I would want to know who the shipper is. I would be concerned about damage. If shipping via a common carrier damage could easily occur.

If you are retired or self employed and you want to make the trip that would be the best probably.

That kind of trip is not always desirable or feasible.

Not retired but my brother is, and I have plenty of PTO and my job is very flexible. I will have to get more info from him on who the shipper is.

I would get it myself. Should not have any weather delays, plus you get to sample some cuisine not found in Minnesota. Where in LA. is it?

How much is your time and energy (and skyrocketing gas!) worth to you?

If it's worth $1500 then let them do it.

I've have purchased two custom smokers over the years one came from Texas one from Arizona. Both times I found a LTL trucking company that picked them up and delivered them to St. Paul where I drove to pick them up and pulled them home. Both times it was cheaper than what I could drive to and pick them up myself. But that being said what shipper is he using? $500 per is awful cheap for those size and weights. I'd question him on how he is doing it?

I've heard horror stories about independent people running around with pick ups and trailers (Shipping Wars) delivering stuff. Like they break down and leave your stuff on the side of the road. Or sell it and disappear. Also if you go there to pick them up you have to pay that states sale tax if he's a retailer.

Can you fly down to Louisiana and then drive them back in a rented vehicle, like a U-Haul? Given the price of gas that might be cheaper than driving both ways, especially if you consider the time you save.

In the end, there's no objectively right answer because it comes down to what you value. If it's just money, the gas plus wear and tear, hotels, meals, etc. will eat up quite a bit of the $500 shipping cost, if not all of it. If you like road trips maybe that doesn't matter because you saved some money and had a good time. If you hate road trips it matters a lot. I probably wouldn't spend four days on the road to save $500 or, looking at it the other way, I'd pay $500 for four free days, but I work full time and have kids at home so those free days might be more valuable to me than they are to you.

If you're going to have it shipped, make sure the invoice says that the deal is based on the condition they get to your house in, not the condition they were in when they left his shop.

Fifty cents per hundred pounds? I'd pay. That's right in line with three bulk shipments I did. Two in 2019 & one in 2021.

You could always look at hauling some "cargo" on the down trip. Might even end up with enough to get the Blizzard at the DQ, when you stop for meals.

Various online venues for that.

(For example, car people shipping engines, transmissions, rear ends, sheet metal and such large items, that get pricey, even with Fastenal. Scooter folks shipping bikes...)

I like my Tundra a lot, but fuel mileage sucks. It looks like you could easily spend half that $1500 shipping charge on gas. I would be very lucky to get 10MPG hauling a trailer with 3000# on it with my 2016 Tundra. Might be a good trip though. Good luck with your decision.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Where in LA. is it?

Vivain LA.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
How much is your time and energy (and skyrocketing gas!) worth to you?

If it's worth $1500 then let them do it.

My gut feeling is to have them shipped.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
I've heard horror stories about independent people running around with pick ups and trailers (Shipping Wars) delivering stuff. Like they break down and leave your stuff on the side of the road. Or sell it and disappear. Also if you go there to pick them up you have to pay that states sale tax if he's a retailer.

Yeah I need to find out who is shipping them and what happens if they arrive damaged.

quote:

Originally posted by DaveL:
Can you fly down to Louisiana and then drive them back in a rented vehicle, like a U-Haul?...

If you're going to have it shipped, make sure the invoice says that the deal is based on the condition they get to your house in, not the condition they were in when they left his shop.

I won't be "flying" anywhere

I thought about renting a trailer once I got downt here but I coudln't find a great option. Their covered trailer would have worked but the door is not tall enough to get my vertical smoker in without laying it down.

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:
Fifty cents per hundred pounds? I'd pay. That's right in line with three bulk shipments I did. Two in 2019 & one in 2021.

Thank you for that info.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
You could always look at hauling some "cargo" on the down trip. Might even end up with enough to get the Blizzard at the DQ, when you stop for meals.

Various online venues for that.

(For example, car people shipping engines, transmissions, rear ends, sheet metal and such large items, that get pricey, even with Fastenal. Scooter folks shipping bikes...)

I love the idea actually, but I don't need want to deal with that and have something go wrong. I would want to get there and back as fast as possible.

quote:

Originally posted by jgerge222:
I like my Tundra a lot, but fuel mileage sucks. It looks like you could easily spend half that $1500 shipping charge on gas. I would be very lucky to get 10MPG hauling a trailer with 3000# on it with my 2016 Tundra. Might be a good trip though. Good luck with your decision.

I hear you there!

I think at this point the best thing to do is talk to him to find out who is shipping it and what happens if things show up damaged.

I think I paid $570 for my 700 lb LSG offset to ship. So you have a good deal. Plus the liability is on them to get it to you.

A guy that has his lake place near ours lives in Colorado in the wintertime and summers up here. He built a sauna/shower house over the winter down there. He bought a trailer down there and hauled his shed up here. Than he sold the trailer up here. Got all his money back plus made a few bucks and sold it in a week. Might be something for you to consider that way you're only pulling a trailer one way. In addition everything is brand new. Bearings, tires etc. minimizes the chance of a breakdown.

Of course you would need to do a little leg work first and get your trailer deal in place before you drive down.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I think I paid $570 for my 700 lb LSG offset to ship. So you have a good deal. Plus the liability is on them to get it to you.

His initial quote was $600 when I ordered the vertical smoker. My brother ended up ordering a reverse flow offset from him, then I decided to order a santa maria grill. Not sure if the price drops some if there are multiple shipments, but possibly.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
es etc. minimizes the chance of a breakdown.

Of course you would need to do a little leg work first and get your trailer deal in place before you drive down.

Good idea, I considered doing this as well.

SIL bought a vertical smoker and open grill from TX custom made, heavy as hell, he had them shipped, no way going to TX and back made sense at $4 a gallon, food, hotel if you stop overnight, wear and tear on vehicles.

Moving heavy stuff like that around is dangerous, and when you load up the trailer with all that weight it's going to suck more gas.

I'd Have them ship it...

quote:

Vivain LA

^^^^^^^^^^^^
North Louisiana almost in Texas.

I'd pay to have it shipped.

Going down with a trailer isn't a bad idea but unless you make a fun road trip out of it, seems kind of boring.

Bringing a shipment south to help offset the cost is a bad idea. You are not a licensed and insured shipper. Something goes wrong, could be something beyond your control, and you open yourself up to all sorts of legal liabilities.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Vivain LA

^^^^^^^^^^^^
North Louisiana almost in Texas.

Yep but he didn't say where in MN so it could be as far north as International Falls for all we know. MN is a pretty big state north-south.

I bought a huge pellet smoker (100% heavy stainless steel, pretty big main grill area with an attached upright smokebox) from Pitts and Spitts in Houston a few months ago. They shipped it to southern California via the freight carrier Daylight Transport for $550. Between what it would have cost me to go get it myself, the value of the time I'd spend doing it, and how much of a pain in the ass it would be, there's no way I'd do it.

Easy pick for me, pay the shipper.