So in the house I've been living in for the last two years of college, we have a TV that's something like 52". It's a nice Philips TV that's low latency enough for casual gaming and solid for movies and TV shows. None of my housemates want to keep it after graduation, and I've been unsuccessful finding a buyer. I'm moving 2,000 miles across the country after I graduate. I've purchased a 4x8 landscaping trailer for a lot of my stuff. So two questions.
1) What are some tips for safely transporting this thing across the US? It's my plan to snag a big-ass tarp and basically line the trailer with it, load the trailer, then wrap the tarp over the top of everything to protect from rain, prying eyes, etc. then run a chain over the top of the trailer with a padlock to secure it.
2) What's the percent chance I manage to get across the country without breaking this thing?
Very good. TV's travel via freight all over the world. Pack it in original packaging or blankets / bedding if you dont have packaging. Standing up and secure so it can't move around in the trailer. Drive sensibly ie dont fly over speed humps etc and you should have zero problems.
I use to work at a touch screen company and I would see courier drivers though box's with monitors in them. It made me cringe but we had very little DOA displays. There more hardy than you think.
it might even be worth buying a roll of Insulation Foam to help line the trailer/TV with. i would also double up on the tarp because if it rains heavily, you going to have to make sure nothing gets in. you'll also want something to stabilise it with, ie wedging it in between things if you're playing moving Tetris with the trailer, and sandwich it between foam chunks.
just drive carefully, really. wide turns, check on it when you stop for petrol and maybe a few extra times to see if anything's shifted. Ratchet Straps are probably worth buying in general. as someone who's moved 6 times in 10 years, it's worth not thinking you can get away with a bungie cord or two and a bike lock. this is your stuff.
I wish I could sticky your trailer advice somewhere for people to see. Go to any marina on a busy weekend and you can see the mess that inexperienced trailer driving brings. Thankfully, I have a lot of experience driving with trailers from camping in high school and driving an old military 6x6 with a 45 foot flatbed behind it during my summer job.
I've got a bundle of ratchet straps that live in my car. The insulation foam is a killer idea too. And I've got a ton of boxes of junk, so the TV can stand on-end with bedding between it and other boxes to help hold it in place but also add padding,
And for tarps I'll be snagging a couple. The plan is to sort of burrito the contents of the trailer inside one tarp, then secure another over the top of that bundle. Also rigging the tarps so that if water does manage to get in it can drain somewhere.
i tried to log in on my phone last night after i went to bed, coffee and problem solving will be the end of me. but i was thinking if you're going to be around boxes, maybe cut a few of the flaps off and duct tape them together, then tape that over the back of the TV so it hangs down over the screen to keep it from being scratched. it'll look dodgy, but a scratched screen would waste all your effort.
anything's worth considering if you really want piece of mind. you'll probably be fine though, as long as everything is secure i've seen our family haul giant bookcases and the like without problems.
Definately want to make sure it travels vertically and not laying down flat. If you don't have the original box you can check with a moving supply place, they have special boxes for artwork that may work but as long as you have some moving blankets they should be ok.
If your traveling in the third world, bombed out Syria or anywhere in New York City they make special boxes for artwork and TV's:)
As someone who has failed at this task: I wished I had bought some Styrofoam sheets to cover the screen and pad the corners. It's very cheap insurance available at Lowe's or Home Depot, etc. Way cheaper than the new TV was.
I kinda stumbled when carrying it into the new place and slightly bumped the screen with my knee. No visual damage until I turned it on. It still worked but the liquid crystals were dripping. So I got my friend to come over with his full auto Blackbird BB gun and we shot it to pieces while plugged in. That almost made it worth breaking it.
Blankets, towels / bedding that is going to travel with you will do instead. Otherwise buy bubble wrap. Its cheap and will work to cushion breakable stuff.
Haha, the mattress is staying behind. I'll figure out a new one of those later. Moving blankets, other padding, bedding, and I'm thinking I should be good from what folks are saying.
bubblewrap may be better than my insulation foam idea. well, safer? i doubt anyone's going to be riding with it or anything, but @KingArthur if you're worried about chemicals or whatever, bubblewrap MIGHT be better. i don't know if it'll have the same padding effect as foam, but it's up to you.
although, it might be better to use bubblewrap for the screen cover.
I would also suggested dumping the open trailer unless you have a specific use for it at your destination and renting a covered moving trailer if possible. It would be much more secure and weather tight. I moved from south Alabama to San Diego last year with 47" & 55" TV's (about 1,950 miles) with nothing damaged. I've moved a lot since I've been out of college the last 10 years, not spending more than 2 yrs in one location and sometimes living in 3 different states within the same year. So, I've done this quite often.