I need a glider in trailer towed from NY to WA

A 2-seater on a homemade, likely open without brakes, trailer is guaranteed

to be a pig in gas and likely increase oil consumption.

I'd want to know about the tires and bearings.

Last two folks I know bought a glider blew a tire and also had to replace a

fender.

Safest option is inside a semi with provision to allow trailer springs to
cushion glider.

There's businesses that arrange transport of cars by rail. They might take

trailers.

On Sunday, December 25, 2016 at 10:03:55 AM UTC-8, wrote:
Let's see... You want an L-23 in a huge enclosed trailer towed across the northern part of the US, in winter. You are offering "help with expenses."

Try Santa Claus. I understand he is unemployed as of last night.

Maybe you didn't understand my post. I'mm willing to pay a fair price to have it hauled out here. I'm not asking for a hand out. I thought the soaring community was about helping each other & supporting the sport? Santa must have passed by your house on Christmas. Cheers!

On Sunday, December 25, 2016 at 9:26:50 AM UTC-8, Tony wrote:
Well your original post is asking for someone already doing the trip to pull it for some help on expenses.

The guys in Uship are doing this to make their living.

I understand that. It's still an option. Like I stated I'm willing to pay a fair price. The bids I got on uShip were almost double the uShip estimate.

"Maybe you didn't understand my post. Â*I'm willing to pay a fair price to have it hauled out here. Â*I'm not asking for a hand out. Â*I thought the soaring community was about helping each other & supporting the sport? Â*Santa must have passed by your house on Christmas. Â*Cheers!"

Actually, you are the one that doesn't understand the problem. Hauling a trailer with a glider across the country in wintertime conditions is by no means an insignificant endeavor. It requires an adequate towing vehicle, a competent driver and at least four days of travel. So, 2,800 miles at about 16 MPG for a decent full-size truck to manage a big enclosed trailer, with no guarantee of the trailer condition. That's a minimum of 175 gallons of gas or diesel at (say) $2.25 per gallon. Three or four nights in a motel at (say) $100 per night. (Winter hotel rates go up with the anticipation of inclement weather and resulting forced stops.)Pick up the glider and trailer in Sarasota Springs, NY (which is probably not where the driver lives. Deliver it to Walla Walla, WA, where the driver probably isn't going.

And you "would like it to be delivered right after January 1." Well, good luck with that. "Helping with expenses" does not even approach the costs and hazards of towing an unknown trailer and glider across the country. Even If I was planning a trip from NY to WA with a big-ass pickup in the time frame you envision, I would at least expect $0.75 per mile. If I had to travel to get the glider and then deliver it to a location that is not my intended destination, that mileage and inconvenience would have to be factored in.

Soaring pilots are generally more than willing to support the gliding community, but you are not asking for that kind of help. You are describing a job more suited for a commercial long haul trucker. They have to maintain, insure and professionally operate their vehicles.

I hired professionals to deliver the glider trailers I used to build when the customer could not pick them up. The cost was at least $1.25 per mile, and that was for a small, empty trailer.

I still recommend Santa Claus, as you apparently still believe in him. I don't, but he made it to my house anyway.

Cheers.

On Monday, December 26, 2016 at 8:03:44 PM UTC-6, wrote:
"Maybe you didn't understand my post. Â*I'm willing to pay a fair price to have it hauled out here. Â*I'm not asking for a hand out. Â*I thought the soaring community was about helping each other & supporting the sport? Â*Santa must have passed by your house on Christmas. Â*Cheers!"

Actually, you are the one that doesn't understand the problem. Hauling a trailer with a glider across the country in wintertime conditions is by no means an insignificant endeavor. It requires an adequate towing vehicle, a competent driver and at least four days of travel. So, 2,800 miles at about 16 MPG for a decent full-size truck to manage a big enclosed trailer, with no guarantee of the trailer condition. That's a minimum of 175 gallons of gas or diesel at (say) $2.25 per gallon. Three or four nights in a motel at (say) $100 per night. (Winter hotel rates go up with the anticipation of inclement weather and resulting forced stops.)Pick up the glider and trailer in Sarasota Springs, NY (which is probably not where the driver lives. Deliver it to Walla Walla, WA, where the driver probably isn't going.

And you "would like it to be delivered right after January 1." Well, good luck with that. "Helping with expenses" does not even approach the costs and hazards of towing an unknown trailer and glider across the country. Even If I was planning a trip from NY to WA with a big-ass pickup in the time frame you envision, I would at least expect $0.75 per mile. If I had to travel to get the glider and then deliver it to a location that is not my intended destination, that mileage and inconvenience would have to be factored in.

I would recommend Tony, pay what he asks and do not take to heart the barren comments above, they ARE "helping you out", treating you like family at Christmas time, complete with all the advice and judgement.

On Monday, December 26, 2016 at 6:11:42 PM UTC-8, Tony wrote:
On Monday, December 26, 2016 at 8:03:44 PM UTC-6, wrote:
"Maybe you didn't understand my post. Â*I'm willing to pay a fair price to have it hauled out here. Â*I'm not asking for a hand out. Â*I thought the soaring community was about helping each other & supporting the sport? Â*Santa must have passed by your house on Christmas. Â*Cheers!"

Actually, you are the one that doesn't understand the problem. Hauling a trailer with a glider across the country in wintertime conditions is by no means an insignificant endeavor. It requires an adequate towing vehicle, a competent driver and at least four days of travel. So, 2,800 miles at about 16 MPG for a decent full-size truck to manage a big enclosed trailer, with no guarantee of the trailer condition. That's a minimum of 175 gallons of gas or diesel at (say) $2.25 per gallon. Three or four nights in a motel at (say) $100 per night. (Winter hotel rates go up with the anticipation of inclement weather and resulting forced stops.)Pick up the glider and trailer in Sarasota Springs, NY (which is probably not where the driver lives. Deliver it to Walla Walla, WA, where the driver probably isn't going.

And you "would like it to be delivered right after January 1." Well, good luck with that. "Helping with expenses" does not even approach the costs and hazards of towing an unknown trailer and glider across the country. Even If I was planning a trip from NY to WA with a big-ass pickup in the time frame you envision, I would at least expect $0.75 per mile. If I had to travel to get the glider and then deliver it to a location that is not my intended destination, that mileage and inconvenience would have to be factored in.

Soaring pilots are generally more than willing to support the gliding community, but you are not asking for that kind of help. You are describing a job more suited for a commercial long haul trucker. They have to maintain, insure and professionally operate their vehicles.

I hired professionals to deliver the glider trailers I used to build when the customer could not pick them up. The cost was at least $1.25 per mile, and that was for a small, empty trailer.

I still recommend Santa Claus, as you apparently still believe in him. I don't, but he made it to my house anyway.

Cheers.

for another sanity check data point on bids...i typically bid jobs around $1.00/mile for the round trip from my house to where the glider is to where the glider is going and back to my house. Maybe a little less for a nice new cobra trailer and a little more for something odd/old/heavy/big etc. An L-23 would definitely fall into the "little more" category. I live in wichita, ks so you can get on google maps and do the math.

If you really want a lower rate, you need to find a load for that person to bring back. Then, they MIGHT have you pay for their trip out, and the other person pay for their trip back. No guarantee on that, but as Tony said, he quotes round trip from where he is, to where he has to go, back to his base. Others are likely doing the same thing. Don't think you will find many willing to dead-head back across the US. Glider pilots are crazy, but that is just plain silly.

YMMV,

Steve Leonard

I don't know the OP, but his first post I read as, "hey, are you basically doing this trip for some reason, are you heading back home from another job and want a load?, I need a glider moved."

Thus, he was looking for a single direction, NOT contracting for an "on demand" trip and this is why he was surprised on quotes. Then again, the quotes are likely reasonable to just do his trip, but that isn't what he is looking for.

Same thing for college kids, they want to come home or go back to school, they are looking for someone basically doing the trip for some gas money, NOT paying for a bus/train/airline ticket.

On Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at 9:33:03 AM UTC-5, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
I don't know the OP, but his first post I read as, "hey, are you basically doing this trip for some reason, are you heading back home from another job and want a load?, I need a glider moved."

Thus, he was looking for a single direction, NOT contracting for an "on demand" trip and this is why he was surprised on quotes. Then again, the quotes are likely reasonable to just do his trip, but that isn't what he is looking for.

Same thing for college kids, they want to come home or go back to school, they are looking for someone basically doing the trip for some gas money, NOT paying for a bus/train/airline ticket.

I wish you luck. To properly tell my story I would need to write a book. I will abbreviate - 4 years ago I flew to Sacramento ($300 one way) to buy a 15 meter glider in an old cobra trailer. I rented a uhaul box truck for about a $800 and drove RT 80 back to New Hampshire (3000 miles)I paid about $1000 in gas and it took me 5 days due to heavy snow, ice (RT 80 closed 2 times due to conditions and very gusty cross winds in the mountains. I was stop for a day at Donner Pass (no chains on the uhaul). I witnessed over 30 tractor trailer accidents, I had to be towed off the highway in WY. I was so stressed out by day three I couldn't eat. 5 nights in motel 6's about $300. Took 5 days off work to get it done, (I just couldn't drive much at night). When I finally got it home I was so stressed I got sick and had a 103 degree temp for a day.

So not counting what 5 days of work cost me it was about $2500 of the most stressful driving I have ever done. Now I hit bad weather for sure, but sleeping in truck stop dinners, watch tractor trailers lose it, being stranded on the side of a snowed in highway for hours ducking trucks, and the thought that at any time I could have an accident was an experience you could not pay me to do again.

Again it was a disaster weather wise and you may be luckier then I. But figuring your time its a buck a mile easily.

Dennis
DC

I'd love to hear the whole story, Dennis! It brought back some (not so fond) memories of my trip from Philadelphia to Minden and back at the end of April 2016 to pick up a glider. Snow, torrential rain, tornadoes, wrecks, delays, bad food, 700 mile driving days, needing a week to recuperate - check. I do have some very nice memories of the trip, and I'm glad I did it to see the country up close and personal. But I, too, would never, ever, do it again.

-John, Q3

On Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at 10:21:14 AM UTC-5, HGXC wrote:
I wish you luck. To properly tell my story I would need to write a book. I will abbreviate - 4 years ago I flew to Sacramento ($300 one way) to buy a 15 meter glider in an old cobra trailer. I rented a uhaul box truck for about a $800 and drove RT 80 back to New Hampshire (3000 miles)I paid about $1000 in gas and it took me 5 days due to heavy snow, ice (RT 80 closed 2 times due to conditions and very gusty cross winds in the mountains. I was stop for a day at Donner Pass (no chains on the uhaul). I witnessed over 30 tractor trailer accidents, I had to be towed off the highway in WY. I was so stressed out by day three I couldn't eat. 5 nights in motel 6's about $300. Took 5 days off work to get it done, (I just couldn't drive much at night). When I finally got it home I was so stressed I got sick and had a 103 degree temp for a day.

So not counting what 5 days of work cost me it was about $2500 of the most stressful driving I have ever done. Now I hit bad weather for sure, but sleeping in truck stop dinners, watch tractor trailers lose it, being stranded on the side of a snowed in highway for hours ducking trucks, and the thought that at any time I could have an accident was an experience you could not pay me to do again.

Again it was a disaster weather wise and you may be luckier then I. But figuring your time its a buck a mile easily.

Dennis
DC