Move 1 ton out to the playa and back - share?

homonculus · Post by **homonculus** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:13 am

We are a camp of about 15 or so people that have had a great camp for the last two years. We are probably going to have about 1 ton to haul out this year, but no longer have the pickup truck we used to have. We are wondering if the best thing to do would be rent a truck in which case we are wanting to know where are the cheapest places in the bay area to do so? or, find a group who has any extra room on a bigger flatbed or moving truck and share the cost? Any suggestions? We are in El Cerrito and could contribute to the cost of a haul and back.

stargeezer · Post by **stargeezer** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:13 am

If you only have 1 ton, I would consider getting a small utility trailer and pulling it. As long as you put it behind something bigger than a compact car, you should not have any problems, and you have also solved the issue for future years.

If you have never pulled a trailer before, just slow down a bit, especially going down hill. You may want to shift down a gear going up Donner, and if you ever need to back up, do it very slowly until you get used to turning the trailer.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:00 am

Buy before, sell after.

StevenGoodman · Post by **StevenGoodman** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:57 pm

Also, if you have 15 people, get TWO utility trailers. Spread the load. Don't put everything in one basket.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:48 pm

OK, I know this wasn't supposed to be about trailers, but...
If you do get a utility trailer or trailers, don't get one of those ultra-cheap things with small wheels. Whatever you get, make sure it has at least 13" wheels. The tiny ones spin REALLY fast at freeway speed and always end up wasting their bearings. Those tiny tires have practically no load capacity either. And the trailer generally has enough room to put way more stuff in it than it can really handle.

If I were in your shoes, I'd either buy a decent used trailer for cheap, and put fresh bearings in it, or go buy a cheap old F250 or C20. If you don't want the truck, do like Uglas Douglas said, buy before, sell after.

You can also rent nice, enclosed trailers. Those are great for Bman because they give you a secure, dust-storm proof place to put stuff. And, they are easy to wash out when you get home. Getting the playa dust out of a rented truck can be a huge chore!

StevenGoodman · Post by **StevenGoodman** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:53 pm

I could have been more specific! I would recommend renting two nice enclosed trailers. Unless you have a long term use for a trailer.

Now, back to your original question. You are in the Bay Area, it should be easy to combine up with a different group. However, this can be a lot more hassle than it is worth.

It can often end up being the worst of all possibilities, you are dependent on the different parties involved. Multiple stops make coordination a pain, make things take longer, figuring out shared costs, etc.

While it might save a few bucks.

Now, I am curious if the professional "pod" transportation companies would deliver "pods" to "Black Rock City, NV"?

Toolmaker · Post by **Toolmaker** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:02 pm

Buy it, use it, return it worked great for me. As far as trailers.. enclosed is the way to go if ya can afford it. I have to agree about the tires/bearings, some of these trailers folks are selling are complete junk. Small wheels tend to have small bearings that just won't hold up. If ya can find on with 15s you should be good for a long time, also try to grease your bearings and check new trailers just in case not enough was used or a low quality grease was used. I prefer to use the high temp brand name over generic for peace of mind. Having a small electrical toolkit is handy too in case of brake light issues etc.. having a cutter/stripper and some tape can keep ya legal on the road. Also make sure the brakes on your towing vehicle are up to spec and keep the speed down on hills. The more weight you have the hotter your brakes will get, it is possible to cook off your bearing grease and get yourself in a real pickle if you're not careful. If in doubt pull over somewhere safe and check your load, make sure the rims aren't too hot, and make sure your engine aint too hot. Better to take it easy and get there safe and sound than risk problems trying to save a half hour driving time.

Toolmaker · Post by **Toolmaker** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:08 pm

StevenGoodman wrote:Now, I am curious if the professional "pod" transportation companies would deliver "pods" to "Black Rock City, NV"?

The Havana Room camp used some sort of shipping container method. If memory serves the container was "lost" for a few days somewheres on the playa and wound up holding up the camp build. I think Fallen Angel was the fella in charge so maybe he can shed some more light as to the details of the problems.

In short.. YES you can have stuff dropped off.. I THINK DPW has to be co-ordinated with, again going by memory so maybe someone in DPW or the ORG could clear up the details for those doing larger scale camps.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:26 pm

Funny, but we didn't have much use for a trailer except Burning Man ... until we actually bought a trailer. Then it became handy for regional burns, camping, snagging firewood, recycling, carpet grabs, green waste, moving days, hay hauler ... and on and on. We use it, Genius and Borderline use it, my brother uses it, our assorted neighbors use it ... been a great investment. I know owning a trailer isn't on the agenda for everyone, but we paid $1200 for ours and it has more than paid for itself in what we've saved on rentals. Of course, we have a house with a driveway long enough to park it, so there's no storage fees.

The CO · Post by **The CO** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:22 pm

I must concur the trailer vote; we use ours as the kitchen in BRC & I love it.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:52 am

Mine transforms into the Home for Wayward Art!

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:49 am

StevenGoodman wrote: You are in the Bay Area, it should be easy to combine up with a different group. However, this can be a lot more hassle than it is worth.

Very good point! I'll second that. Making yourself dependent on another group's transportation is often everything SG said and more. There are 15 of you, certainly you can come up with $ for something of your own.