when bad things happen to good bows - (warning! graphic image content!)

[Lone Ranger]

I have learned 2 things from 4 pages of this thread:   do not use ups to ship, DO use usps. and ups wont pay any claims but usps will?

keep us all posted on how it will work out~

L.R.

[KentuckyTJ]

Oh my, sorry Rob. Our worst nightmare.

[SELFBOW19953]

My local postmaster cringes everytime I ship a bow.  She says that the better you package it, the more likely it will be damaged because the handlers see the packaging and don't worry about damage.  The package gets tossed into a bin or container and bigger, heavier packages are dumped on top of it.  A poorly wrapped package is handled more carefully because it is more easily damaged.

[Steve Clandinin]

WHAT A CRYING SHAME !What a way for a bow to die.So So sorry,hope she works out my friend.

Looks like they ran over it.

[Turkeys Fear Me]

Hope it all works out.

UPC code on pipe is for:

CRESLINE PLASTIC PIPE CO SOLID PVC SEWER AND DRAIN PIPE - 3 x 10 - Thin wall - Bell end

[Eric Krewson]

I had a untrimmed osage stave about 3" square broken by the USPS as well as several bows. I didn't think anyone could break the stave so I didn't insure it, they broke it. The bows were insured, getting my money was hassle free.

The way it was explained to me was there would be no problems if your item went down the conveyor facing the same way as the conveyor traveled.

If a long item ever got cross ways on the conveyor it would get caught between I beams supporting the conveyor and broken by the weight of packages pushing behind it.

All the damage I saw in my shipped bows was consistent with this type of event.

[toppredator]

That's terrible.  I wonder what hit it?  It would take a heck of a hit to do that kind of damage.  It's definitely schedule 40, if it was thin walled it would've splintered.  TRW

[Archie]

So, it sounds to me like the best way to ship a bow may be in heavy PVC first, then put that in a really flimsy-looking cardboard box with FRAGILE stamped all over it...????

[Hawkeye]

I have a friend who is a manager with FedEx.  When I asked him how damage like this could happen when we talked one time, his explanation was almost exactly like Eric's just above.

Human error + Huge conveyor system in central hub = Broken ______ (bow, steel pipe, fishing pole, or in this case... heart!)

Sorry to hear of this.  Hope "the rest of the story" ends up being a good one.

Daryl

Eric- with all that said, it still AMAZES me anyone was able to snap a 3" osage stave!  THAT takes some power.

[bsoper]

Holy crap! It looks like someone took a battle axe to it!

[Mike Mecredy]

In defense of the U.S.postal Service, I sent nearly 1000 (if not over) bows since January 2006 I've used carboard cartons, and cardboard tubes, and have never had a bow destroyed and never had to file an insurance claim.  

Bad things happen sometimes that bow Rob pictured in this post would have been damaged no matter what it was shipped in (within reason).  It got bent over by something big, a truck or a forklift or the like.  

Of course had it been shipped in a galvanized steel pipe with caps screwed on the ends it would have been fine, but who does that?

[bfrbmj]

High density poly(HDPE) might be something to look at.  Our irrigation system at the golf course that I work at has this.  It is stronger than schedule 80 pvc.  I also like the idea of putting it in pipe then inside a box.  Brian

[PaddyMac]

Insurance, insurance, insurance.

USPS used to voluntarily acknowledge damage on packaging. It's disappointing they didn't this time. FedEx tried to punch a hole in my kayak a month ago. UPS must load things with an excavator. I normally have no trouble with USPS, but yeah, bears repeating: insurance, insurance, insurance.

I'd say high heat + horsepower + some sort of hydraulics.

This won't have a happy ending, but at least it might not be an infuriating one.

[Rob DiStefano]

i think there's a happy medium of sorts to shipping bows.  

what i want to protect against is the typical bumps, smacks, whacks, slaps and drops a long package will experience.  

what i think is unreasonable is attempting to protect against stupid carelessness.

schedule 80 is some serious tough pvc and will double the shipping weight at least.  i ain't giving those added dollars to a shipper, just to insure they won't kill the package.  i don't think schedule 80 would have saved this longbow.

all in all, despite this big faux pas, usps is still the better bow shipping vendor for me.  as always, insure Insure INSURE!

[bfrbmj]

Rob-  I will double check the HDPE, but I think it weighs less than even sched 40-of course it costs more.  I do not know if it would be better for shipping or not.  But it is heavy duty- dozers won't even crush it, though there still is some flex to it.  But it might be OK to use .   I agree that there is no excuse for carelessness.  Brian

[canopyboy]

Originally posted by Turkeys Fear Me:
Hope it all works out.

UPC code on pipe is for:

CRESLINE PLASTIC PIPE CO SOLID PVC SEWER AND DRAIN PIPE - 3 x 10 - Thin wall - Bell end

HAH!  Someone beat me to it.  Typed in the upc to check.

https://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=45397

Crush strength is rated at 3500, of course that is assuming a uniform load.

I've never had Sch40 do anything but shatter on me.  I would actually think this stuff would be better.

I was told once that the conveyor systems are meant for cardboard.  So while cardboard won't hold up to damage well, it's less likely to get caught and jammed in the system in the first place.  So it apparently doesn't hurt to build a tough shipping container then wrap it in cardboard as conveyor camoflage....

 

[dragonheart]

Rob,

I am sorry for your loss.  What a bum deal!

[Wapiti Chaser]

Makes me cringe at the time my $1400.00 custom came in a card board box  

[Hit-or-Miss]

Looks like a fork lift ran over it.