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Moving a 5,000 vinyl LP collection safely

Hello everyone,

I am moving from New York City to the Hudson Valley. I have packed my 5,000 LPs into boxes that are 13 x 13 x 13.

My questions are:

— Is it OK to stack them up to 4 boxes high? 5? 6? Since there is about 1/2 of space left in the top of each box, bubble wrap is laid over the top of the vinyl to fill the remaining gap before closing and sealing the box so that the boxes stay square and don’t collapse.
— When put in a moving truck with a rear cab that is 10 x 26, should I be worried about how hot it will get in there for a 2 hour ride from New York City to the Hudson Valley when the temperature is expected to be about 80 degrees?

Thank you in advance for your helpful advice.

unreceivedogma
128x128unreceivedogma
effischer
564 posts
 
The answer depends more on the strength of the corrugated box you've used in relation to the per-carton weight than anything else.  A 12 inch high stack of records weighs quite a bit, probably ~30 pounds.  A single-wall 200 lb. test box would almost certainly split at the seam at that load with any serious jolt.  A 275 lb. test double-wall box would not.  That information can be found in the roundel stamped onto the bottom flap of the box.

As far as stacking goes, I would strongly recommend against it.  Far better for you to have the boxes loaded so that the records inside are perpendicular to the floor of the truck, firmly strapped or blocked into place so they can't shift and loaded in such a way that nothing can fall on or crush them from above.

On temperature, so long as the inside of the truck doesn't get above 100 F and you allow the records to return to room temperature for 24 hours before unpacking, you're good.  I've moved my collection across the country 5 times that way without a single problem of any kind.

Good luck with the move and happy listening!
lostbears's avatar
lostbears
538 posts
 

 I am in the middle of a much longer move.  I have found that Uhaul small boxes are perfect for vinyl lps. And at 99 cents a piece, even cheaper in packs of 25, they are really hard to beat. I stacked them 3 high with out a problem. I would not worry about the heat especially this late in the summer.. 

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma OP
992 posts
 
Hello effischer —

Thank you.

— The weight of each box is 43 lbs, give or take a pound
— The cartons are single wall. The stamp says they support 65 lbs
— I've got them stacked 4 high, no issues that I can tell.

I will tell the truck driver to be extra attentive to potholes. 
I have the boxes labeled so that it is clear which end is up, and they are vertical, and absolutely, they must be strapped.

I spoke to Craig Moerer's office. They said that in their warehouse they stack 'em like this up to 6 high and for indefinite amounts of time without any damage: as long as the boxes show no signs of collapsing, they should be fine.

My main concern is the temperature. 
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