TOPIC: Merc stands

I recently posted a thread about some barn fresh Mercs. My friend, who bought the marina where those were found, just found some more treasures. From the shape of the logo I am guessing that they date from 1957 to 1963.
There are eight of these. They do need new paint. He wishes to sell them. Well, one is spoken for... He does have some caster sets, too. I have seen these on ebay, with some extraordinary asking prices. What would be a fair price for one?
Larry

Pretty cool.
If there are no cracks, or odd holes drilled through the motor mounting area (some I 'think' had a set of holes in the mounting area),...If I was close enough to purchase without shipping, I would usually pay as much as $300.00 for that generation Merc stand. With a caster base, as much as $400.00.
I currently have (3) that are restored. Only one has the caster base piece.
Sadly, shipping costs from CT to WA would break the bank.
doc F

Doc, not necessarily. I've shipped some ridiculous stuff via Greyhound Buss for cheap. Worth a check.

Interesting,...VERY interesting!!!
Time to snag Mercury Momma's bathroom scale, and see what these beasties weigh.
Muu-Wah-Haa-haa
doc

about 90 lb, just sent one UPS

Mike Byer wrote:

about 90 lb, just sent one UPS

Interesting, indeed. How did you package it, and what was the cost to ship? The bus option sounds interesting, too. 63 Sabre, same questions to you. I suspected that this would generate more than local interest. Being able to ship these at a reasonable cost will make them more sellable.
Larry

It was a very long time ago the last time I used this method. I shipped a windshield from WI to PA for under $50. You have to pack it very good because the things ride in the bottom cargo area of the bus and are just tossed around. It's not overnight and might take a week. It's not the first option but it's available as a plan B or C.

I ship UPS most everyday, I packed them myself in double thick boxes, shipped in 2 packages, NC to NJ was about $55. The first one I bought came in the US mail, 2 pieces of cast iron and a pile of cardboard is what I got, not broken but the package was destroyed. Might be best to check with UPS freight and just band them to a pallet, they will send a truck to pick up. This cool old heavy stuff is just expensive to ship around.

where are they located...and what is he looking to get$$$$ for 1...i'm on the east coast in SJ...

Dr_Frankenmerc wrote: Pretty cool.
If there are no cracks, or odd holes drilled through the motor mounting area (some I 'think' had a set of holes in the mounting area),...If I was close enough to purchase without shipping, I would usually pay as much as $300.00 for that generation Merc stand. With a caster base, as much as $400.00.
I currently have (3) that are restored. Only one has the caster base piece.
Sadly, shipping costs from CT to WA would break the bank.
doc F

Doc, would it be possible for you to post a photo of the caster base? I looked at a later Merc stand (rectangular, 70's) and it looks like it uses stem casters that just plugged into the cast holes in the stand base where the neoprene buttons would go. They were 2" diameter double wheel casters. Did the earlier stand bases have a frame of sorts that the casters attached to? I haven't found any generic stem casters that will plug into the holes in the base, but I may fabricate a few from some similar plate casters.
To vintagerunner, I think that there is one left for sale. It's in Pawcatuck, CT. The others sold for $250 apiece. I sold one at the AOMCI meet in Rocky Hill, CT. Email me if you're still interested.
Regards,
Larry

Not the best picture, but here ya go!
doc

Doc, Thanks for the photo. I think I see two casters peeking out on that end of the stand base. That indicates that there is some kind of subframe for the casters.


If I could get a look at what Mercury made, I could fabricate a replica. I would also be able to make a shop drawing to share here so that others could make their own. Any help greatly appreciated.
best regards,
Larry

Nice if someone would cast some more caster bases.

It will be quite a while before I can lift the Merc & stand off my caster frame, but I'll tag it and post when the day comes.
Hopefully someone else has one more readily accessible.
doc

Well, I have found that the casters just don't exist. So, I recently made a caster base. I found double wide 2" diameter casters on the innanet. A piece of 3"X3"X1/4" angle bar, a few pieces of 1/4"X1 1/2" flat bar, and a piece of 5/8" round stock. An hour of cutting, grinding, and welding, and Voila!
Best,
Larry

Nice! Functional and looks great all together now! Well done.