Travelling with a rear shock

[patdeavoll]

I have to somehow get a new rear shock from New Zealand to the UK on an Air New Zealand flight, but i have been told i may not be able to do this. Does anyone have experience doing this?

[Grant Johnson]

I'd say no chance of carrying it on, especially if it's a pressurized shock. As freight possibly, but expensive. Why not just buy one locally? The UK has plenty of options.

[PanEuropean]

Unfortunately, a shock absorber containing non-flammable pressurized gas is generally considered to be 'Dangerous Goods' according to the IATA DG regulations.

A shock absorber with non-flammable pressurized gas is classified as "UN 3164, Articles, pressurized, hydraulic".

There are exceptions in the IATA DGRs that permit a pressurized gas shock absorber to be carried without having to go through the whole rigmarole of documenting and shipping it as declared DGs. The exceptions are set out in special provision 283, 371, and 594 of the IATA DGR. The "executive summary" of the exceptions is that if the product of multiplying the gas capacity (in litres) and the gas pressure (in bars) is less than 80 - as it would be for a motorcycle shock absorber - then it is exempt.

Also - and this is the most important part - Section 8 of the IATA DGR begins with the statement: “A Shipper’s Declaration must be completed by the shipper for each consignment of dangerous goods.” There are nine materials that have a low risk and are excepted from this requirement [i.e. the requirement to complete a Shipper's Declaration]. These include:

UN 3164, Articles, pressurized, hydraulic;

The problem, though, will be convincing the cargo acceptance agent that you don't have to complete a Shipper's DGR Declaration for the shock absorber. Almost any airline will be happy to carry DGs on their aircraft, providing that the DGs are properly documented. But (and this is the big but) it is forbidden to carry DGs, except for DGs in exempted quantities (primarily this means duty free booze and medications required by the passenger) in checked baggage or carry-on baggage.

If the check-in staff believe that the item requires a Shipper's DGR Declaration, then you will have no alternative but to ship it via the cargo department of that airline - passenger agents are not trained to accept DGs, even if properly documented, and besides, DGs can't go into passenger baggage or carry-on baggage, except for the aforementioned booze or asthma inhalers, etc.

I think that your best bet is to contact the manufacturer of the shock absorber and ask if they have any written documentation that defines gas capacity and gas pressure in the shock absorber. If you are really lucky, they might have a document that they have already prepared to support shipment by air in the past.

If you can get documentation of the gas capacity & pressure from the manufacturer, and you can print out the DG rules for "UN 3164, Articles, pressurized, hydraulic" as well as the three special provisions and that beginning part of Section 8 that exempts UN 3164 items from the requirement to have a Shipper's Declaration, and be prepared to show all these documents at the airport if challenged, I think you should be OK.

Michael (retired DG instructor)

[*Touring Ted*]

Sell it in New Zealand and buy one in the U.K.

We have shops here too And it might even be cheaper.

We also have world leading suspension companies who build shocks.

[jfman]

A really daft thing is that if you ship it out, it will fly anyway.

I shipped a shock from the US to South America and they put that thing on a plane the next day no questions asked.

This is after declaring it was shock. No dangerous goods paperwork was involved.

The problem I had was then with customs in Santiago but that another(unrelated) story.

I read here or on fb that some folks were emptying the gas from their shocks to fly with them(checked luggage) then refilling them once landed. I flew springs in my check luggage no problems.

Search a bit and you'll find some info.

Ans yeah since UK is a developed country, just find a shock there.

[*Touring Ted*]

Originally Posted by jfman

A really daft thing is that if you ship it out, it will fly anyway.

I shipped a shock from the US to South America and they put that thing on a plane the next day no questions asked.

This is after declaring it was shock. No dangerous goods paperwork was involved.

The problem I had was then with customs in Santiago but that another(unrelated) story.

I read here or on fb that some folks were emptying the gas from their shocks to fly with them(checked luggage) then refilling them once landed. I flew springs in my check luggage no problems.

Search a bit and you'll find some info.

Ans yeah since UK is a developed country, just find a shock there.

I think stuff like that goes in cargo planes. Very different rules and laws when there aren't paying passengers on-board.

[PanEuropean]

Originally Posted by jfman

I shipped a shock from the US to South America and they put that thing on a plane the next day no questions asked.

This is after declaring it was shock. No dangerous goods paperwork was involved.

In your case, the cargo acceptance agent was sufficiently well educated to know that shock absorbers ("UN 3164, Articles, pressurized, hydraulic") are exempted from the requirement to complete and provide a DG declaration.

Cargo acceptance agents (the folks who work on the air cargo side of things) are required by law to have much more thorough training about DGRs than the passenger agents. Typically, a passenger agent gets about 2 hours of DG training, and a cargo acceptance agent gets a week of DG training.

The likelihood of problems at passenger check-in that I alluded to in my reply above is due to the probability that the passenger check-in agent will not be aware of the Section 8 exemption for UN 3164 and 8 other classifications.

Michael

[Grant Johnson]

I have been carrying on CO2 cartridges (for demo purposes) with two large holes drilled into them for years and have had a big hassle every time, requiring supervisor approval, and even they look askance at them, wondering why, etc. I've generally managed to convince them there is NO issue, NO risk etc, but last flight, no way would the supervisor accept them, saying "CO2 cylinders are banned". Despite the fact that he could see right through them, so clearly no risk, he said no way!
Since "sense" or "intelligence" is not a factor, personally I can't imagine getting a shock through carry on.
I'd sure hate to try, and lose.

[mika]

Hi all,



sorry I dont get it. Why would you want to carry a shock absorber in your cabin bag? I would not even try that. And I have tried a lot of things and got them through.



Just last week I gave the rear shock absorber of my Africa Twin to a German friend and he put it in his check in luggage to take to Germany, no problem. But maybe thats not allowed as well, I dont know. I will put it in my suitcase coming back in a few months.



Anyway, with all the stupid laws they create every day, who knows whats allowed or not?



All the best

mika