Beogram 4004 Type 5526: Second Beogram 4004 from Texas - Shipping to new owner

After this second, original owner, Beogram 4004 turntable restoration the owner decided to put it up for sale here on the Beolover Blog.

I am pleased to say that this beautiful Beogram 4004 now has a new owner.  This post shows how to prepare and pack the Beogram 4004 for shipping.

We have had quite a lot of experience now in packing and shipping various Bang & Olufsen components. Our methods have tweaked here and there. Turntables are the most critical to pack safely. Mechanical parts must be secured and of course the turntable itself must be protected.

As tempting as it is to secure the turntable for shipping without removing the phono cartridge it is still best to remove it.

The removal and installation of a Beogram MMC phono cartridge is not too difficult.  I always make sure the stylus guard is in place when handling the cartridge.

In this first picture of the cartridge removal process I show how I secure the tonearm with my fingers so it won't move when pulling the cartridge off.

With the other hand I grasp the phono cartridge and stylus guard to pull the cartridge from the tonearm connector. It will resist coming off as the fit should be tight. Do not wiggle the cartridge horizontally. It comes off straight and slightly down. Don't force it.

Here you can see the connection points of the MMC cartridge and tonearm connector.

The Beogram 400x turntables have a floating chassis for the platter and tonearm assembly.  There is a chassis lockdown procedure to secure the floating chassis for shipping (or even transporting to a friend's house :-) ).  In the case of the Beogram 4004 turntable there are three floating chassing lockdown screws. They are accessible from inside the cabinet and from outside the cabinet. The normal case for an owner is to use the outside lockdown screws.

The screws are on the underside of the Beogram 4004 cabinet and you DO NOT want to turn the turntable upside down to get to them.

I hang the edge I am tightening or loosening over the edge of a table and operate the screw from underneath.

This photo shows the three Beogarm 4004 lockdown screws as seen from underneath (hanging over my workbench table). The lockdown screws do not need but a couple of turns to loosen them. Gently turn the screw driver until it won't turn but do not apply a lot of torque. Don't over tighten the screws.

Now that the phono cartridge is safely removed and the chassis is locked down for transport the packing can begin.

My first step on this turntable packing was to put a protective plastic film (like you find on new products) over the outside of the Beogram dust cover. I didn't photograph that process but the film just lays over the dust cover.

After that I remove the Beogram top platter. It is another one of those things that is tempting to leave in place but it is better to removed it and pack it separately.  Why take any chances?

I cut and place a foam insert where the top platter was and a couple of strips of foam padding over the keypad and speed display.

Then I cut to fit, a piece of polyethylene foam to secure the remaining space between the dust cover and inside of the Beomaster.  I wrapped the polyethylene foam with the same plastic film I put on the outer surface of the dust cover.  Although the foam is pretty soft I worry that movement during shipping could result in swirl scratches on the underside of the dust cover. The film should prevent that.

Now I can close the dust cover and secure the main parts of the Beomaster.

I don't like to use any tape with adhesive if possible so I wrap the Beomaster dust cover down on the cabinet with packing wrap.  After that I like placing the audio component in a plastic bag to protect against any moisture. I also hate the way the electrical cord and phono cable can dangle and the plugs potentially scratch something.  So I wrap them in foam.

The next step is wrapping the Beogram lengthwise and crosswise with egg crate type soft foam. The foam is secured with plastic wrap.

This Beogram 4004 is now ready to go into the shipping box.

Over the last few years I have found that it is better to use as small a shipping box as possible. Too large of a box becomes difficult for shipping carriers to handle and increases the chance of a drop.

With the Beogram securely tightened down and padded the job of the box is for rigid support and protection from handling mishaps (bumps and small drops).

I use double-walled cardboard shipping boxes and glue the bottom flaps together.  After that I glue polyethylene foam sheets to the bottom and the four walls.

The wrapped Beogram 4004 fits right into the foam lined area.

This is where the Beogram 4004 top platter gets packed. I like to use a vinyl record shipping box to hold the platter.  I also add some small polyethylene pieces on the side of the Beogram and slide the box with the phono cartridge in there.

The final steps are to add the last polyethylene foam sheet for the lid and then secure the shipping box.

This turntable is now on its way to a new home.