Thanks Dan , its not the cost of the packing that was the worry ( I told him to order two sets of packing anyway ) it was making sure there was a controlled descent after taking the measurements and before landing on the stands , which thinking about it there should be even if the packing is damaged .
As for machine shops, we are on an island in the Caribbean . We have two . One completely useless and one ridiculously expensive and more for ornate gate work and architectural stuff. We have to ship in everything to be honest.
Thanks again for all the great advice , I will pass it on to the mechanic doing the job.