Moving a 1/2 ton jointer down a 200' driveway. Would this work?

[Glen Blanchard]

I would like to buy the Grizzly G0609X 12" jointer with spiral cutterhead which has a shipping weight of 1050 lbs. My primary concern is how to get it down my 200' driveway and up the 4" lip onto the wood subfloor of my shop. The jointer would be delivered via UPS freight with curbside lift gate service.

My plan at the moment is to purchase and use this dolly....

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200419664_200419664

I hope to have the freight driver (with my help) rest the shipping pallet with the jointer on the dolly. I would use it to move the jointer down my concrete driveway. I would then use a shop crane (either purchased or rented) to lift the jointer from the pallet, up to the level of my garage shop floor, and properly position it in my shop. I don't have much concern about the use of the shop crane, but am a bit more concerned about the feasibility of rolling the pallet and jointer on this dolly. The website does not specify the dimensions of the dolly, and I wonder if it has a sufficiently large footprint to handle the pallet. Might I need two dollies? Any other concerns? Any comments? I am wanting to pull the trigger on this, but have to nail down the logistics first.

Thanks.

[Keith Hankins]

Piece of cake! I've got the G609. I paid 75 bucks for lift gate delivery. The driver rolled it off the lift with a pallet jack and rolled it into my garage. It will come bolted to a steel packing crate base with plywood cover on it. It's packed well. To get it off the steel crate I used a rented engine hoist(pic). I first moved it with an engine hoist and some 2000lb rated straps it will roll and you can easily pop it over lip. the second time I moved it, I just used two dollies from harbour freight. to lift it I used a 2 ton bottle jack and a 4x4 to lift it high enough to slide one under one end. I went to the other end and did the same thing and put a second one under that end and just rolled it to where I need it.
177796

[Mark Blatter]

The website does give the dims on the dolly....18x30 with 4" casters. I would not try doing it with just one or two people. And you may find that the UPS driver isn't willing to help. Likely it could cost him his job if he gets hurt taking it beyond the end of the truck.

How flat is the driveway? Any chance it could get away from you? I would try and get a few more guys to help out, then I think it would work.

[Ray Newman]

I 'dunno' about using that dolly to roll 1050 lbs. 200'. Just how smooth is your driveway --it may not take much to hang up the wheels with that load on them.

I would call a moving or drayage company and ask their advice.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

What kind of a drive way do you have? Is it paved and smooth or are we taking rough gravel?

I would consider renting a pallet jack to move it down the driveway.

Take some 2x6 or 2x8 s and other scraps to build a temporary ramp to accomodate that 4" lip.

We moved my MM-16 on a double pallet down a rough gravel driveway by 2 of us moving sheets of plywood while the trucker moved the pallet jack on the plywood down 100' of rough gravel driveway. Of course that's half the weight you are talking but still I believe it would have handles 1000 lbs.

[Bill LaPointe]

+1 for Ken's solution. I have moved many machines into my shop using that approach. Buy or rent a pallet jack and move it in.

[Hans Braul]

I moved the same beast into my basement this past summer - see my post:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?140874-Griz-Gloat-12-quot-Jointer-G0609X&highlight=
To move it around the shop I used some 2" aluminum tube that I had laying around. You can see the rollers in one of the pics. It worked like a charm and I can't see why you couldn't just roll it using something similar. May need to lay down plywood if your drive is uneven but otherwise it's a piece of cake.

Hans

[Erik Christensen]

every grizzly big machine I have was delivered with lift gate service - in every instance the fedex freight driver rolled the machine up my 100+' driveway through my garage and in to my shop and dropped the pallet exactly where I asked

if you have a solid surface driveway you might find the driver will deliver where you want

[Matt Meiser]

I've received lift gate deliveries 3 times now. Each time the truck was a straight truck and they backed right up to my shop for the two tools and to the garage for a clawfoot tub. That said, none were UPS Freight. I've received 2 tools from Grizzly via UPS Freight--one was light enough for me to pick it from the regular truck and one I picked up at the depot on a Friday evening because I didn't want to wait until the following week to get it.

You might check with a rental place on the price of renting a forklift. It might be well worth the cost. Have them set it on the ground and then just lift it a few inches to move it around. Another option would be to rent a truck yourself with a lift gate and a pallet jack and pick it up at the terminal.

I wouldn't trust that dolly. Maybe a few of them but definitely not 1. And you'd need a really smooth surface regardless.

[Ed Hazel]

Every machine that I have purchased from grizzly, the driver is always delivered right into my garage. If you think they may not deliver inside your garage go rent a pallet jack the day of the delivery should be all you need.

[Ron Natalie]

One thing I used last time I had something huge to move like that (it was a pipe organ console), was to rent a pair of "roll-a-lifts". These appear to be heavy duty handtrucks with a hydraulic bottle jack to lift the foot. You put one under each end, wrap the straps around the whole thing, give them a pump on each side and whatever you have will roll.

[Rick Pettit]

Home Depot rents trucks with liftgates for 20 bucks for four hours I think. Pick it up at the local trucking hub and they will load it on the truck. Or if the machine is bolted to a pallet sit it on some 4x4 skids. Lag the pallet down to the 4x4's and put a piece of 3/4 inch all thread across the ends of the skids. Hook a chain to it and your lawn mower or whatever you have with a motor and transmission and drag it slowly to your shop.

[Glen Blanchard]

Our driveway is what I believe is called 'aggregate'. That is, it is concrete with small stones on the surface, and thus is not as smooth as simple concrete. It also is on somewhat of a grade (not steep, but it is easily seen). I had the gal at Grizzly contact UPS to see if they offered a service (for a fee, of course) where the driver would move the crate into my garage. She called me back 24 hours later informing me that UPS does not offer such a service. However, I would think that there must be pallet jack on the truck to get these heavy items over to the lift gate. If so, I suppose I can ask the driver if he would let me borrow it for a few minutes in order to wheel the crate down to the garage. From there I can rent or buy a shop crane to get it into the shop.

[Chris Kennedy]

Would the UPS truck be able to go down your driveway? If the driver can make it down and back without too much trouble, he may be willing. I haven't had many UPS freight deliveries, but the drivers have always been willing to something reasonable.

Cheers,

Chris

[Lee Schierer]

I moved the same beast into my basement this past summer - see my post:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?140874-Griz-Gloat-12-quot-Jointer-G0609X&highlight=
To move it around the shop I used some 2" aluminum tube that I had laying around. You can see the rollers in one of the pics. It worked like a charm and I can't see why you couldn't just roll it using something similar. May need to lay down plywood if your drive is uneven but otherwise it's a piece of cake.

Hans

I'm with Hans, two sheets of plywood if your driveway isn't concrete and 5-6 pieces of PVC or steel pipe. Depending upon the design of the pallet you may need to set it on a couple of 2 x 4's (nailed in place) so the rollers will roll under the pallet. Unless your drive is perfectly flat have at least two helpers to help with tthe move.

[Mark Bolton]

I moved an 1800lb panel saw on three of the cheap furniture dolly's you can buy at the home center (20 bucks a piece or something). I actually cribbed it up one corner at a time by myself, slid a dolly under each of the three sides, and cribbed it back down onto the dolly's. Rolled it around, and then reversed the operation to get it back on the floor. All by myself. Even cheap dolly's will surprise you as to how much they can carry but the tipping over thing if your only running two is the only thing to be cautious of.

If you really want to be tight, run down to your local Uhaul and they will likely rent you a couple for the afternoon for 5 bucks or so.

Mark

[Glen Blanchard]

I moved the same beast into my basement this past summer - see my post:

Hans

Hans - Is the jointer bolted to the pallet or is it merely strapped in place?

[Hans Braul]

I unbolted it from the pallet prior to moving. I just rolled the machine on the base against the rollers without any problems.

Hans

[Jon Grider]

As Ken said, use a pallet jack. Rent or buy a used one.

[greg a bender]

Maybe I was lucky, don't know.

I had 4 large machines delivered - Grizz 17" band saw, Unisaw, Jet 1642, Jet JJP12, all with lift gate service. I also have a gravel driveway.
In every case, the truck backed up to my garage door and lowered the lift gate onto my shop floor and wheeled the pallet into the shop. No problems.

Getting the machines off the pallets required some help, but that's why we have friends and/or sturdy significant others:).

Greg A

[jim gossage]

I have had about 7 large machines (300-600 pounds) delivered to my house, usually UPS, and in each case the driver was happy to help me down the driveway with his floor jack. My driveway is about 100 ft long with a 15-20 degree downward slope, so no piece of cake, but we have always been able to do it with the two of us. I usually offer them $20 afterwards, and some will take it, others won't.

[Jim Andrew]

Before spending money on moving this machine before it is delivered, I'd wait till it is delivered and see if your jointer gets into the shop with help from the delivery guy. And if he won't help you, then go rent something to set it inside. My experience is with a skid steer and forks, you can set it right inside the door. If you have a strong enough floor, and high enough garage door, you can set it right in place.

[Glen Blanchard]

Thanks everyone for your input. The heavy machinery I have had delivered via freight in the past (a JET cabinet saw followed a year and a half later by a SawStop Industrial) were moved into my (previous) garage (we have since moved to a new house) by the truck driver. I am hopeful that the UPS freight guy will be as accommodating as the others, however the gal at Grizzly told me that UPS will take it no further than curbside. So I will see what happens when it is delivered. I figure that even if the guy places it in the garage for me, I will still need to raise it some to unbolt it from the pallet and perhaps locate it just so. To that end, yesterday I purchased a two ton shop crane from Harbor Freight.

[Peter Quinn]

Whatever method you use make sure in a dry run its wheels can get through those expansion joints in that concrete drive way. We roll much greater weight than that around at work daily on single carts, though the weight is balanced and a forklift picks it up and puts it down. But getting stuck in an expansion joint en route can make stuff tip over and ruin your whole day, and a good set of toes if you are on the end that tips! I really like to have a second guy to move that much weight, and you can't really count on the UPS guy one way or the other for that, some will help, others may not. Some may back up to your door, others may not. Worst case have help scheduled for latter that day and a good tarp to cover the thing till thy get there in case of precipitation. It would be great to have a friend with a tractor that has forks off the three point hitch who can transport from the lift gate to the garage. So buy some beers, take up a quick hobby and make that connection quick! Or drive around looking for a guy with a tractor and try to befriend him, or at least ply him with beer. Or check out a local rental center. Even a small pallet jack can work well if site conditions are favorable.