Advice on moving equipment to walk-out basement

[Brad Swanson]

I'm thiiiis close to pulling the trigger on a few large tool purchases (cabinet saw, jointer/planer, maybe band-saw). My workshop space is in my basement which has a double door access, so once I get the tools from the driveway down to the walk-out it will be easy sailing from there. I live in a suburban area so I won't be able to use a tractor or anything like that to get the tools from my driveway to the back yard. Any suggestions on how to get these heavy tools (which are often bolted on to a pallet when delivered) off my driveway, around the front and side lawn (about a 9' drop over 45') and to the walk-out in a safe manner for both me and the equipment? Leapfrogging plywood sheets with PVC pipe rollers on the flat is the best I can come-up with after doing 2+ weeks worth of research here and elsewhere. Thanks.

Brad

[Art Mulder]

Rent a pallet jack and use it to move the skids over those pieces of plywood. I think that will be far easier to control than pipe rollers.

[Wade Lippman]

My situation seems similar to yours.
I just bought a TS, BS, planer, jointer, cyclone, and DP; totally about 2200 pounds. I had a local moving company move them all into my basement for $195. Probably would have been cheaper but I got the stuff in in two loads. That seems like a bargain compared to fooling around with sheets of plywood.

[Dave Halter]

I'm lucky because I can drive my truck around to the walk-in and unload stuff, but I can't always get heavy items into my truck. I also have a sliding glass door, so everything has to fit through a single doorway. What I have done sometimes, is break the items down into smaller parts and transport them around to the back using a hand truck. The hand truck I have came from Sam's Club and has large pneumatic tires on it so it handles the yard well.

[Wade Lippman]

I also have a sliding glass door, so everything has to fit through a single doorway.

My old house had a sliding glass door. It lifted out pretty easily to increase the opening.

[Jim Andrew]

Can you drive beside the house with your pickup truck? Or do you have a narrow side yard? If I had room, would probably use a tilt bed trailer to move the machines and back up to the basement door. You might still need something to roll the machines inside.

[Brad Swanson]

Hi Jim,
I'm in the 'burbs, no vehicle access to the backyard. I think a pallet jack and a leapfrogging plywood path might be the best option. For the sloped part of the yard I can keep the pallet low to the ground to ensure it doesn't get too much momentum going down the hill. I called 2 men and a truck and asked them if they did this kind of move, and they said they would get back to me. That was 4 days ago. At some point you just have to take the plunge and figure it out. Once (if?) our snow melts, I'll be at that point. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Brad

[Thomas Bank]

I have a set of pallet forks for my Bobcat. Definitely helps with this sort of thing. You can usually rent a Bobcat for around $200 for a day and a bucket or pallet forks usually comes with it (other attachments are an added cost). Depending on the slope, it could be another option.

As for snow, heck, just put runners on the pallets and "sled" them down through the snow! ;)

[Ted Calver]

Some tree guys have very large cranes, capable of handling such loads. You might see if you can find one in your area and price them out.

[Bernie LeBlanc]

I'm a retired truck driver and spent 30 years delivering these sort of things to folks in south NH. I was a local driver for Roadway Express (now YRC). Cheapest and easiest way for you is to rent a pallet jack and leap frog to your workshop. Once you get to your shop, you can use the jack inside to position the tools. For your safety (and we don't want anything happening to the tools) concerning the grade, on the steepest areas, Place the pallet jack less then half way into the pallets and let the back side drag. The friction will save your ass from getting run over. I've moved very heavy pallets down steep driveways by lifting the fronts only and allowing a good drag. Just lift it slowly until it begins to move and keep it slow.

The pipes could work fine. I used that method moving large boulders around the yard, but being on a hill, they are difficult to control. Do yourself and your family a favor and rent that pallet jack.

[Chris E Smith]

Brad, Ditto on the pallet jack but buy one and keep it. I have most of my tools on pallets I built for them and can move them around with ease. My welding table weighs about 1500 lbs and I move it myself with the pallet jack. When not in use I just roll it under one of the tools and tilt the handle down out of the way. It's about the smartest purchase I ever made for my shop.

[Brad Swanson]

I want to sincerely thank everyone for their valuable advice (just became a contributor to the site to help support this great resource). From the feedback I feel comfortable that I can safely move the machines to the basement shop once I receive them. Time to start the ordering process.

Brad

[Joseph Tarantino]

i've moved all my equipment with either mover's dolleys or appliance hand trucks. unisaw, 18" band saws (2), radial arm saws. 45* incline seems pretty steep. a pallet jack would make me really nervous. just my $.02.

[george newbury]

i've moved all my equipment with either mover's dolleys or appliance hand trucks. unisaw, 18" band saws (2), radial arm saws. 45* incline seems pretty steep. a pallet jack would make me really nervous. just my $.02.
um 9' over 45' is about 11 degrees or 20%, not to steep.

OP - If your at all concerned about your back:

Can you rent a Dingo or similar? (Toro Dingo for example http://www.sunbeltrentals.com/Equipment/equipment.aspx?itemid=0480020&catid=s352 ) They are designed to go thru narrow places, about 41 inches wide.

Do you have a High School Baseball/Football team around?

I know I'm concerned about my back so I plan ahead. I used to move freezers and such by hand alone with a heavy duty hand truck, now I use my Kubota B7610 which fits thru a 5' gate.