Don't call me crazy ... it's creative, right?!?

[Tom Bain]

So, I am soon to take delivery of new machinery for my new shop, including a sliding table saw, jointer/planer, and bandsaw -- all of which will be on individual pallets. My challenge is getting the equipment from the curb down my carriage path driveway (i.e., 2 concrete strips with a patch of grass in between) and into the shop. The driveway is too narrow for a delivery/box truck to drive down safely. My idea is to build 2 or 3 wooden platforms and use a pallet jack to move the machines down the driveway. The wooden platforms would effectively be built like a floor and I was going to space the joists 12" on center just to be extra safe with a 3/4" plywood skin on top. That "floor assembly" would sit on 4x4s that would be sitting on the concrete driveway strips. The platforms would be placde end-to-end to span the driveway.

Does anyone see any serious problems with this plan, and/or better ideas? The only other option I can think of would be to rent a forklift (which I've never operated) and "drive" the pallets down the driveway.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

[Terry Beadle]

I would first determine the weigh of each pallet that's loaded. If the pallet is under 300 pounds, then you should be able to put the whole pallet load on a hand cart with pneumatic tires. Mine was cheap at Home Depot and can easily handle 300 pounds.

The heavier pallets should be able to roll on those strip platforms you propose. Make sure you have a latching system between the ends of the strips so that they can't slide apart when end to end and the pallet jack wheels bump across them. 3/4 inch ply will handle a very high load. However, another idea is to rent one of those air lift blankets. They can lift a tremendous load and just require a smooth surface to support the air flow. An portable air compressor will provide plenty of CFM and the heavy load will slide along easily so that even the proverbial 120 pound weakling can deal with it. They would also reduce your cost of moving materials as a piece of 3/8ths ply with nothing under it would probably be all you need. Two 4 X 8 sheets end to end would give you a really good surface to float across.

When you get to a down ward slope where the load can potentially get away from you, use a come along to control the down ward movement. Anchor it to a bolt in the concrete or tied with chain off a handy tree. Even backing it down with a car/truck will do the job.

If a load gets really too wieldy to handle. Break it open out of the box/pallet and break the machine down into smaller components if need be.

The first rule, is SAFTY first. The second rule is never allow any one or any thing in front of the load.

Just some thoughts. Good Luck and don't forget to post some pictures !

[steven taggart]

I would check with your local lumber yard to see how much for them to come over with a forklift and an operator. It may be cheaper than the materials you would need to build your platforms.

[Cary Falk]

Unless the grass in the middle has a huge hump, I would just lay down plywood.

[John Lanciani]

Unless the grass in the middle has a huge hump, I would just lay down plywood.

+1. Two sheets of 3/4" ply or OSB is all you need. just leapfrog them along as you go. no need to over do the solution to a simple problem.

Edited to add; Another instance of "If we knew where you were from someone may well volunteer to help you" (a pet peeve of mine...)

[Matt Day]

Unless the grass in the middle has a huge hump, I would just lay down plywood.

+1..........

[Tom Bain]

There is a pretty sizable hump between the strips. I can't really get plywood sheets to lay flat, which is why I was thinking along the lines of the built-up platform. Also, the heaviest pallet will probably be around 1,000 lbs so its not a small amount of weight.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Rent the forklift do a little driving around with it before you use it on your new machinery. Just how steep is the carriage path? Small forklift can be a little testy with one wheel on grass and the other on concrete. Be careful. Tom

[johnny means]

What size machines are we talking about here?

Moving this
287352
is a little different than moving this.
287353

I wouldn't consider disassembling a slider or jointer/planer an option.

[Erik Loza]

Tom, 1,000lbs. is really not that much weight for machines of this size (on the light side, to be honest...). I have moved as many of these types of machines as anyone. Your bandsaw could easily be rolled on its spine, on some furniture dollies. I suspect that the slider and J/P could probably be moved on a pallet jack if you used the OSB boards to straddle one of your concrete strips, rather than thinking of straddling the hump. Worst case scenario: Pay some piano movers or professional riggers to to take care of it for you.

Good luck,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Rick Potter]

Agree about the plywood. I lay it on my gravel drive for moving machines.

Are you SURE the truck doing the delivery will not have a forklift? If it doesn't, you may be able to pay a little more and have them bring one.

[Jim Andrew]

I use my skidsteer with fork attachment to handle my machines. Also find a small tilt-bed trailer to be very handy for handling machines. When I took delivery on my sliding table saw, I had the truck driver meet me at the local Co-op and they used the forklift to load the saw on my tilt bed trailer. Then I just backed the trailer up to the shop and tilted the bed down and slid the pallet off into the shop. Used a 6' 2x4 as a lever to make it slide.

[Larry Edgerton]

Order some material you need from a supplier that has a forklift on the back of the truck and slip the driver a little cash to move the machines. My lumber supplier is coming over with their truck to move a shaper for me that my tractor will not pick up.

Larry

[John Piwaron]

I think I'd call a mover and let them do the work for me. I asked about this very thing at the most recent home improvement show in my town. I mentioned the weight I thought the machine would weigh (~1,000) and how much to get it into my basement. He didn't bat an eye at the weight. Just said $125 per hour. They've dealt with the stuff before. Tools, appliances, boxes of household goods. It's all the same to them.

[C Scott McDonald]

I was in the same boat. Gravel drive way where the wheel tracks where lower. I did OSB and made it there. I moved a hammer slider and made it there ok. When i get another piece of equipment I will get 3/4 ply instead as the OSD fell apart pretty quickly under the weight of the saw.

You could always get a couple 2x12" and leap frog the under the ply. You wont need to fill up both groves.

Congrats on new equipment! Its always fun to get some new tools!

[Tom Bain]

I appreciate all the input. I think that I can get plywood to lay flat enough if I don't try and span the grassy hump and just lay it off to one side or the other. The driveway is pretty flat, so I think a pallet jack rolling on the plywood could work. Equipment should be coming next Friday so I'll let you know how it goes.

[Wade Lippman]

I hired moving men to carry 2500 pounds of new tools from my garage (where the delivery men put them) around the house to the walk out basement for $200. Amounted to 3% of the tool cost; quite a bargain. Probably would have been cheaper except that it was two deliveries.

A pallet jack over plywood?!

[Rick Potter]

Wade,

I recently sold my Felder slider/shaper. Pulled it across plywood on gravel with a pallet jack, just fine.

Rick P