Equipment Mover suggestions in MD?

[Dan Hintz]

No "perfect" forum for this, but I figure folks who use large power tools have to come across this from time to time.

If everything goes as planned (hoped?), I will be moving my home (basement) shop into much larger digs (another basement). Both areas are accessible through wide doors (sliding glass doors) into the open air (depending upon the final location, there may be a handful of outside steps, but wide entry, either way).

Can anyone recommend heavy equipment movers? We're not talking 3,000 ton presses or anything, but it's equipment I would prefer not to try and move myself again. Equipment includes a 450 pound laser, 450 pound bandsaw, 700 pound lathe, a 330 pound lathe, and a 650 pound CNC.

[John D Watson]

Dan , Try looking for Riggers in you area. You may be suprised. They specialize in moving machinery.

[Dan Hintz]

I Googled and found a couple of (semi)local shops that would probably work, but I was hoping someone had a specific suggestion. I'm also curious as to what I can expect cost-wise... $1k, maybe? The equipment would be moved a mere 10 miles, but obviously the real work is in the loading/unloading.

[Steve Peterson]

We recently moved our 2800sf house plus 400sf garage workshop and got moving quotes that were all over the place. The first guy wanted $3500 for the house and another $2000 for the workshop. The next guy that we used wanted $3000 for everything but didn't break out the cost for the shop.

My shop sounds like it is smaller than yours. PM66 table saw, 18" bandsaw, 400lb lathe. Everything else was small (6" jointer, lunchbox planer, miter saw, ClearVue cyclone broken down to small parts. We moved about 20 miles. The workshop move was from garage to garage, so no steps involved at either end. I broke down all the workbenches so everything was just loading and unloading. Eight guys spent about 12 hours moving 5 trucks full of stuff. I think we had 3 14-15' trucks and 2 24' trucks full of stuff. The workshop filled more than one of the 24' trucks, so assume that it might be around 25-30% of the total move cost.

I would be surprised if you could find a mover willing to move your larger shop for $1k. Maybe just the heavy pieces for $1k. The small stuff (hardwood, shelves, DC piping, hand tools, etc.) adds up to more weight and volume than the big equipment.

Steve

[Loren Woirhaye]

Somebody on OWWM.org may be able to help you out.

$1000 for 6 hours work is not a bad gig. That machinery really isn't that heavy.

[Phil Thien]

Look for Piano moves.

[Dan Hintz]

I would be surprised if you could find a mover willing to move your larger shop for $1k. Maybe just the heavy pieces for $1k. The small stuff (hardwood, shelves, DC piping, hand tools, etc.) adds up to more weight and volume than the big equipment.
I don't need the entire shop moved, just the big equipment. I moved those pieces in one by one over a few years (with MUCH help from neighbors), but trying to do it all at once, as well as handling the rest of the move, is definitely too much. Regular movers will be handling the majority of the household, and I'll do one or two trips with a small Penske truck to move the more fragile items.


Somebody on OWWM.org may be able to help you out.

$1000 for 6 hours work is not a bad gig. That machinery really isn't that heavy.
That was my thinking as again, I'm not asking for the entire shop, just 4-5 pieces of equipment... I figured $1k would be a reasonable figure, plus or minus.

I'll definitely hit up the OWWM folks.


Look for Piano moves.
Why didn't I think of that... though I have a sneaking suspicion they'd charge more, like paying more for identical $1 microfiber towels when you purchase them at the auto parts store rather than WalMart (location, location, location!).

[Jim German]

If you've got the access you could consider renting a shooting boom forklift (https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/detail/1046/0560210/). They'd easily eb able to handle that weight, and reach far into the shop. About $400 a day, although since you need it at two locations you might have to pay some extra to get them to move it inbetween.

[Mel Fulks]

The riggers around here do some extraordinary machine moving at any hour. And most accurate on cost estimates. I would only hire "riggers",not anyone working as movers.

[Jim Matthews]

Look for Piano moves.\

+1 That's who I call, for big equipment.
These guys snicker at what I call "heavy".

[Dan Hintz]

If you've got the access you could consider renting a shooting boom forklift (https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/detail/1046/0560210/). They'd easily eb able to handle that weight, and reach far into the shop. About $400 a day, although since you need it at two locations you might have to pay some extra to get them to move it inbetween.

The equipment is deep inside the house, and access is through the backyard (hilly)... I don't think any form of heavy machinery is going to work for getting my stuff to/from the truck.

[Steve Grimes]

I've used Brookes piano movers in Mt. Airy to move 400 - 600 lb equipment from my driveway, down a hill through the yard, down a narrow flight of stairs into the basement. They did a great job.

[Jim Neeley]

Dan,

Check with your local locksmiths and ask them who they have move/deliver their safes. Those are *heavy*!!

I had a 1200# move and they brought out a trailer with a hydraulic bed lift/lowerer. They also had a electro-hydraulic stair-climber that would handle >1000#, if you have any stairs to negotiate. There were two of them and no one came close to getting hurt.

Jim

[Dan Hintz]

I've used Brookes piano movers in Mt. Airy


Check with your local locksmiths and ask them who they have move/deliver their safes.

Thanks, guys, I'll check them out when the time approaches...

[Ken Ketcham]

I moved all of my woodworking equipment into a new workshop a couple of years ago. I used Two Men and a Truck. An estimator visited a week in advance to estimate the cost. Four guys (big, burly college kids) moved everything, were very careful, and took about two hours. Cost was about $200. Heaviest equipment was the Powermatic 209HH planer, about 800 lbs. Since the move was only about 150 feet, it didn't involve trucking, but that was available if needed.