Sliding Table Saw Delivery Options

[TK Donovan]

I'm finally setting up a new shop which will include a 8.5' sliding table saw. In my previous shop I had access to a fork lift and boom truck through my local lumber yard for equipment deliveries but not in my new location. Does anyone have experience with a delivery of longish / heavyish machine with a lift gate? This saw will be about 1400 lbs and the 8.5' length. Thanks

[Philip Glover]

I had a combo machine delivered which the shipping weight was around 1,400 - 1,500 lb.. In addition there was a bandsaw too.
It came on a trailer truck with a lift gate which had a 4,000 lb. capacity, if I remember correctly. There were no problems - all went smoothly.
The whole process from the truck pulling onto the driveway to the truck leaving was less than 20 min.

Regards,
Phil

[TK Donovan]

Thanks Phil. Sounds like my kind of delivery - do you recall if there were any "extra-special" arrangement made prior to delivery. Seems like this particular LTL company may not be so well equipped...

[Richard Coers]

Tried to find the video where a planer/jointer combo fell off a lift gate, couldn't find it. I'm a huge fan of roll back wreckers. $100 gets the machine slide safely to the ground with nearly zero human effort. Either transfer from the truck to the wrecker with the winch on the roll back, and then to the ground, or have the wrecker pick it up at the local terminal.

[John TenEyck]

I had a 1600 lb jointer shipped from out of state to a local friend. It was about 8-1/2 to 9 ft long on the 4' wide pallet. The shipper called to say it was going to be too large to get it out onto the lift gate, even thought they accepted my money for lift gate service. I ended up going to the freight terminal and picking it up with a U-haul truck, then pulling it off the truck with a winch mounted to the garage floor over a set of ramps I built. It all went smoothly but took some effort. I got my money back for the lift gate service, too.

Richard's recommendation would have been much simpler.

John

[Frank Drackman]

I use a ramp truck from the local towing company to deliver big machines. They pickup at the freight terminal, back up to my door and extend the ramp. Pallet slides right off.

[jack duren]

Shouldn't be a problem as long as you can turn it on the lift gate..

[Patrick Kane]

Unloading off a low trailer with a pallet jack is a pretty simple affair. My last tool on a lift gate was a 12" jointer that made it to the ground safely, but had me anxious AF. Western PA is full of topo, which makes unloading somewhat complex at times. The weight usually isnt the problem with the lift gate, it is the size of the machine. I couldnt ship a 20" jointer once, because it needed to be on a special pallet with a long tine forklift. Ended up having to uship that particular machine, because it was too long, about 9'.

If they give you problems with the lift gate, or you are a belt and suspenders type of person, then i would probably recommend having the carrier take it to the terminal and then arrange for someone else or yourself to pick it up with a trailer.

[Philip Glover]

Todd,

The trucking company called me to find out what my driveway, road, and shop situation was. So, they decided that the tractor trailer with a heavy duty lift gate would do.
I do not , however, remember the company for that MiniMax delivery. My Felder delivery was LTL and they were okay. Both trucks had heavy duty lift gates.
Recently I bought a lathe which weighs about 4000 lb.; it needed a rigger for more than just the weight.

Regards,
Phil

[John P Clark]

I had a FELDER K700 delivered about three years ago with a lift gate - it has a 9- ft slider and weights around the same as what your machine spec says. Mine came with the slider is a different crate so it was not very hard to get off with the lift gate. I have not had a problem getting machines off of lift gates and ito my shop

[Jon Snider]

I rented a fork lift to get it to ground then used a narrow pallet jack (22” or less) to move into shop. Didn’t trust being able able to turn it on lift gate, plus you never know what kind of LTL driver you’ll get.

[Michael Koons]

I've pretty much taken delivery almost every way you can. My 1200 lb MM slider came on a lift gate but was only the 66" sliding table, so it was easier. I picked up my 1400 lb Felder J/P from the showroom with a trailer and got it off with my pallet jack. Picked up my 1000 lb MM bandsaw from the freight company with the same trailer. And had a rigger deliver my 3500 lb table saw.

I've had liftgates for the sander and compressor deliveries but those are much smaller and lighter. (500 lbs each) I've been lucky, every time I've gotten a liftgate, the driver has been very helpful and friendly.

Only issue I've had with lift gates is that due to dimensions, not the weight, I was told they couldn't use a lift gate for the bandsaw and the J/P. I didn't press them on it as I was ok with picking them up.

[johnny means]

I moved this guy twice with a wrecker. I secured the table with straps and just winched it on up then jiggled it back down. I might have thought twice with a less robust machine, but these old guys are built like tanks.

[Jim Becker]

Either use a low trailer, preferably with a tilt, like I did to pick up my slider from the terminal (https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?51276-Mini-Max-S315-WS-Installation-Adjustment-and-Group-Frolic&highlight=Slider) or use a roll-back "wrecker" truck, either to also pick up from the terminal or to winch directly off the tractor-trailer and then completely the delivery to your shop as I did with my CNC machine (https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?264206-CNC-arrives-)&highlight=Delivery). Most lift gates rarely can handle "long things" and you other wise need a forklift with extra long forks to get something long and narrow out of a trucker's trailer.

I personally favor the roll-back method at this point because a good driver can place something on the ground very precisely and often can even push a crate through a door in the right conditions. It's not all that expensive, too. I paid $100 cash for my CNC delivery that way and we snatched the crate off the tractor-trailer in a parking lot just down the road from my home.

[justin sherriff]

I am a LTL driver and 1400lb is not hard to deal with if the ground is not to steep and paved. The problem is the 8.5 foot long pallet. If there is not a heavy end the far end will drag. With help It can be pulled but getting onto the lift gate would be very hard to do that long.

[John Sincerbeaux]

I purchased a Northfield 16HD jointer from a guy in Michigan. I went with Old Dominion who I have always had good luck with. The thing to remember is the agents that will quote you a price and book the delivery really don’t know or care if the item can truly be handled with a lift-gate. They don’t care how it will be loaded or off loaded. Those details need to be worked out between the individuals making the transaction. In my case, the seller loaded the jointer that was nicely crated on to the OD truck using TWO forklifts. When I booked the shipment the agent assured me that the liftgate could handle the dimensions of the crate. When the truck arrived to my house my fears were realized. I didn’t know at the time it was loaded with two forklifts. I had no forklifts, just a pallet jack, the driver, and two neighbors.
The #2000 lbs was not the problem, as others have already said, the problem was the length. We all put our minds and muscles together to get the machine off that truck. Had to use my chainsaw to cut away both ends of the pallet so it would just barely clear the corner of the truck opening. It was extremely sketchy as we basically had to push the jointer way out and off the liftgate just enough to turn it onto and parallel with the liftgate.
Lessons learned: LTL agents don’t know the limitations of loading or offloading.
LTL drivers are not riggers. Most are very helpful but it really isn't their job to figure out the logistics of loading or off loading.
If you don’t own a forklift, its way worth it to rent one for the day.

[Darcy Warner]

I am a LTL driver and 1400lb is not hard to deal with if the ground is not to steep and paved. The problem is the 8.5 foot long pallet. If there is not a heavy end the far end will drag. With help It can be pulled but getting onto the lift gate would be very hard to do that long.

This is the truth.

I deal with brokers and ltl guys all the time.
This weeks fun was trying to get a trailer with double doors, not a roll up, to pick up a 93" wide crate.

[Erik Loza]

I had a FELDER K700 delivered about three years ago with a lift gate - it has a 9- ft slider and weights around the same as what your machine spec says. Mine came with the slider is a different crate so it was not very hard to get off with the lift gate. I have not had a problem getting machines off of lift gates and ito my shop

Well, I deliver sliding panel saws for a living... :D The answer to this question is exactly what John pointed out: If the slider comes in a separate crate, you have a shot at it with a liftgate truck. However, if the slider is pre-installed and 8' long, FORGET IT.

Erik

[David Kumm]

Taking the sliding table off is always a better option. Stuff gets banged around enough in the process that taking the table off and not stressing the bearings is worth the effort. Dave

[Mark Bolton]

Do yourself a favor and call your local rental yard, Sunbelt or equivalent, and have them drop you a forklift for a day (they will often leave it for several days and not come pick it up til they need it). 400-600 dollars for a forklift for peace of mind, to not be a nuisance to the driver, and to be able to move the machine around at will once its uncrated is a gift and should be factored into the cost of the machine (on your part).

[Dave Cav]

I had an 8.5 foot Minimax SC4E delivered a couple of months ago. We did all the moving with a pallet jack. It was delivered to my shop driveway via Fedex Freight liftgate truck. The trucker got it on the ground with his pallet jack and the truck liftgate and I took it the rest of the way with my pallet jack. The crate is just under ten feet long and will JUST fit through a 10 foot garage door. Once in the shop I disassembled the crate, moved the saw into position and then used prybars and blocking to get the pallet out from under the saw. I did nearly all the work by myself, just took my time and carefully considered every move well in advance. I suppose a forklift would have been a bit easier, but in reality there isn't room in my shop for a forklift and the table saw to move together; as it is I had to temporarily move the widebelt, jointer and thickness planer just to clear a path for the saw. 8.5 foot sliders take up a lot of room.

[Brian W Evans]

I picked my 8.5' slider at the freight terminal in a UHaul pickup with a low trailer. FedEx put it in the trailer with a forklift. I got it out with a come-along. Got it off the pallet with a pallet jack. Did this by myself for far less than the cost of a roll-back truck.

[Jay Champagne]

I'm a mechanic, so I don't have any experience with these kind of machines, but I've moved a heavy tool box or 2.
Some of these are really big, and that's the issue with a lift gate delivery on a new one. It's always been made to work, but these pallets are often 6-8' long.
Easiest scenario for a loaded box is a flat bed tow truck, but I've heard of some pretty crazy rates being charged.
I've helped guys load boxes onto several different types of trailers using only ramps and come-a-longs. I recommend redundancy for safety.
I even loaded one right into the back of a pickup recently, with a forklift. We had one at the shop temporarily, and he had one at his destination.
I would consider a forklift rental (or hired?)

[Jim Andrew]

I have used my skidsteer with forks to get most of my machines from the back of trucks, but for my sliding table saw, used my tilt bed trailer, just had them load the saw onto the trailer with forklift, then backed it up to my shop door, and rolled the saw in. Did order the mobility kit, and installed it before tilting the trailer down.

[Jim Becker]

Easiest scenario for a loaded box is a flat bed tow truck, but I've heard of some pretty crazy rates being charged.
Many tow truck roll-back operators will not do this kind of work...it's about what their insurance will cover. But some embrace it. The guy I used for my CNC delivery is one such operator...he moves more "stuff" than most in this area and a lot of the vehicles that do go on his bed are antiques or other special vehicles. He explained that he set his insurance up so he has full coverage for the non-vehicular stuff. My cost was $100. Cash. Including tip. I found that extremely reasonable compared to other options available to me to take delivery of such a large and heavy crate.

[Mark Bolton]

Our local roll back hauler (huge wrecker company that hauls trucks and cargo worth hundreds of thousands of dollars) charges $85 an hour. They will have a lambo on a roll back that will cost far more than ANY machine considered in this forum. Heck. A cheap mercedes or any other budget euro vehicle will dwarf the expense of any tool.

The reason they dont want to deal with these goofy residential tool deliveries is for one reason and one reason only, they are a colossal waste of money with a million questions, micro-managing a drop that should take 3 minutes but it turns into hours, and so on. i.e. the customers are a nuisance. The hourly rate is what covers that. If you want to hold the driver up for 3 hours while you figure out how to deal with the delivery or call friends over.. your paying. Which is the way it should be.

Roll back haulers hearing about a residential delivery laced with a bunch of questions and them saying "thanks but we will pass" is no shock.