Moving Machines Long Distance

[Patrick Kane]

Tried to message Darcy about this, since he has a fair amount of experience buying and moving stuff, but it appears he cant receive PMs. Also wanted to let him know about a Bentel and Margedant jointer on Facebook. Anyway, i just purchased a machine about 6+ hours away from me, and the seller doesnt have a forklift/means of moving it onto a trailer. Ive shipped 6 900-1600lb machines across the country in the past, but in each instance the seller was able to bolt it to a pallet, or they had a forklift to lift and load the machine. That left me to wrestle the machine off a trailer on my end with a pallet jack. It wasnt always easy, but it worked. Now, i am facing a situation where the seller doesnt have any means to put the machine on a pallet jack, and he doesnt have a means of loading the machine. This makes it difficult for me to work with a national carrier to pick up and deliver a machine. They are picky about how freight is packaged--understandably. This leaves me to think Uship is my only route, but ive never dealt with a ushipper in the past that was capable of loading and unloading a machine on their own. It always involved the seller on a forklift loading the ushipper and the ushipper watching me unload it on my end. Is there a service i dont know of that can independently handle a 1300+lb machine pickup, or go crate a machine for a national freight carrier to later pick up?

[Lisa Starr]

IDK if they are all this way, but our local UPS Store offers crating and shipping services. It has worked well for me in the past.

[Donald G. Burns]

You might look into a rigging and transfer company if what you want moved is heavy.

[Phillip Mitchell]

What did you buy?

[Alex Zeller]

You can always look for a rigging company. You can hire them to remove the tool and put it on your trailer, have them deliver it to you, or even have them move it into your shop. Obviously the value of the tool in question comes into play and the more you have them do the more it'll cost you.

[Mark Bolton]

I wouldnt trust any shipping company to process shipment of a large machine. You can probably track darcy down quickly at 'https://thewoodworkforum DOT com/

[Patrick Kane]

Those are good suggestions for the rigging company. I will see if i can coordinate them to show up and load it. I will have no problem getting this off a trailer with a pallet jack.

I hear you, Mark. I typically avoid shipping companies when i can. The prices arent bad, but im so wary of damage--specifically, catastrophic fell 6' kind of damage. Also, lift gates arent practical once you get to a certain point. I just prefer low trailers for unloading stuff at my house. With that said, Uship carriers can be very spotty and ill equipped.

[Scott Bernstein]

Another suggestion for a rigging company - they specialize in moving high-precision and/or high-dollar big and/or heavy equipment. They are expensive, though. On the other hand they are fully insured and know what they are doing.

[Jeff Bartley]

Only 6 hours? Just go pick it up yourself, why risk it?

[Matt Day]

Only 6 hours? Just go pick it up yourself, why risk it?

Agreed.

Or, tell us where it is and maybe someone lives close enough to lend a hand. And if it’s vintage, post on OWWM and you’re sure to get help.

[David Buchhauser]

Only 6 hours? Just go pick it up yourself, why risk it?


And you should be able to rent a fork lift for a few hours at a reasonable cost. I have done this several times moving milling machines.
David

[Patrick Kane]

Only 6 hours? Just go pick it up yourself, why risk it?

I hear you, but I prefer spending some money versus saving a few peanuts to be behind the wheel for 12 hours, probably struggle like hell to load this myself, and then get it off by myself at the end of the day. If i do this myself, i know i am signing myself up for some suck. A full day of suck. My biggest issue isnt the time, it is that i dont have the equipment. I dont own a truck. I dont own a trailer. My wife and i have mid-size SUVs, and the last time i drove a trailer, i was 19 working a landscaping job during summer break. If there was a means for renting a pickup from Enterprise and loading/unloading this bugger from the bed, then i would have no problem making the drive. I think a trailer is the only way to move it without having a forklift on site. Im down for suggestions if people have ideas how to lift 1300-1500lbs into and out of a truck by myself. Oh and finally, id prefer not to do a road trip during Covid if i can help it.

It is an OWWM. I will stop being so coy once the seller gets my payment today and holds the machine. Missed out on a PK 1-2 years ago for $300 in a similar situation.

[David Davies]

rent a truck and JLG drop deck trailer.
Dave Davies

[Erik Loza]

'Nuther vote for moving it yourself. I ship brand-new, crated machinery for a living and shippers still find ways to crunch/drop/spear freight on a pretty regular basis. Good luck whatever you end up doing.

Erik

[Alex Zeller]

Being out in the country means figuring out how to do things by yourself whenever possible. 1500 lbs is about the max I can handle with my set up. I have a cheap 2 ton engine lift and I made jig that's adjustable for it. It does take a little trial and error to figure out the balance but I've lifted my PM66, 8" jointer, 4 post planer, shaper, and drum sander without any problems. It took a bit of research to make sure it would work. The main eye bolt is rated for .78 tons SWL. The 4 U-bolts are rated for 1100 lbs each. The chains are 2600lbs each. Before I made it I swear I was always needing to lift something and struggling to find a way.

439035

[Phillip Mitchell]

rent a truck and JLG drop deck trailer.
Dave Davies

This is what I’d do if I were in your position. It’s obviously not required that you have your own towing / OWWM moving rig to acquire said machinery, but it sure makes it less stressful and logistically simpler to be able to handle this type of stuff yourself from a hauling and moving perspective and adds some piece of mind compared to trusting freight companies with precious cargo.

I do realize this is one of those things that can become a thing just to acquire the other things, but for me having a few different trailer options helps me out in a lot of other areas outside of moving woodworking tools so it’s worth it for me (and others) to invest in such setups. Doesn’t have to be complicated. I use a low decked 6x12’ tandem axle utility trailer that can handle machines up to at least 3k pounds, though I don’t know how much I’d want to deal with a machine much heavier than that without a hydraulic loader / forklift of some kind.

[Jared Sankovich]

Depending on what you bought ill 3rd or 4th the truck and drop deck trailer (they say keep to them under 55 but can confirm they tow fine at 80-85 assuming the load is balanced. )

[Patrick Kane]

Sounds like I’m renting a truck with a trailer and spending a day on the road. Can’t remember the last time I drove a trailer, had to be high school or college, so this aught to be fun.

Do the drop deck trailers lay directly on the ground when lowered? I assume it’s pretty easy to wheel a pallet jack onto them if that is the case.

[Phillip Mitchell]

They are as close to the ground as is practically possible and yes, you should be able to roll a pallet jack on and off with it lowered.

[Ron Selzer]

They are as close to the ground as is practically possible and yes, you should be able to roll a pallet jack on and off with it lowered.

take a come along and 6' strap with you, in case you need help getting the pallet jack and machine on the trailer.
Deal with a drop deck at work hauling a Genie lift around. Takes two people or a younger in shape person to load it over the ramp.

[Jim Matthews]

Takes two people or a younger in shape person to load it over the ramp.

This is a key, overlooked point.

If you have difficulties, or strain something on site you're effectively stranded.

Poll the OWWM faithful. If the consensus is "Go get it."
There should be a checklist of what you must have and where to acquire them.

Your exposure to liability hauling something like this is considerable. A call to your car insurance carrier is in order.

[Jared Sankovich]

Your exposure to liability hauling something like this is considerable. A call to your car insurance carrier is in order.

That seems a bit alarmist especially considering we don't actually know what it is. Also I'm not sure how this carries any more liability that hauling anything else on a trailer.

[Matt Day]

Your exposure to liability hauling something like this is considerable. A call to your car insurance carrier is in order.

Yeeeeaaahhhhh..... no.

[Matt Day]

Agreed about the come along and straps. Also be prepared to remove parts so you’ll need all your metric sockets and Allen keys and such. Also be prepared for weather - either tarp it or use those big plastic stretch wrap deals. You’ll of course also need straps to secure the machine in place. Harbor Freight is good for those, and come along and lifting straps. And don’t forget snacks for the road and hand sanitizer and your mask!

[Charlie Velasquez]

Agreed about the come along and straps. Also be prepared to remove parts so you’ll need all your metric sockets and Allen keys and such. Also be prepared for weather - either tarp it or use those big plastic stretch wrap deals. You’ll of course also need straps to secure the machine in place. Harbor Freight is good for those, and come along and lifting straps. And don’t forget snacks for the road and hand sanitizer and your mask!

My dad impressed that on me back in the ‘60’s, showing me a newspaper article.
Apparently a guy was hauling a heavy piece of equipment on a trailer behind his pickup. I can just imagine him after he finally got it loaded and tied down with some rope, “With all that weight, it’s not going anywhere.”
Off on Interstate 69 he went, speed limit was 70 mph. All was good, till the deer showed up. Went over the bed, through the cab.

My dad said, “When you secure a load, the question isn’t how do you keep it from moving. The question is how do you get it to stop moving when it’s traveling at 70 mph right at your head.”

[Warren Lake]

moved all my machines with a car and trailer up to 2,600 lbs was the heaviest.

Mortise machine got delivered from the dealer for free which was nice. 1,800 lbs and top heavy that one I didnt want to move cause of top heavy and could not lay it down at the time. The Wadkin Bandsaw at about 2,600 lbs I took the top off and lay both sections down. Guy that sold it to me was really mad I did it that way. Told him min not driving six hours with a 9 foot tall bandsaw, it makes no sense.

I dont see relying on other people, every pickup is different in terms of time and adcess and how it unfolds.

I mcgiver stuff and sometimes drill machines on the bases for chains. Way overkill. I like to lift from the bottom and not the top. Back here have mostly had help from one farmer to lift things off the trailer.

[Jim Matthews]

That seems a bit alarmist especially considering we don't actually know what it is. Also I'm not sure how this carries any more liability that hauling anything else on a trailer.

"Is there a service i dont know of that can independently handle a 1300+lb machine pickup, or go crate a machine for a national freight carrier to later pick up?"

From the OP.
I've cleaned up after loads shifted through the cabs of professional haulers. It's a terminal physics lesson.

[Jim Matthews]

My dad said, “When you secure a load, the question isn’t how do you keep it from moving. The question is how do you get it to stop moving when it’s traveling at 70 mph right at your head.”

It's the Dunning-Kruger effect; those that think accidents only happen to other people don't know how much they don't know.

Some of them are dying to get a Darwin award.

[Eugene Dixon]

About to move my shop. Some 800# equipment is the max weight. Plan to rent a lift gate truck.

[Patrick Kane]

I wasnt thrilled with the idea of driving a trailer in congested areas full of traffic, but i dont think people should be fearful of moving machines. We arent talking big rigs with 40' gooseneck trailers loaded to the gills with 15,000lbs of machinery. I was 95% committed to going to get it this weekend, but someone ended up taking my bid on Uship last night and should hopefully have it safe and sound in my driveway tonight. That is the issue with long distance hauling when you have zilch for equipment. Renting a drop deck trailer and F-250 for 800+ miles and two days was going to be close to $500 once gas and tolls were factored in. For another $50 im getting someone else to do it for me and im not stuck driving 12 hours. This is why i rarely move stuff myself, it never makes financial or rational sense.

[Matt Day]

But you do miss out on the adventure, learning how to do it safely, Meeting the seller, and the sense of doing it yourself. That’s all part of the quest and part of the fun for me. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

My cost since I own a car and trailer for a 800 mile round trip would be about $150. That savings is about the cost of a small utility trailer.

Either way, post pictures!

[Patrick Kane]

Nothing quite like a 2am unload. PSA for folks that havent used Uship: they are ALWAYS atleast 4-5 hours behind schedule, always. Anyway, i got the saw inside and immediately went to bed. I looked at it for all of 3 minutes, but seems to have most of the parts, nothing is broken, and everything moves and adjusts. Its a heavy saw, but nothing too unruly on a pallet jack. It also seems to be very low to the ground.

Here it is in the stable at 2:10am.

[Jeff Bartley]

Man, you're braver than me! No way I'd have trusted that move to someone else! Nice get though and I'm glad the shipping went well. Now we'll all expect a restoration like Patrick W's!

I thought maybe you snagged the Felder saw/shaper recently listed. I was out on a jobsite with no cell service and missed it by hours. Someone got a heckuva deal!

[Phillip Mitchell]

Nice score! What model is it? Do you have parts to track down / restore or is it plug and play?

How did you end up getting it crated / loaded on the front end? Is that something the uShip driver did for you?

I think part of why most folks get into hauling their own machines is the thought and likelihood of something going wrong during the freight process before it gets to you. I’m glad it arrived to you in what appears to be good health.

[Alex Zeller]

Congrats. Glad everything worked out. I've often looked at u-ship when I've come across something interesting in an auction. What are your plans for it.

[Erik Loza]

Great looking machine! Glad it went as planned.

Erik

[Patrick Kane]

Nice score! What model is it? Do you have parts to track down / restore or is it plug and play?

How did you end up getting it crated / loaded on the front end? Is that something the uShip driver did for you?

I think part of why most folks get into hauling their own machines is the thought and likelihood of something going wrong during the freight process before it gets to you. I’m glad it arrived to you in what appears to be good health.

I had a pallet jack delivered to the site for a short rental. I dont believe the original owner had it directly sitting on the ground, so they were able to use the pallet jack to get the saw onto the trailer. They had a janky "tilting" trailer, which i imagined was a metal deck hydraulic tilting trailer. No, it was a rotten wood deck 16' trailer that see-sawed when the load was past the axle. The idiots put the saw directly on the deck of the trailer. I specifically told them not to do that, because of the inability to get my pallet jack under it. This meant i had to drag the saw to the end of the trailer by hand at 2am. Like i said, once it was on the pallet jack, it is easy peasy.

My plan is to replace what is missing, hopefully not get swept into jerking around with a complete disassembly, repaint the machine(im partial to the contemporary Martin blue), and generally make it as aesthetically perfect as i can. I havent run it in person, so that could change, but the adjustments seem pretty smooth already. Im sure they will improve once i clean and lubricate the chains and moving parts. The saw hasnt run in a few years due to the owner thinking it ruined. The switch ended up having too much sawdust in it.

I am definitely not as risk averse as others when it comes to machines. At this point, its assured i will get burned at some point, but i subscribe to the theory of buying high quality industrial machines at aggressive prices. One, my observations of my late 1980s 20" european jointer, this T17, 15 year old Felder KF700, an older 12" jointer, and a 60's PM72 is that it is quite difficult to strike a mortal blow at them. You have to drop them 4' off the back of a truck to hurt them. Most of the stuff i buy is already in need of TLC, so i dont need the freight carriers to not scratch the paint. I just need them to not tip it over, drop it, or lose it on the highway. I always stipulate i want the machine on a lowbed trailer. This minimizes the risk of dropping machines, in my opinion. If you move a machine on a pallet jack a few inches off the ground, you really do need to be foolish to drop the machine. Its worked well over the years. There are a lot of deals out there, just a matter of the deal being good enough to make sense of the shipping/transport/unknown costs. It isnt for everyone though. There is a lot of trust and risk with sending payment to sellers ahead of pickup and having strangers pick it up.