Nathan Conner
01-06-2008, 11:03 AM
Sorta long, here - I think I got carried away.
So, related to my thread of a few days ago, I am now the very proud but slightly miffed owner of a 775 lb. hunk of iron, the PM 209 20" planer. Proud because of the price (teensy gloat, but a gloat nonetheless) of sub-$1500 and the fact that I own my dream planer now. Miffed because it's still in the back of the truck.
As I explained yesterday on the tail end of another thread, I had some issues when I got home. I have a lifted F-250 as my "lumberyard truck", and with the topper off, the planer fit perfectly. They forked it on at the machinery shop. When I got home, though, after these several weeks of rain, and my grassy "path" up a hill through a copse of spruce, I got stuck trying to turn around. Took 3 runs to even get up there, and on the 4th, I made it but left a heck of a muddy trail behind me. At the top of the hill (at the shop), the truck got stuck, and I spent a couple of hours with the little Kubota 4x4 sub-compact yanking sideways on the truck while the neighbor goosed it in low, and we got it out and back down the hill, sliding most of the way.
So, the truck idea is out - it won't be able to get up there again (I have road tires on it) until it dries out. Which, around here, will be July. The planer spent the night OUTSIDE in 35 degree rain under several tarps. It was uncrated, wings removed.
I have a small tilt-down yard trailer that should theoretically hold the weight of the planer. (If it doesn't, no big loss - it's not much of a trailer, anyhow) My thought is that the tractor sloshed up that hill without so much as a slip. So I could use the tractor to pull the little trailer up to the shop. But it's a good 2' height drop from the truck bed to the trailer bed.
I'm by myself out here in a pretty rural area. My wife is under the weather and can't help, few of my neighbors are around on the weekends, but I may be able to get one to help out. I have loads of stout boards, 2x6s, 3/4" ply, etc.
I wrestled my 18" Jet bandsaw off of the truck and into place in the shop by myself, but I don't think we're even in the same weight league here, and the bandsaw was 2x the height, so it was easy to maneuver.
So, there it is. The tractor does fine by itself, don't know how it will do with the trailer. The tractor weighs in at about 1500 lbs by itself. There's a FEL on it, but the height is only 6', and max weight is only 500 lbs. (At 510 lbs, it will start to tip forward slowly...don't ask how I know)
With a short (10') come-a-long, plenty of rope and straps, the tools at my disposal, and the 1/4 mile drive on the tractor & trailer, I'm sure this is feasible. Maybe use the come-a-long on a tree branch to winch it up out of the truck and back down to the trailer? I'm trying to picture a strong enough tree I have...maybe not. Is there some A-Frame I can knock together around the truck to winch it up and then drive the trailer underneath? Rent an engine hoist? Rent a forklift? Get someone with a big tractor?
I'm willing to try anything at this point. My first instinct was to put a Craigslist ad up for a few strong guys - give them a hundred bucks plus a case of Hank's to just carry it to the shop, or devise a way to get it up there with a 4x4 with mud tires and a liftgate...but two fears. One is that I don't want them to damage it and then drive off into the sunset. Another is, I don't know them, and the last thing I need is some guys eyeballing all the tools to come back at 3am tomorrow and clean me out of thousands in hand and small power tools.
Any thoughts? Am I just ridiculously over-thinking this? Gees, it's a gorgeous planer and it won't spend another night outside. (Truck is too big for either garage) I just don't want to get hurt, and I don't want to hurt the planer. The truck/trailer? Meh.
Whatever I do, I'll be sure and post pictures. :)
So, related to my thread of a few days ago, I am now the very proud but slightly miffed owner of a 775 lb. hunk of iron, the PM 209 20" planer. Proud because of the price (teensy gloat, but a gloat nonetheless) of sub-$1500 and the fact that I own my dream planer now. Miffed because it's still in the back of the truck.
As I explained yesterday on the tail end of another thread, I had some issues when I got home. I have a lifted F-250 as my "lumberyard truck", and with the topper off, the planer fit perfectly. They forked it on at the machinery shop. When I got home, though, after these several weeks of rain, and my grassy "path" up a hill through a copse of spruce, I got stuck trying to turn around. Took 3 runs to even get up there, and on the 4th, I made it but left a heck of a muddy trail behind me. At the top of the hill (at the shop), the truck got stuck, and I spent a couple of hours with the little Kubota 4x4 sub-compact yanking sideways on the truck while the neighbor goosed it in low, and we got it out and back down the hill, sliding most of the way.
So, the truck idea is out - it won't be able to get up there again (I have road tires on it) until it dries out. Which, around here, will be July. The planer spent the night OUTSIDE in 35 degree rain under several tarps. It was uncrated, wings removed.
I have a small tilt-down yard trailer that should theoretically hold the weight of the planer. (If it doesn't, no big loss - it's not much of a trailer, anyhow) My thought is that the tractor sloshed up that hill without so much as a slip. So I could use the tractor to pull the little trailer up to the shop. But it's a good 2' height drop from the truck bed to the trailer bed.
I'm by myself out here in a pretty rural area. My wife is under the weather and can't help, few of my neighbors are around on the weekends, but I may be able to get one to help out. I have loads of stout boards, 2x6s, 3/4" ply, etc.
I wrestled my 18" Jet bandsaw off of the truck and into place in the shop by myself, but I don't think we're even in the same weight league here, and the bandsaw was 2x the height, so it was easy to maneuver.
So, there it is. The tractor does fine by itself, don't know how it will do with the trailer. The tractor weighs in at about 1500 lbs by itself. There's a FEL on it, but the height is only 6', and max weight is only 500 lbs. (At 510 lbs, it will start to tip forward slowly...don't ask how I know)
With a short (10') come-a-long, plenty of rope and straps, the tools at my disposal, and the 1/4 mile drive on the tractor & trailer, I'm sure this is feasible. Maybe use the come-a-long on a tree branch to winch it up out of the truck and back down to the trailer? I'm trying to picture a strong enough tree I have...maybe not. Is there some A-Frame I can knock together around the truck to winch it up and then drive the trailer underneath? Rent an engine hoist? Rent a forklift? Get someone with a big tractor?
I'm willing to try anything at this point. My first instinct was to put a Craigslist ad up for a few strong guys - give them a hundred bucks plus a case of Hank's to just carry it to the shop, or devise a way to get it up there with a 4x4 with mud tires and a liftgate...but two fears. One is that I don't want them to damage it and then drive off into the sunset. Another is, I don't know them, and the last thing I need is some guys eyeballing all the tools to come back at 3am tomorrow and clean me out of thousands in hand and small power tools.
Any thoughts? Am I just ridiculously over-thinking this? Gees, it's a gorgeous planer and it won't spend another night outside. (Truck is too big for either garage) I just don't want to get hurt, and I don't want to hurt the planer. The truck/trailer? Meh.
Whatever I do, I'll be sure and post pictures. :)