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Thread: Sliding Table Saw Delivery Options

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Bend, Oregon
    Posts
    10

    Sliding Table Saw Delivery Options

    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
    Todd Donovan

  2. #2
    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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Bend, Oregon
    Posts
    10
    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...
    Todd Donovan

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
    Posts
    4,445
    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.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,648
    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

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Coastal Southern Maine
    Posts
    350
    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.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    odessa, missouri
    Posts
    1,910
    Blog Entries
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    Shouldn't be a problem as long as you can turn it on the lift gate..

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Western PA
    Posts
    1,242
    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.

  9. #9
    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

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Brighton, CO
    Posts
    88
    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

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Colorado Springs
    Posts
    360
    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.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Southeastern PA
    Posts
    140
    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.

  13. #13
    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.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    Either use a low trailer, preferably with a tilt, like I did to pick up my slider from the terminal 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. 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.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    bloomington il
    Posts
    184
    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.

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