How do you move heavy equipment in your shop?

[Jack Frederick]

500 and 1000# will surely demonstrate the definition of inertia, so slow and steady wins the race here. I have an assortment of iron pipe up to 2" I use for rollers. You can use your 3/4" pipe clamp pipes for same if your floor is smooth. J-bars are excellent for getting the first lift and then steering the mass. You don't need them often but they simplify the process and keep your fingers away. If you find that you are going to be doing this regularly, you might lean on a friend with a welder to make your mobile base.

[Ned Otter]

Thanks everyone - really appreciate all the feedback.

[Rick Potter]

Another pallet jack user.

I paid $500 for a brand new, name brand (Crown), pallet jack. That was less than I had invested in mobile bases.

I put the big tools like slider saw, and 24" band saw on 4x4's with 3/4" 4x4" pads. This works fine and allows the pallet jack to fit under just right.

I store the jack under my sanding table, so it takes up less than a foot of floor space for the back wheels.

[Brice Rogers]

Some thoughts:
1. I've moved some heavy stuff like the Egyptians - - with steel pipe. Acts like a roller.
2. Renting a pallet jack or a hoist/cherry picker is an option. I have a hoist that I fold up. I rarely use it but it is nice to have when you need it.
2. Your 1/2" concrete is very likely to crumble. Rolling anything over broken concrete isn't going to work very well. I think that will be your Achilles heal. If you wanted to save the floor, perhaps consider putting some sacrificial plywood over it to spread the load a bit. That may save the concrete....

[Ned Otter]

@Brice Rogers - someone else mentioned this Achilles heel, and I agree with both of you. Now considering options to remedy that.

[Alex Zeller]

If you can post a picture or two of the cement floor so we can judge just how bad it is it might help. I think a pallet jack is fine on a smooth floor but will quickly turn into frustration if not. If the floor is in pretty rough shape then I would look into something with large casters, say 6" or 8" (or modify something). A pallet jack has very small wheels on the bottom of the forks and can't easily be swapped out with larger ones. I use an engine lift that I modified so the legs are a U shape, not the typical V shape so the legs fit on the outside of my equipment. I also have, yet haven't needed, so large casters for the legs. When moving something not on a mobile base I lift it up high enough so I can slide some 2x4s on top of the legs and then let the tool back down so it doesn't rock while moving. I also have a lifting jig that gives me a way to lift from four points. A pallet jack also takes up a fair bit of room while some engine lifts have folding legs. If needed the hydraulic cylinder can easily be removed so the lift can be stored outside.

[Bill Dufour]

look at the OTC engine hoist. the leg spread can be moved to fit. Of course the narrow spread is more likely to tip.
Bil lD.

https://www.otctools.com/products/22...avy-duty-crane

[Ned Otter]

Floor is not that smooth - I had started filling in the cracks with expoxy before it got cold, and still have more to do this spring. Pallet jack storage would not be a problem for me, as can easily store it under one of the machines. I had a couple of 3/4" thick sheets of 4'x8' plywood that I put down today to see how it looked/felt, and so far I like it, even though it might be considered "sacrificial".

[Ryan Yeaglin]

Depending on what your ceiling looks like, you could use a chain-fall (chain hoist) or chain lever come-a-long meant for lifting to get the load picked up. As to moving them in position some heavy dollies rated for what you'll be moving will work, then a pair of hydraulic toe jacks to lift them off the dollies onto the floor. You also stated that your floor is pretty much crap, so I would suggest attaching some wood to the bottom of the machines to spread out the load (2"x6" material).

[Charlie Velasquez]

Depending on what your ceiling looks like, you could use a chain-fall (chain hoist) or chain lever come-a-long meant for lifting to get the load picked up. As to moving them in position some heavy dollies rated for what you'll be moving will work, then a pair of hydraulic toe jacks to lift them off the dollies onto the floor. You also stated that your floor is pretty much crap, so I would suggest attaching some wood to the bottom of the machines to spread out the load (2"x6" material).

I think you mentioned you are not confident of your overhead structure, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on that. My first garage had 2x4 rafter ties 20' long. I was not confident of adding a load to the center with that span when I needed to unload a 300# 20hp motor. I added 1x6"x8' sleepers on either side with the bottoms flush (8' to be able to span my pickup bed), drilled a 1/2" hole through the 1xs tangent to the top of the rafter tie. Ran a bolt through the holes with a chain draped on both ends, hung a come-a-long on the chain. Backed my pickup under that tie, THEN wedged a 2x4 under that beam to support it close to the truck on each side. The beam didn't even whimper.

Currently I have a DeWalt RAS with shelves between the legs. With all the accessories and such on the shelves it probably goes at. 450#.
6" swivel casters on outriggers on the back legs to increase stability and keep added height reasonable.
The front has a 2x4 flat stretcher bolted to bottom of the two front legs, which also serves as one of the supports for my bottom shelf.
Bottom of the stretcher at the legs are blocks of wood to bring the saw level with the back casters. When in use the blocks of wood sit on the floor and keep the saw perfectly stable.
There is another 2x4 bolted to the two front legs about 18" up that serves as one of the supports for the top shelf.
To move the saw I have a 1000# capacity swinging trailer jack attached to that top 2x4 . I swing the jack down, crank it up roll the saw away from the wall set it down. 15 seconds.

[Ryan Yeaglin]

I did not see about the ceiling... In that case one could construct a frame like Charlie is talking about, or just use toe jacks to raise and crib up the machine until you could get a dolly under it. There are many ways to get something accomplished pick one that will work best for you.

[Jack Llewyllson]

Happy New Year to all --

I'm still planning my shop upgrade, and while one piece of equipment has a mobility kit option, the rest do not.

Most of my equipment is on some sort of wheels or casters, so my first move is always to sweep up so they find fewer things to "trip" over as I roll them. Everything has a "mobility kit" option if you tinker around with casters and the like. If you're planning the occasional reconfiguration, why not commission as many mobility kits as you can dream up for your heavy stuff?

For my drill press and floor stand mortiser, a hand truck suffices reasonably well.

Wheels or no wheels, the bandsaw is always a tippy son of a gun, but it gets there eventually and I haven't dropped it so far. Planer came with casters in its case, although they're small and sketchy. Sawstop came with a verra nice mob' kit. Built a lathe stand with casters, but I'll replace those with drop casters one day (and add more sak-crete bags). Bench moves with double furniture dollies; these are always cheap and mine were free. Jointer sits on a generic mobility base. Fortunately, my dust collector is only heavy-"ish," which is good because its factory stand is only mobile-"ish."The gun safe (AKA general utility safe) weighs almost 800 lbs. -- empty. It doesn't walk around much; in fact, hasn't moved since it moved in. The rollaway... rolls.

When I've delivered heavy tools to the shop, I've used a combination of those wheelie bases, a borrowed pallet jack (thanks, Woodcraft!), and most signific a Tommy Lift. The Tommy, which went away on a pickup truck we no longer own, solved many problems. My main challenge with that rig was to stage deliveries so the gear in the rear (bench, safe, etc.) got poked into place before the roar near the door (jointer, planer, etc.). Around here, you can rent a box truck with a lift gate for a reasonable day rate, though a pickup truck works much better because it'll back right in close to where you need to drop anchor.

You can also rent a pallet jack, which in many ways beats owning one (they're really unpleasant things to trip over), and you most likely already have a buddy who would loan you his/her engine hoist for the low, low price of a couple of beers... and then be gracious enough to take it back when you're done with it. Every time I scheme to buy an engine hoist, I remind myself that I'm not a mechanic, haven't pulled an engine in over 20 years, and that my shop (which is mostly a wood shop) is already full.

My fairly scattershot "plan" (actually, just a handful of techniques) evolved over shops that included three garages and a warehouse sublet. No truck works well with a basement shop, except maybe a hand truck.

I have also press-ganged friends, spouse, and offspring into helping out at times. There's as much to be said for having a dummy checker ("sure you wanna do that?") as for having another back and set of arms.

Good luck getting it all squared away. Whatever day you manage to get it all just right, on that day you'll be ahead of me.