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Thread: Questions about taking delivery of new lathe

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    North Jersey
    Posts
    132

    Questions about taking delivery of new lathe

    I’ve been notified that my Grizzly G0766 has been shipped, with lift gate service. I live on a quiet and accessible street. But I have a somewhat steep driveway from the street to my garage.

    First issue is getting the lathe up the driveway. If the driver helps, that’s a non issue. If he just drops the box at the foot of the driveway, what are my alternatives? I have a Mazda CX-5 that will fit the box, and I was thinking that I could have the driver slide the box into my car and drive it up. I also have a relatively heavy duty hand truck. I was thinking of opening the box on the street, lugging up the legs separately, and then trying to push/pull the box up. I’m not sure that’s doable even with having my strong son with me.

    Second issue is getting the lathe set up. I assume the hardest part is getting the headstock up on the ways. There’s an “unboxing” video online, but the method she used seems a bit dangerous.

    I do have a Harbor Freight not far from me but I’m not sure I should be buying a hydraulic cart for this one time use.

    Any advice appreciated.

    David

  2. #2
    Grizzly uses ups freight to deliver. Both times i had $40 in my hand that was visible but not being handed to the driver yet. Both times the driver had no problems backing into my driveway close to my garage to drop it. Not sure how the drivers in our area work but if your driveway is something they can back into they might. The lathe comes with the legs off but everything else is already on the ways. I had to take the pins off the ends that keep the headstock and tailstock from sliding off out and remove both the headstock and tailstock. I was able to get the legs and ways together but had to get a second set of hands to get the headstock back on.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Mesa, Arizona
    Posts
    1,798
    David — I highly recommend Harbor Freight’s 1,000lb lift cart. I got it when I was remodeling my shop this past summer and was hoping to take delivery of a new lathe. It came in very handy, not just for taking delivery of the lathe, but also for assembly of the lathe. However, the lift cart has come in very handy for other things, too. It’s able to lift up to the height of my workbench and has served as out-feed table, workbench extension, and is the means of moving my lathe when that’s necessary. Even better, the maximum lift height of the table is the same height of my pickup’s tailgate. It makes getting heavy things out of the truck much simpler.
    David Walser
    Mesa, Arizona

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    North Jersey
    Posts
    132
    Quote Originally Posted by David Walser View Post
    David — I highly recommend Harbor Freight’s 1,000lb lift cart.
    David - what are the dimensions of the cart when it’s folded up? I’ve thought about that cart, but I have very limited space. I would need to figure out where I could put it when I’m not using it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Inver Grove Heights, MN
    Posts
    798
    Two Harbor Freight four wheeled furniture dollies would probably move the box to your garage if the driver can't or won't back up your driveway. My experience has been that delivery drivers are pretty accommodating and have lots of experience with heavy packages. Assembly is another matter, and i would be looking for help from friend.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
    Posts
    4,445
    The length of the driveway is important information for giving advice. My favorite method of handling machine now is not to order lift gate. That saves some money, then have a local wrecker service show up with a roll back flatbed. The lathe come off the semi onto the flatbed. He backs the flat bed up to your door and the lathe slides off by control of the winch on the truck. Hand the roll back a $100 bill and no one has to strain about anything. A piece of rebar through the lathe head allows you to put a lifting strap on it and a come-along from the ceiling lifts it on top of the bed. A second set of hands makes that faster and will only cost a couple beers. If you can, have the wrecker company pick it up at the loading dock to bring it to your home. That can save a day on the delivery and you can actually believe the delivery time.
    Last edited by Richard Coers; 02-14-2021 at 11:53 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Houston, Texas
    Posts
    274
    The freight driver will be moving your crate around in his/her truck with a pallet jack, which will make it extremely hard (maybe not even possible) to put it into the back of a car.

    Chris is correct about how the lathe is packaged. I built my 0766 from and in the back of my pickup truck. Once I pulled about a quarter of the length of the ways off the end of the tailgate, I jacked up / blocked up the end of the ways to get it high enough to get the first set of legs under it and bolted them to it. Then moved the rest of the ways, more blocking, and got the legs under the other end. The good news is you can slide both the headstock and the tailstock towards the end that you are not working on to decrease the weight on the end on which you are working. Then slide them back.

    Good luck. I do love my G0766!
    Don't let it bring you down,
    It's only castles burning,
    Just find someone who's turning,
    And you will come around

    Neil Young (with a little bit of emphasis added by me)

    Board member, Gulf Coast Woodturners Association

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    sykesville, maryland
    Posts
    861
    Two men can easily lift the headstock onto the lathe bedway. My stepson helped me and it was no problem. Don't know the age of your son. But, I'd say most 14+ year old would suffice as the second person. As far as getting it up your driveway, if the driver cannot back the truck up to your garage, I would open and uncrate at the bottom and carry each piece up. The only unmanageable part is the head stock. All you need though is any kind of wheeled thing: a wagon, wheel barrow (carefully), just about anything with a handle and best to have raised sides. Two men could carry it too, but it is awkward because you are so close together. You could also secure it to a piece of plywood and drag it up the driveway. Not that the hydraulic lift cart doesn't have tons of utility. Whatever you use, be careful that the headstock doesn't go sliding off of it as you move it up your driveway. I would not put it in your Miata. It would likely damage it the car. It really isn't necessary to go to such drastic measures.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Hoschton, Georgia
    Posts
    116
    If you've got a friend with a pickup truck, just go to the freight terminal and they will load the box into the truck bed with a forklift. Then you can unload the lathe a piece at a time out of the box while still in the truck bed. You'll also save on the cost of the lift gate service.

  10. #10
    Unless you have a steep gravel driveway, I would think the driver could make it up there easily. If nothing else, you might ask for a driver who is familiar with your area, or if nothing else, call the shipping company and let them know you need it at the top of the drive. I did concrete construction for years. Some jobs, one driver would look at and say no way, and another driver would look at it and just back straight in....

    robo hippy

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Mesa, Arizona
    Posts
    1,798
    I’m away from my shop visiting my son and his family. However, the dimensions of the cart can be found on HF’s website — the table is 20”x32”. The maximum lift height is 34.5” and the minimum is 11”. The overall length is 37” and the height of the handle is 38”. I hope this helps.
    David Walser
    Mesa, Arizona

  12. #12
    Second issue is getting the lathe set up. I assume the hardest part is getting the headstock up on the ways. There’s an “unboxing” video online, but the method she used seems a bit dangerous.

    when my Powermatic 3520B arrived, I didn’t have the luxury of another set of strong arms/hands so I used a HF 1/2 ton chain hoist suspended from a stout multi configuration aluminum ladder (set to the A frame position) both to raise the bed from the floor and to get the headstock on the bed. Worked fine
    Jeff

  13. #13
    I've bought two tools from Grizzly. Both were delivered via UPS Freight with lift gate service. In each case, the delivery was in a short semi truck. The driver used a pallet jack to move the tool onto the lift gate and then up my flat driveway to my shop. Your mileage may vary but both drivers were as helpful as they could have been. I was very pleased with the delivery service both times.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by David Bolson View Post
    David - what are the dimensions of the cart when it’s folded up? I’ve thought about that cart, but I have very limited space. I would need to figure out where I could put it when I’m not using it.
    I bought the cart when I ordered my Laguna 2436 and used it to get the headstock up alone (still wasn’t easy but didn’t break my back) and now use it to easily move my lathe around. I also use the cart next to the lathe as a tool caddy and then lower it a bit and shove it under the ways when I’m not turning since I have limited space as well.

    Tom

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,282
    UPS freight is being sold off by UPS so Grizzly may use another delivery company. My last purchase from Grizzly came by New Penn. The lathe comes in a long but narrow box. I was able to get mine from my truck to my walk in basement by myself. I also set it up by myself by simply removing the tail stock and banjo and then moving the head stock to the center of the bed. I then just lifted each side up some and blocked it then doing the other side. Once I was up high enough I put the legs on.

    The head stock is the heavy part for one person. All the other pieces I was easily able to move as needed. To move the head stock I left it on the bed and just strapped it on a dolly. With the head stock near the bottom of the dolly it was pretty easy to roll it as needed.
    Last edited by Alex Zeller; 02-14-2021 at 9:11 PM.

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