Moving equipment long distances

[Kevin Jenness]

I used the wench with a come-along as a safety.

Nothing works like a willing wench.

[Jacob Mac]

LTL service is the cheapest but as others have pointed out, I wouldn't trust it unless the piece of machinery is REALLY well crated on the shipper's end. If I have to hotshot (dedicated load, small truck) a piece of equipment from our Dallas office to, say,. Houston/Austin/SA, the cost is generally around $1,000-$1,300. A dedicated truck from DE or CA to TX has been $4K-$5K lately. The thing to understand is that there is a huge shortage of commercial truck drivers right now and costs are ridiculous. No dog in this fight but with all this in mind, I agree with Joe Calhoon: No matter the awesome deal on the piece of equipment, unless you are set up to tow trailers like Jeff is and unless it was within a reasonable driving distance, I would really weigh the time and cost involved and see if you truly are saving as much as you think in the long run. Again, just my 2-cents.

Erik

Those are good points, and I don't think I could do a good enough job by myself. This one is probably a bridge, or two, too far. Thanks everyone for the insights

[Jeff Bartley]

I used the wench with a come-along as a safety.

Nothing works like a willing wench.

I don’t think I’ve ever spelled that word correctly! 😆

[Chuck Saunders]

Listen to Jeff Monson. Gerkin Rental has one of these trailers, $66/day 7000# capacity, pulls easy. No one cares more for your equipment than you.
Chuck

[Jim Becker]

Attachment 464691
FYI This is what I used. Its on the heavy side, but I'd assume a 1/2 ton truck would handle it nicely, my 3/4 ton didnt know it was back there.

I looked at one of these for my shop move. They are really great. But also really heavy. The rental place I went to will not actually rent them to anyone who does not have at least a 3/4 ton truck or equivalent.

[Malcolm McLeod]

... one of these trailers, ... 7000# capacity, ...

... will not actually rent them to anyone who does not have at least a 3/4 ton truck or equivalent.

License naming and weight limits vary by state, so I won't try to provide specifics, but make sure you are aware of weight limits and license-class requirements for each state you will pass through. That CMV inspection station might let 70ft & 40k lb motorcoach slide right by, but then go Code 3 on you zoomin' by in your Chevy 3/4t + gooseneck??

In TX its Class C vs CDL, and IIRC CDL is required for GVWR >26k lbs or >10k lb trailer.

[Ronald Blue]

Here is an option that's a little closer if you are still looking.
stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/d/morrisonville-sliding-table-saw-panel/7381212985.html

[Tom Bender]

Tow Truck.jpg

Hiring one of these should make loading and unloading easy. No issues with weight. Should be gentle on your driveway.

[Earl McLain]

Tow Truck.jpg

Hiring one of these should make loading and unloading easy. No issues with weight. Should be gentle on your driveway.

Yep, looks like that car would tow it fast…and corner well too! Oh…you meant hire a rollback…never mind!!
earl

[Chuck Saunders]

Wisconsin to Kansas on a rollback could get expensive for open air travel
Chuck

[Jim Becker]

Yes, Rollback service is more for a local engagement...from the truck terminal or direct transfer from a tractor-trailer to the rollback and then to the destination site. Please note that not all rollback operators will do non-automotive transport. My understanding from the rollback operator I used for my CNC delivery is that it's an insurance matter, at least in PA, but likely elsewhere. Additional coverage is required and many operators don't want to pay the cost. One great thing about using a rollback for "last mile" is that a good operator can place the load pretty darn close to "a spot", including inside a roll up door if it's tall enough and wide enough or to a loading dock since the deck height is about the same height as a big box truck or a tractor-trailer-trailer. Local use is a $100 well spent, IMHO.

[Jared Sankovich]

I looked at one of these for my shop move. They are really great. But also really heavy. The rental place I went to will not actually rent them to anyone who does not have at least a 3/4 ton truck or equivalent.

Odd. Sunbelt here in Va has no issues renting that trailer to someone with a 1/2 ton truck.

They are great for machine moving if you dont have much more than a pallet jack.

[Jim Becker]

Odd. Sunbelt here in Va has no issues renting that trailer to someone with a 1/2 ton truck.

They are great for machine moving if you don't have much more than a pallet jack.

I agree that a drop is a great way to move machinery for the obvious reasons. But those things are uber-heavy because of how they have to be made. I think that the local rental places are concerned with folks overloading since they are starting with a trailer that's already 3-4K lbs empty.

[Tai Fu]

I'm looking into buying a sliding table saw that seems like a good situation for me. The only problem is the saw is in Wisconsin and I'm in Kansas. I have a small pickup, but I don't think it is up to towing the saw that distance.

Anyone have any experience moving equipment? Did you hire someone? Fly up and rent a box truck? Is this just generally a bad idea?

A little off topic but I had just moved shop recently. I do not have a vehicle.

I have a 3000lb milling machine, a 1000lb band saw, and various other doodads.

The mill and the bandsaw and other heavier equipment required a rigger with forklifts. In Taiwan fork lift, if it is an easy lift, costs about 25 dollars. However altogether the rigger charged 200 dollars including the forklift. It was well worth it in my opinion as I don't really have the proper equipment, and the rigger showed up with a truck that has a built in crane, and he lifted the machine out of the old shop using the truck mounted crane. The new shop must pass through a sliding glass door with rails on the floor (which can get damaged) as well as a height clearance of about 180cm. The bandsaw had to be partially disassembled, and both machine went in with the forklift with the rigger catching it inside using heavy duty rollers which allows the machine to be rolled into position.

I'd say moving the machine across state line is only slightly harder than moving it 2 miles. As if you don't have your own vehicle you're looking at LTL either way.

Question is how much are you willing to spend? Maybe you can rent a low flat trailer that hooks onto the back of your truck and you could just drive it across the country yourself. It would probably be cheaper than LTL and forklift anyways.

[Jim Becker]

Tai, when I was moving shop recently, I did call a rigger. They wanted $4000 flat rate for the day. That was a big "nope"...