Buying a Slider....opinions/help

[Paul J Kelly]

Kurt,

I recently transported a 2016 Format 4 kappa 400 x-motion (3200mm slider and overhead guard and controls) with a tilt deck trailer from Arizona to California. I took it off the trailer with a pallet jack and my 2, 16 year old sons.

I dare say, it was completely uneventful. In the case of the kappa 400, a drop deck trailer would not have worked as the chassis and the slider footprint would not have fit in the footprint of the drop deck.

The tilt deck lets you roll it right off the deck onto the ground.

PK

[Kurt Wyberanec]

Kurt,

I recently transported a 2016 Format 4 kappa 400 x-motion (3200mm slider and overhead guard and controls) with a tilt deck trailer from Arizona to California. I took it off the trailer with a pallet jack and my 2, 16 year old sons.

I dare say, it was completely uneventful. In the case of the kappa 400, a drop deck trailer would not have worked as the chassis and the slider footprint would not have fit in the footprint of the drop deck.

The tilt deck lets you roll it right off the deck onto the ground.

PK

But the question is how does you stop it from rolling lol....I laugh but seriously I had a he'll of a time stopping my jointer planet just off a ramp built onto the pallet with 2 people.

[Paul J Kelly]

I attached a come along to the back of the trailer and that allowed a slow progression off the trailer.

PK

[Jim Becker]

But the question is how does you stop it from rolling lol....I laugh but seriously I had a he'll of a time stopping my jointer planet just off a ramp built onto the pallet with 2 people.

You use a winch or a come-along to control that process, whether you have a tilt bed trailer or use ramps like I do. I actually bought a winch for my shop move specifically for this, even though it would be rare to use it in the future.

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[Patrick Kane]

But the question is how does you stop it from rolling lol....I laugh but seriously I had a he'll of a time stopping my jointer planet just off a ramp built onto the pallet with 2 people.

If the load ever gets out of control, you can always drop it and stop things pretty quickly. This isnt really an option on very steep grades, and that is when you should employ a winch/come along/chainfall etc. Im concerned the jointer planer was an issue, because thats a relatively light and compact machine on a pallet jack. As Paul mentions, anything in the 1500lb range on level pavement with a pallet jack is pretty uneventful. If you keep the load low(dropdeck trailer, tilt trailer, low trailer with 4'+ long ramp) then its somewhat hard to screw up. Typically the horror stories involve liftgates and loads elevated 3-4' off the ground. To tip or dump a full size slider on its side while moving it with a pallet jack would require pre-meditated idiocy. Its just not a tool that is unstable in any sense. By all means, respect the weight of the machine, but dont be intimidated by it. Finally, I also dont know your physical condition. If you are 85, then you probably shouldnt consider doing this yourself.

[Ron Selzer]

getting a 2000lb saw off a 18" high trailer might prove more risky than what it's worth.

in 2017 brought a 15" wide belt sander home in the back of my pickup. Spec. at 990lbs per manual. Local landscaping company unloaded with a skid steer and put in garage for $75, around 1/2 hr 2 men. Took less than two days to get them to stop by with less than a hours notice, a fill in job for them.
About two months later neighbor and a local moving company he worked with moved it into the basement for $250. Yes it set in the garage longer than I wanted, however had to wait until they needed a small fill in job to get that price.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Depends on how you value your time, what you have available to you, how experienced you are moving heavy stuff, and how much money you have to throw at it.

I have moved several WW machines up to 2k # a variety of different ways. Forklift is vastly preferred to any of them when it comes to unloading a truck especially, even a low trailer can have some challenges and take some time to sort out a safe way to unload. Sub forklift for skid steer from a helpful neighbor in my case (on the unload end) but that’s not always around and available.

I have used (3) black iron pipes on trailer deck/plywood across the yard and pallet jacks. Pallet jacks are typically preferred and I’ve made many a homemade wooden ramp with multiple sheets of thicker plywood and wood/timber scraps blocking up the underside of the ramp for the unload. I like at least an 8’ long ramp / hypotenuse on my 6x12 trailer that’s 16” of the ground. I also have a small 4x8 tilt trailer that can be useful for lighter loads and tilts nearly to the ground at the rear. I also have a 1 ton truck with an 8x8 flatbed that’s nearly 4 ft off the ground; I don’t move machines on this truck unless I have some hydraulic help from a neighbor already scheduled on the unload end.

This all works, but takes time to setup and break down and requires some common sense and confidence. A forklift / large skid steer is much preferred, but timing and general thriftiness has led me down the path of DIY with ramps and pipes or a pallet jack most of the time.

Overhead chain hoists / gantry is a great way to go as well, but not an option for me in my current basement shop with 7’ ceiling height

Honestly, this is a part of the used machinery game unless you have the money budgeted to hire someone or rent a forklift or some other hydraulic assisted solution. It can be a bit of a pain and/or it can just be embraced as part of the process of finding used machines at really good prices and part of what goes along with it. Or you can say “since I saved x amount on this purchase I can afford to get a rental forklift delivered for 2 hours/half a day/whatever” and not get too invested or experienced in the more low tech physical methods of machinery moving.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I’m sure you’ve seen this one - https://www.woodweb.com/exchanges/ma...ts/535011.html

I’d give that a lot of consideration for the price / location.