Advice for moving 1000 lb band saw...

[Jim O'Dell]

Or if you want to try it in your truck, just get another pickup, tilt the head into it, then pick up the bottom and slide it in. That's a little over simplified, but you probably get the idea. It keeps you from having to hold the whole thing while sliding it into the pickup. To unload, just reverse the order.
The trailerable engine hoist sounds like a good idea, especially if you can keep the hwy tires on the ground when you take it off the truck at the house, and push the whole thing across the yard to the shop. That way small metal wheels aren't sinking into the dirt. Jim.

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi Dave: You might review the Old Woodworkding Machines (OWWM.org) forum and search for "moving old iron". They focus on restoring old machinery and the moving is one of the sub-specialities.

Gravity, one inch iron pipe rollers, heavy, multiple cinches and great care and preparation seem to be the key points.

The lift gate truck is also a fav with this group.

Good luck, Tom

[Rob Will]

Dave,

I vote for removing the table and transporting the saw standing up with a liftgate equipped truck.

Rob

[Reg Mitchell]

The engin hoist it the trick. It would be good to take the table off incase, hopefully not, it turns ove. That would wreck your table possably breaking your truniojns $$$$$. takeing the wheels and motor will lighten the load as far as getting it on a trailor. A tilt trailor would be nice also but remember the size of your door and then the highth of the saw, another reason to take the top wheel off. Straps, 2", are a requirment since you will have the saw standing upright. Cross strap it so the strap will not allow it to turn over.
If you get a tilting trailor you won''t have to have 5 ppl. pull it with a comealong toward the rear BUT make sure you have a strap in the front that will hold it when it tilts. then its just a matter of pulling it with the comealong a little at a time and releasing the front "hold" strap.
It's not very hard to do if you remember to let gravity help and take your time. Think befor you do something. Its patients that will keep it and you safe

Reg
This one is 3800 lbs. I had it loaded with a fork truck and put in the shop with a front end loader.

[Dave MacArthur]

Well, thanks to everyone for their help. Unfortunately, the deal went south. Yesterday we had shook on the deal, and he assured me I could take a few days to figure out logistics/transportation, when we couldn't get it back-end into my truck. Today I called him and left a message I had a tilt trailer, and was on my way to get the trailer and pick it up. It's about a 2 hour deal to do it. Halfway there, get a call on my cell phone... some guy showed up with a tilt trailer, offered him more than I had bought it for. He sold it, guy loaded it right up and drove off. He apologized graciously, and I can kinda understand--$600 more--and I have my $, no problem, just a lot of time wasted, and the deal of a lifetime gone.

Taught me a few lessons...
1. Don't trust a handshake and $, if the tool is not in your possession, it's not yours (unless you want a big hassle with no good end).
2. Don't bring a knife to a gunfight. If I'm going to be checking CraigsList every day 5 times for "the deal of a lifetime" on a bandsaw, for 6 months, I need to have immediate transportation lined up. My Toyota just wasn't going to do it, without help lined up on my end.
3. I should have asked all these questions BEFORE I had a saw lined up, I would have been ready to dissassemble, load, and go. Unfortunately, I didn't perceive the difficulty until really faced with it.

Thanks everone for their help, if the guy hadn't sold the saw out from under me, I feel I was well-ready to roll that baby onto the tilt-trailer and strap it down. I had 8 2" tiedown straps, 5 2x4s for making some blocking, saws/drills for same, 160' of non-stretch static-line, and about 30 huge 5-7" bolts for anchoring tasks, as well as a downloaded and studied manual for dissassembling the table, motor, etc.. Most of it I had, only out the $$ for the trailer rental. I just didn't get out of work and over there in time to keep my deal.

BTW, $1000 for 2003 24" Jet bandsaw and about 12 blades, along with a DeWalt radial arm saw.

[Bob Aquino]

Sorry you didn't get the saw. Next time around, if you decide you want the saw or whatever it is, give the guy 10 bucks to hold the saw and get a receipt. Now you and he have a valid contract. He sells it to somebody else, you can take him to small claims court. Not that you would really want to, but it may make him think twice about stiffing you. A handshake deal is worth the paper its printed on as you found out.

[Steve Kohn]

Another approach that works. Pay the man the money, unbolt some important piece of the equipment and take it with you. Come back later for the rest.

In this case I think removing the motor and/or table would have soured any further offers.

[Garth Hulley]

Steve, a great idea. I did exactly that with a used jointer I bought last week. I took the fence home with me. I was not thinking that it would be sold to someone else, but instead I was just trying to reduce the weight I would have to carry. I returned two days later with an engine hoist to move the remaining 1400 pounds of cast iron.

[James Ayars]

When I moved from Fayetteville to Southern Pines I had to maove a 1000+ pound gun safe. I called a safe company and they had one of their delivery guys move it for me. We levered it up onto woonden dowels to move it across the floor and out the door. Winched it up onto a roll back wrecker and hauled it to my new place. Tilted the ben, winched it down then on dowels back into its new home. Cost me $100 and was worth every penny.
James

[Bill Wyko]

Call a flatbed tow truck. That's how I moved my 2000lb tool box. Good luck.

[Kermit Hodges]

Sorry you lost that deal. But you gained a valuable education in dealing with Old .. in your case used Wood Working Machines. Your comments summed it up perfect but I agree, make some cash change hands, a receipt and take a piece or two home.

It's a sad commentary on todays society when a mans word means nothing. A handshake used to be as good as written contract. Today fear and greed rule!

Kermit