# How do you guys move 1000 pound tools????



## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

If I get some of the tools I would like to purchase, I am going to find that I will have to move some that are half a ton from the dock to my garage. I have a full size pickup truck, but I would have to get items one at a time since I plan to order several at once when I get my garage done.

I had planned on getting a truck with a lift gate, but I would be hard pressed to push anything to the gate, so it sounds like my pickup truck or a flat bed truck is best. I still would need to get them off the flatbed.

I am wondering if I need to put some design into the garage to have an overhead crane or something.

Any advice?

Mark


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Can't find a buddy/neighbor with a tractor/skid steer/fork lift? You can rent one for a half day reasonable. If none of that works . . . 

If you can get the machinery loaded on a low boy utility trailer at the dock, you can roll the pallet off the trailer using short sections of schedule 40 PVC or any other kind of stout tubing. Jack the tongue so that the back of the trailer is touching or almost touching the ground. If you can't get it that low get as low as possible and block the back so that the weight of the machinery won't suddenly tilt it all the way down and cause a loss of control of the pallet. Use a section of plywood as a ramp (don't use 2 X 6s for ramps for this application) and block underneath in several places so it doesn't buckle and cause you to lose contorl once the pallet is on it. 

Use a rope tied to the pallet or the bottom of the machinery (never the top!) and loop it around a brace at the front of the trailer so you can easily control the feed rate.You can stop the rolling by discontinuing to feed pipe beneath the pallet or having the rope tender stop paying out line. Watch your fingers. Never have more than three pipes underneath at a time. The third one should just be going in right before the back one pops out. Keep them spaced about a foot apart on a 4' pallet. Don't use large diameter pipes, nothing over 2" if you can help it. Go slow, have at least one helper preferably two; one feeding pipe, one stabilizing and steering the pallet, and one manning (or womaning) the rope. Scotch the trailer tires and don't forget the blocking. 


There's a dozen ways to get the equipment on and off. 

Pretend you have to build a pyramid the next day.


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## jraksdhs (Oct 19, 2008)

*well....*

When i ordered all the tools for my shop I was able to take them off the trailer with a skidsteer with forks. I went to harbor freight and bought some dollies that hold a 1000 pounds each and placed the tools on those. It worked out great. My shop wasnt quite done when the tools arrived so having them on dollies allowed me to move them around quite easily. I think the dollies were only like 7 bucks each. Best money i ever spent. Getting them off the shipping crates did prove more challenging tho. But with some patients it worked out fine.

jraks


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*All good advice so far*

A car hauler or 4 wheel trailer, rented or borrowed, will be the cheapest. It will allow you to take all the tools at once, assuming your pickup can handle the weight.
Once you get them home and on the ground using TT's advice, you can use an engine hoist, bought or borrowed to lift them on to a 1000 lb dolly as jraks mentions. Any slight bump of 1/2", will cause the dolly to stop so, 1/4" strips to allow the wheels to roll in front of the bumps will solve that issue. The planer is the "monster" at 920lbs shipping, probably closer to 850 ls actual. 
At $140, this hoist will handle it:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93840
 
View more Central Hydraulics items *1 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane*








IT will also come in handy for assembling the jointer, I know from experience! :yes:
I used a chain fall to an I beam in my case, but not every shop/garage will have one. I also have a tractor with a bucket/forks, but it's not really needed. Have a big strong buddy wouldn't hurt either, I just used my 14 yr old son, 6'0", 185 lbs of strong but stubborn. :laughing:
Planning for Murphy's law and Gravity is best done ahead of time. :thumbsup: bill


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

What are you purchasing that weighs 1,000 pounds?

G


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

Great ideas so far! I love alternatives, so any other ideas would give me choices.

I can pull around 10,000 pounds with my truck, so shouldn't be a problem pulling them all at once as long as they can fit on the trailor.

Mark


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> What are you purchasing that weighs 1,000 pounds?
> 
> G


http://cdn9.grizzly.com/specsheets/g0454_ds.pdf

It is close enough that I just rounded up to 1000 pounds.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Here's what I do.


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## Colt W. Knight (Nov 29, 2009)

Most of those big tools dont come as one piece, they come in several smaller pieces. Once you get the crating off and pieces seperated, they are much more managable.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

cabinetman said:


> Here's what I do.


 
You're so BAD! :laughing:


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## Ghidrah (Mar 2, 2010)

My shop is in my basement, I picked up my cabinet saw, molder planer and drum sander from the store to house in the back of my pick up. I also have many planks of varying sizes on racks in my back yd. I had the BS delivered to the front yd.

I got a large cardboard box from the store and layed it in the bed then had the forklift lower each tool onto it. I then backed the truck up to the bulkhead and slid a couple planks into the basement. I slid the TS to the plank tied some 3/4" line around it and back to the truck rack.

I wrapped a couple turns on the rack, gave it some slack and then back to the planks where I tied it off to the bumper. Once I got the TS on the planks and the line was tight I untied the line and paid it out till the TS was in the basement. From there I got it onto the mobile base and rolled it to where I completed the assembly.

BS delivery lowered it to the street, my bro-in-law and I lowered the BS onto 2 dollies and wheeled it to the bulkhead where we slid it down into the basement


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## ash123 (Mar 14, 2010)

I have an acreage tractor with a loader on it. I can't lift a thousand pounds with it but I can lift five to six hundred pounds no problem. I have an enclosed trailer with a heavy duty ramp door as well as a car hauler with a set of extra long heavy ramps made with deck-plate steel. Those will let a pallet slide down. Before I got the loader I'd tie the pallet and drive the truck and tailer away. The ramps hook to the trailer and stay on. 

I can move very heavy machines with a Johnson bar and lengths of round steel. The biggest machine I have now is a 37" wide-belt. Stan Houston brought that out on a drop bed trailer. I slid it into place with the Johnson bar and pipe rollers.


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

I have a tractor for several acres too, but I don't have the front forks. I only have the front end loader, tiller and mowing deck.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

mwhals said:


> *I have a tractor* for several acres too, but I don't have the front forks. *I only have the front end loader*, tiller and mowing deck.



What am I missing?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*TRactor is best!*

Especially for the "monster" at 920 lbs! :yes: bill


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

woodnthings said:


> Especially for the "monster" at 920 lbs! :yes: bill


My tractor is only a John Deere 2520 and yours is a model 4710. I don't believe mine can pick that up, which is why I am not thinking I can use my tractor to help. It is basically the largest of the small utility tractors.

Mark


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## RobWoodCutter (Oct 28, 2009)

I second the engine hoist/crane for lifting and also a pallet jack for moving it around, if you are planning on buying more larger tools in the future:


I think this was about 1600 lbs. 

Rob


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

I think for the way you're describing your situation (Wood's tractor can pick up, eat and swallow _your _tractor whole?)....I would go with the method Tex described.

I moved my entire Grizzly purchase seen below from the driveway to the shop on 3/4" black pipe that I had laying around. I hadn't given any thought to it prior to arrival, and it was sort of a stop-gap, "lets try this" method that my 12 year old came up with. Guess what? It works better than you can imagine. 

My tools were on a low trailer, and we did exactly as Tex described...floor jack under the tongue, lifted the front to lower the rear, walked the boxes off and began rolling. It was loud but it was fun for the whole family. The neighbors didn't like it at 12:30 in the morning, but they're still my neighbors.

regards,
smitty


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## The Engineer (Mar 16, 2010)

+1 for the pallet jack like Robwoodcutter showed. I moved a 2000 lb safe a city block and up hill on one of those with 4 guys pushing it. I had to move the same safe across town a few years later. Jacked up the safe, pulled it onto a rollback, drove across town, winched it back off the rollback and pushed it into the new store. Piece of cake. Great little tool.


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## Chippin-in (Feb 4, 2010)

Chances are the heavy stuff will be on a pallet. I would use a pallet jack. They will prolly rent you one with the truck. When my jointer got delivered he (Saia) moved it to my garage with one. I vote for the pallet jack.


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

Chippin-in said:


> Chances are the heavy stuff will be on a pallet. I would use a pallet jack. They will prolly rent you one with the truck. When my jointer got delivered he (Saia) moved it to my garage with one. I vote for the pallet jack.


Since I own my own truck and will have my own trailer, I guess I will need to buy one of those pallet jacks.

I love the idea.

Mark


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

If you already have a truck with a lift gate, rent a pallet jack. If not, rent a truck with a lift gate and a pallet jack.


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

dbhost said:


> If you already have a truck with a lift gate, rent a pallet jack. If not, rent a truck with a lift gate and a pallet jack.


I have a pickup truck, so no lift gate. Maybe it will be better to rent a truck with a lift gate and pallet jack, but driving it 14 hours round trip might kill the savings I get from having it shipped.

Luckily, I have a lot of time to think about it, because I need to get a workshop built before I have a place to put anything.

Mark


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## mics_54 (Oct 28, 2008)

Mans best friend!


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I've been considering building a small collapsable gantry on wheels just for such purposes.. I know..old post, but 2x lumber is a lot cheaper than a forklift..


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

10+ year old post. But an engine hoist is a cheap and easy way.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

As I said elsewhere: To get a SawStop cabinet saw out of my SUV, I slid it onto a pneumatic motorcycle lift that was raised to a matching height, and used the lift to lower it down. Credit my spouse for that brilliant idea.


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