Lift gate rental

[JMcanoe]

I've been looking around for a jointer or jointer/planer combo and have seen few on Craigslist that have possibilities. Before I make the purchase I've been contemplating how to get the thing home and unloaded. I have a utility trailer rated for 2000 pounds, but would still need to lift 700 pounds of machinery about 24 inches off the ground into it, and then reverse the process when I get home.

I would be transporting from Charlotte area to Apex.

Anyone have any experience renting a truck with a lift gate in the Apex/Raleigh area?

 

[Hmerkle]

Jim,
I used a Ryder lift gate truck to move my shop. (I moved the table saw and attached cabinet, bandsaw, workbench and what seemed like 90,000 boxes of "Why am I keeping this?!)
I would think if you can get it on a pallet, use a pallet jack to move it on and off the truck, it would work...
I also just moved a 350 pound Jet mill-drill using a hydraulic lift table from harbor freight (thanks to Scott Smith for the pick-up help and Ken Presser for the hydraulic table suggestion on the "One-person-back-at-my-garage end!)

It is a great "tool" addition, but there too, you still have to get the tool off the ground and onto the table and back off again!

 

[Mark Gottesman]

Lift gates will be easier to find at a rental, but the guys over at OWWM.org also like these trailers that have a deck that can be raised an lowered. Here is a link to something similar.
http://easyloadtrailers.com/?page_id=5

I have also read of people hirig a tow truck on both ends for the pick and plant of the machine, but have no direct experience.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Is the machine on a mobile base? If it is you could build a ramp.

 

[mkepke]

Seems like a pretty easy job for a shop crane aka engine-hoist. Buy a folding crane and take it with you on the trailer, plus some lifting slings and a load-leveler. Moved more things this way by myself than I can count.

Or bolt the planer to a rolling base, build a ramp and use a come-along. I've moved an 1100# table saw into/out of a F150 4x4 this way. You'll want helpers on both ends of the trip tho.

-Mark

 

[chris_goris]

The local Hertz rental store here has a low boy trailer that hydraulically drops to the ground. I was able to load a 1300# shaper with a pallet jack into it.

 

[Mike Davis]

I helped load a 1500 pound jointer on a 1000 pound capacity trailer with some pipes and 6 men. After the springs bottomed out and the deck settled down it went pretty smooth. :rotflm: :dontknow:

 

[Hmerkle]

I helped load a 1500 pound jointer on a 1000 pound capacity trailer with some pipes and 6 men. After the springs bottomed out and the deck settled down it went pretty smooth. :rotflm: :dontknow:

Was the only problem was that S-K-R-E-E-E-E-C-Y sound going down the road?

 

[Mike Davis]

That and a blown tire, but I was not a part of that...

 

[Hmerkle]

That and a blown tire, but I was not a part of that...

I can her it now
"Nah, you guys go on ahead - I'll catch up with you later."

BTW - a lift gate truck has very low ground clearance if you are backing up a steep cement driveway and will leave marks in the cement for some years -
at least that is what I have heard!:eusa_doh:

 

[redknife]

The hydraulic trailer at Hertz that Chris mentioned looks pretty cool and easy. The whole bed goes to ground. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2eQ2n-97-98
Quotes at $110 a day so you'd have to see how easy those Benjamin's peel out of the wallet. I've always used a variant of Mark's approach (ramps, come-a-long, etc). Seems like you could get something to work with your existing trailer. I commend you for putting the physics and logistics before purchase.

 

[chris_goris]

The hydraulic trailer at Hertz that Chris mentioned looks pretty cool and easy. The whole bed goes to ground. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2eQ2n-97-98
Quotes at $110 a day so you'd have to see how easy those Benjamin's peel out of the wallet. I've always used a variant of Mark's approach (ramps, come-a-long, etc). Seems like you could get something to work with your existing trailer. I commend you for putting the physics and logistics before purchase.

Yea I think It was $90/day when I rented it plus I rented a pallet jack, I think that was $25. But I was able to backup the garage door and wheel it out!. The harder part was getting it off the skid it was on!.

 

[DaveT]

I just bought an 8" Grizzly off Craiglist. When I went to load the guy I was buying from and I realized it was too heavy to just straight lift fully assembled. I ended up taking it off the cabinet that way we could scoot the top into the truck and then lift the cabinet with the motor up into the truck. To unload, just did the reverse, put the cabinet down on the base and then scoot the top out of the truck onto the base and do the bolts. A little extra effort, but it worked.

 

[chris_goris]

I just bought an 8" Grizzly off Craiglist. When I went to load the guy I was buying from and I realized it was too heavy to just straight lift fully assembled. I ended up taking it off the cabinet that way we could scoot the top into the truck and then lift the cabinet with the motor up into the truck. To unload, just did the reverse, put the cabinet down on the base and then scoot the top out of the truck onto the base and do the bolts. A little extra effort, but it worked.

Thats exactly how I picked up and unloaded my Delta 8" jointer