help with Grizzly freight delivery

[David Helm]

So far, everything I have bought from Grizzly we have loaded on my pickup and I've taken it home. I do live in Bellingham and Grizzly is only 15 minutes from my house. The shipping guys at Grizzly have been very helpful.

[Jim Finn]

I once had a delivery of a bunch of building materials including a 350 pound saw (not from Grizzly) Came on a big truck with a fork truck on it. The guy was not allowed to drive in our alley ( by law) with his rig so after giving him a $20 he unloaded all of the stuff and drove down the alley each trip about 1/2 a block with the fork lift. Put it in my garage. Amazing what a $20 will do.

[Jim Rimmer]

My TS came UPS and my BS came SAIA. In both cases the drivers were terrific guys. They helped me lower the saws from the truck into my pickup which I backed up to the garage and then they helped me lower them to the ground.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

I paid for the lift gate service on my G0490 jointer purchase and the first attempt at delivery the driver (UPS Freight...a contractor though) was in a semi with no gate...stopping traffic in front of my house with the horns honking (I live on a somewhat busy road), he wanted very badly to try and slide it off the deck and stand the iron half (top in crate) on the bed end! I said no F'ing Way! So he drove off and I called Grizzly to complain.

Later that day the distribution center (UPS Freight dispatch) called to apologize and when I told them I was taking the morning off to handle this, they said they were working on a second attempt later that day. THe second attemp was much better...smaller truck with a lift gate. I told the driver he should back up my driveway 180 yrds. and we could more easily deposit it in my garage. He said that UPS prohibits their trucks on residential driveway due to weight and pavement damage. I pointed out the rather rough condition of my asphalt driveway and the long haul to make with a pallet jack. Another conversation with dispatch and up the driveway we went. After lowering it on the gate he used the jack to maneuver around my garage. He hung around while I popped the steel straps to inspect for visible damage (the wood crate was not, shall we say, in the best of condition).

The driver got $30 for making the extra effort and persuading dispatch that my driveway was not at risk for spoilage. Then he offered to buy the washer dryer sleeping in the back of the garage...he loaded them up and gave me my $30 (and another $50) back, used the jack to load the appliances and off he went.

Of course once the straps were cut the crate pretty much exploded and disintegrated on the spot. Getting from the staging area in the garage, across the yard 100 yds, through the bilco doors, and down the steps to the basement shop is another story.

[Jim Andrew]

Last time I ordered from Grizzly, I had them put my cell # on the invoice so the truck driver could give me a call. They sent it via a local trucking company, and the driver called and I met him with my skidsteer and forks. Just picked it out of the back of the truck and drove it into my shop.

[Rich Noterman]

I ordered a jointer back in Jan. and a Band saw last month. Both times they were shipped by SAIA and both times the driver was very helpful with the unloading, by hand no lift gate.

[Paul Johnstone]

What you have to understand is by law a truck driver only has to get your freight to the back of the trailer. But most will help anyway. Because they want to get down the road than watch you a a few friends take two hours to damage your shipment.
Because of the law you have to be ready to unload it yourself just in case.

Yes, most of the drivers are great guys, but you need to be prepared.
I had a very heavy delivery once.. The driver was in his 60's and was really physically unable to do much. There was a liftgate and they already had it strapped to the pallet lifter.. I had to get in, push it to the liftgate and get it into the garage myself.. No big deal.. but like I said, you need to be prepared. You can't really count on the driver to do anything, although most will help.

[Louie Ballis]

I've had three seperate deliviers from gizz. all 3 came via UPS frieght. I think that I paid around 40 dollars for the lift gate.

All deliveries were very smooth and the last one which was a 1023 tablesaw the driver even placed it in my shop!!! Although he was only required to get to the street in front of my shop; saving me about 100 feet of driveway I would have had to dolly the machine up. (Me, not being home, and my visibly pregnant wife, along with some drizzley rain might have something to do with it.

[Doug Donnell]

I live northeast of Atlanta in northern Gwinnett county. I have ordered two machines from Grizzly, bandsaw and 8" jointer. I both cases I told the shipping company that I would pick the crates up at their depot.
This way I can control when I go, and not have to take off extended time waiting during a delivery window. My house is also in a subdivision on a cul-de-sac and it would be a pain for the truck. Add in the driveway, through the fence to the backyard and to my shop, and it easier to use my own pickup.
For the bandsaw I just backed my truck up to the double doors and slid the crate down loading ramps to the floor. For the jointer I was a little nervous. The crate with the base was nothing but the jointer itself was heavy. My wife and I slid it out of the pickup and on to 3 sawhorses. I disassembled the crate around it and rented an engine hoist to lift it, pull the sawhorses out, roll the base under, and done. Easist part of the assembly.
Just having the control of picking the crates up on my schedule and being able to back up to my shop without rehandling the crates means more to me than the 20 minutes it takes to drive to the depot and have them load it in my truck. Just my preference.

[Charles Davis]

I'm a big fan of Grizzly... in the past couple years I've outfitted much of my shop with their tools... drum sander, spindle sander, cyclone, jointer, mortiser, and even a workbench (which is a great buy)... they used a variety of local delivery people.. most of the time the drivers were great... rolling up tool up to and in the garage with a pallet jack... I paid for lift gate a couple times but took my chances other times and they had a lift gate anyway... had two nightmare deliveries... one with an unscrupulous driver... and the other when the packaging didn't arrive with the shipment (it was the workbench)... the driver and myself spent a half hour collecting parts (even the hardware bags had opened)... and the bench top was damaged which I just lived with since, well, it's a workbench.

The one constant was superior customer service with Grizzly... they replaced lost and damaged parts without hesitation.

If you want peace of mind... pay for liftgate... contact the local shipper and give the driver your phone... and note any damage on the shippers invoice

[eugene thomas]

the first tools i ordered from grizzly no lift gate but the driver helped me unload everything and carry to my basement. had jointer, table saw and 2hp dust collector delivered. Made me think that was the norm, boy did i find out i had great driver. most of the rest halled stuff to the end of truck and told me to have fun. now i pay the $30 extra and let them drop on ground and place in shop where i want... much easier.

[Joe Wiliams]

Had a 513P bandsaw delivered to my home on a dead end street by FedEx Freight. I didn't ask for a liftgate but I did ask if the truck would have one and it did.

The driver said he had never delivered a bandsaw before and wasn't really interested in helping out but he had plenty of suggestions on how I should transport the saw back to my shop

[Dave Lehnert]

One thing with Grizzly. When you place your order you better be ready for it. It will be on your doorstep in a flash.

[Cliff Holmes]

... Grizzly is only 15 minutes from my house

Thank the Lord that I don't live that close. A) I'd never be home during business hours and B) I'd be broke.

[Luther Oswalt]

All my deliveries from Grizzly have been picked up at the Trucking (UPS Freight) Yard ... in the case of the GO 490 it did the same thing as Matt's ... (Of course once the straps were cut the crate pretty much exploded and disintegrated on the spot.) ... My driveway is long and unpaved with many tight curves ... so I always pick up bigger items at the Truck Depot ... I have a small John Deere with a Front End Loader so that really helps. It really help to lift the jointer bed into place!
Leo