[OP]
Member
What do you pack when you are heading out to pick up...
... a BS? It is a 500+ and already assembled to be loaded onto the back of my truck. I am considering to take with me some moving blankets, straps, some scrap wood, 2x4s, 1x3s to make braces, some tools, cordless drill and a furniture platform dolly. My intention is to bring it to the gate backwards and tip it over and slide forward on its square back. I don't want to take the table and the motor off unless I must. Any suggestions?
Contributor
I always make it easy on myself. For about $50, I can rent a box truck with a lift gate for a couple of hours. Then all you need are some straps.
Member
I have a friend with a lowboy trailer / ramp that I can borrow. Just wheel it up there, set up a paranoid amount of cargo straps, add some more cargo straps to be sure, make absolutely certain it can't move, and then drive like Grandma on her way to Sunday services... Stop after about 5-10 miles to recheck the tension on your straps. They can come loose!
If you can't borrow a lowboy, rent a box truck with a lift gate. They are cheaper than trashing your pickup.
Last edited by David Hostetler; 10-15-2010 at 11:27 AM.
Trying to follow the example of the master...
Member
I always take a furniture dolly, it has handy tracks on the back of it to roll up/down stairs and a built in strap. Plus all contact surfaces are padded so it's pretty easy on the goods. That an a pair of ramps can handle most things. You can buy one at most industrial suppliers or Uhaul rents them pretty cheap. I've never used a lift-gate but I'm sure they're the bees knees. I do however make full use of a pallet jack or forklift if the seller has one.
Ryan
Contributor
At the least, take the table off.Originally Posted by Ruhi Arslan
2x4s and/or 4x4s come in handy.
Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night
Member
Don't forget the woodscrews you'll need to assemble any braces you want to build. And a hand saw? Have fun!
Member
+1 on the low trailer and furniture dolly - that's what I use.
Also a tarp, in case of inclement weather.
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger....then it hit me.
Member
I loaded a 450# bandsaw into a pickup bed by just tipping it backwards and sliding it on a moving blanket. A low trailer would have been easier though.
Steve
Member
I use a van to move machines but laying a sheet of melamine down and a movers blanket on top makes things very easy.
I suggest tilting the machine on its back when loading it. This will make unloading it easier as you can tilt it back so it will rest on its base.
I'm trying to remember if I removed the table from my bandsaw when I moved it, and I think I did to make the BS lighter.
Member
Straps and a socket wrench set in case I want to take something off.
When I bought my Walker Turner I ended up removing the table, motor, and upper wheel assembly to move it. Its a heavy beast, even the doors are cast iron.
Member
Here's what I did: http://ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=34377
Beside the cradle I built beforehand I brought my cordless drill & circular saw and extra wood to make shims, a butt-load of extra screws, ratchets and wrenches, heavy-duty ziplocks for parts, tie-down straps, rubber bungees, lots of packing blankets, duct-tape, twine, a tarp in case it rained.
On the band saw I removed the motor and table - I didn't even think about it - and that made the whole move much easier. It reduced the weight appreciably and reduced the number of obstacles I had to consider and the number of sensitive parts I had to protect while moving the beast.
The one thing that I would do differently: I would have waited until I was on site to attach the cross-piece "feet" to the channels so I could be more selective about where the uprights ended up, but it worked out fine.
"Live like no one else, so later, you can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!"
- Dave Ramsey
I rented a box truck as recommended earlier. Peace of mind and no injuries or damage for about $50? Sold.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Member
For transportation, I prefer to move equipment upright. Thus, I would bolt the bandsaw to a heavy pallet, and have it placed upright in the back of my truck or on a trailer.
It would then receive multiple straps from the midpoint (table level) to various points in the bed, including wrapping the strap a full circle around the neck, table, etc, so as to prevent the BS from sliding within the strap.
One benefit of bolting to the pallet is that you're making the base much wider, which reduces the potential of tilting.
As far as removal is concerned, if the BS is 500 lbs and the heavy pallet is 30, four to six guys could slide it out of the truck and lower it to the ground. I would not try to tilt it out of the back of the truck (as in sliding down ramps) due to it being top heavy.
Cradle's, etc can also be built, as suggested by others, but this is the approach that I would take personally.
Renting a truck with a liftgate and a pallet jack would also be a good option.
Member
Most every item I would take has been covered except I would suggest a floor jack if you have one. A low profile floor jack is sometime worth its weight in gold, maybe just silver at todays prices, when moving machines. The last couple of machines I moved I bet the floor jack got used 30-40 times in the enire process.
Also heed the advice to stop after a few miles and retension the straps!
Member
I have a lot of friends who are very strong & not too brite..... They're handy.
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