Pallet truck vs. casters? Isues?

[ian maybury]

Just for discussion. It seems that heavy duty grounding casters are pretty popular in the US to enable machine movement in a small shop. Over here it's fairly common to use what we call a pallet truck: e.g. http://www.vestilmfg.com/products/mh...lowprofile.htm (not sure if it goes by that name with you guys)

I've gone that route, and at this early stage find it works very well - it's very flexible, means that I have the ability to shift all sorts of heavy loads, and at about €250 for one these days is not too expensive.

My machines are all Hammer (spindle moulder, panel saw and planer thicknesser), it was much cheaper than buying OEM wheel sets. You do need a low profile model to get under the Hammer machines.

A big bandsaw is next on the list, it's not really set up to suit the truck as you can't get the forks under it. The provisional plan though is to build a wooden sub base with leveling feet and openings for the forks - i think I'll want to raise the table level anyway, and may also raise the Hammer machines a bit.

I'm hoping that the Hammer machines (especially the panel saw) won't need moving once the positions are optimised, as it's probably a recipe to cause alignment problems with the sliding table. The bandsaw probably will need to be moved fairly regularly to make clearance for longer ripping type jobs...

ian

[Van Huskey]

Over here it's fairly common to use what we call a pallet truck: e.g. http://www.vestilmfg.com/products/mh...lowprofile.htm (not sure if it goes by that name with you guys)

ian

We call them pallet jacks.

Some people use them here as well, some of those folks just use the bottom pallet from when the machine was shipped as most of them are pallet jack friendly, though some are only fork lift friendly.

[Scott T Smith]

Ian, that's a great observation about the benefits of a pallet truck (or "Jack" as we colonials refer to it).

I have one in my shop and it gets used frequently. My old shop had several machines on rolling bases, but I find that I prefer the pallet jack as it is quicker, easier to use, and the equipment is more stable once it is set back on the floor.

[Jon van der Linden]

Moving things with a pallet jack or whatever you want to call it is a lot more efficient than casters. Moving bandsaws with one is not a great idea at all though. The main issue being the tipping factor. The load can easily rotate on the axis of the steering wheel and you'll end up with a bandsaw on the floor if your the slightest bit unlucky.

I have always had a habit of moving things around, but bandsaws, at least the larger ones, should stay put as much as possible.

[Rob Damon]

Ian, since my shop is still a work in progress, I have to move the bigger tools around a lot so I have built several different bases.

The bases consists of two stacked 2x4's and a strip of 1/2" plywood or OSB to make the top platform high enough for the pallet jack to get under it.

-The RAS, DDS, OES can be picked up from any side.
-The Air Compr., flatfiles and Jointer can be pickup up from front or back.

The Jointer photo shows the pallet jack in use.

I tried using a similar base for the big bandsaw but becauses the motor is offset, it was not very stable on the pallet jacket, so a local welder beefed up a mobile base from Woodcraft with some 1/4" plate and made a mobile base for it

Rob

[Steve Milito]

I have a pallet jack to move heavy equipment. They take up a lot of space and can be a bit tricky to move around. I prefer to have smaller equipment on casters, but some things are just to heavy for caster, and the pallet jack is ideal for them.

[Cliff Holmes]

Stuff I move a lot and doesn't need to be stable (drum sander, metal bandsaw) live on casters. Stuff that generally stays put and/or needs to be stable I built platforms that I can lift with a pallet jack.

http://www.thewoodnerd.com/workshop/mobileBases.html

An added benefit is raising the work surfaces of my machines. I have a sensitive back (old injuries) and find I like my work surfaces around 38-40".

With hindsight, I wish I had bought a miniature pallet jack instead, it would have been more maneuverable.

If you have a top-heavy machine like a bandsaw, keep the weight over the front wheels. Otherwise it might tip on the axis between a front wheel and the single rear wheel. In any case, only lift enough to clear the floor.

[Van Huskey]

The thread is illuminating something I really agree with moving a "real" bandsaw (14" saws excluded) is something I do not like to do at all. I like to see them find a place and live there, not too hard since they work well against a wall.

[Mike Heidrick]

My Joe's CNC, 16" RAS, and Laguna T1002S are all on pallets and I move them with a pallet jack. Pallet jack was recertified by a friend and traded for a wooden car/wagon seat I made him. A pallet for the tools hand made costs me about $12-$20 depending on the sheeting I use. Much cheaper than mobile bases.

Before I started doing that I bought HTC and Jet bases. The planer HD HTC one was $300! Lucked into the jointer one on clearence for $30.

The MM20 is on great lakes casters. VERY SMOOTH moving for an 800lb bandsaw. Cost was about $60 shipped for those. I think they are 220lb rated each.

My friend bought the HUGE version of the great lakes casters that has a plate rather than a post - something like 2200lb rated each. I may put the shaper on those to reduce its footprint as I used the shipping pallet for it rather than making one for it.

Sometime I wish I had that smaller footprint pallet jack that is available - it has narrow tines. The price was right on the one I have.

[Dave Cav]

I got a pallet jack when I got my current planer, a Powermatic 180, that weighs 1300 pounds. (Actually I got two pallet jacks; the first one is out back in the weeds and I don't want to talk about it....). The planer is on skids and now that it's connected to the DC system I don't plan on moving it around much any more but the pallet jack will probably come in handy for other things later. They do take up a lot of room; right now it lives under the planer.

[Mike Heidrick]

Cliff, great job on your bases!

[Chip Lindley]

NO room in my shop space to navigate a pallet jack! (much less store one) Everything is on swivel casters. The bigger the machine, the heavier the casters. Burden Sales is a great place to find heavy duty casters (or just wheels) at lightweight prices!

[Will Blick]

great thread, its something we all have to deal with....
As always, the best solution varies based on your shop and budget.

I love the "pallet jack ready" bases many of you built... very clever. If you need to raise your machines anyway, to suit your height, the pallet-jack-ready base is a low cost and good solution to combine it with machine movement capability, IF YOU HAVE THE SPACE to negotiate the jack around. ...which is often the biggest problem. Plus, you have to store the jack.... but regardless, these pallett jacks have an amazing bang for the buck when it comes to lifting / moving... I paid more for 4 casters for my jointer than the jack costs....

[Rob Damon]

Will said "you have to store the jack"..

I just store mine behind (attached) to the big jointer considering it is almost 48" from front to back. So I am lucky.

If the jointer didn't weight so much I would probably go for one of the mini-jacks, since nothing else exceeds 1000 lbs in my shop.

Rob

[Kirk Poore]

I have a pallet jack, and some of my stuff is on mobile bases. Pallet jacks are better for heavier items--few commercial mobilie bases will handle a thousand pound machine. The primary drawback is the size. Mine has 5' forks, and that's just too long. If you're buying, go with something in the 3' fork range, unless you have a need right now for longer forks. You will need maneuvering room equivalent to your fork size.

I concur that a bandsaw would be tough to move with a pallet jack since they are usually top heavy and usually have small bases. You can have a custom base made, though, to fit your jack and give it that stability.

Mine used to live with the forks straddling my bandsaw. But since I've built my shop, it's partly under a workbench.

Kirk