Advice on moving heavy jointer to pick-up truck bed

[Michael Koons]

I am in the process of moving my shop and need advice on moving my PM 8" jointer. I think it's about 800 lbs and I need to get it into the back of my pickup. Any advice on how to do this as simply and cheaply as possible? Nothing too complicate for me. I can easily get it onto dollies and get it to the truck. I just need advice on how to actually lift this beast into the back and take it out at the other end. I'd hate to have to hire movers just to lift it into my truck.

Thoughts? And thanks in advance for the help.

[Myk Rian]

If you don't have help, then either use a hoist, engine hoist, block and tackle to get it in.
Take the base off it.
No help or hoist? Take it apart.

[Robert Parent]

An automotive engine hoist, commonly called a cherrypicker..... I have used mine to move many things including a Tormach mill which is heavier than a jointer. Slow and easy are the words of the day when using one.

Robert

[Dave Richards]

I lifted my sailboat off of and then back onto its trailer by myself once. It was only about 650 pounds but it was about 20 feet long and 6 feet wide. I used a bottle jack and a couple of long levers. It wasn't incredibly fast but I wasn't in a race. You could do something similar jacking it and the dollies up a little at a time and blocking it with timbers. Or you could probably rent a lift.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Michael,

A jointer is top heavy and I would be a little concerned about moving it completely assembled.

I would removed the fence, remove the drive belt and unbolt the bed assembly from the cabinet. I would rent an engine hoist and a couple lifting straps. I would load the bed and the cabinet using those tools. Professionally I used engine hoists to remove high voltage tanks used in CT scanners and x-ray machines. Some of engine hoists can be disassembled into parts and it could then be loaded into the pickup along with your jointer. Reverse the process at they other end.

[John Coloccia]

Given that you're not getting that thing on or off the truck without buying or renting something, I think that possibly cheapest and simplest is bolt it to a pallet, and hire a local moving company to actually move it. I've done similar things about half a dozen times here. Hey, I have some furniture to move. Hey, I have to pick up this big thing from my storage unit, etc etc. I believe my guys charge me about $90 an hour for a 1 hour minimum. Just be sure they know it's on a pallet so they bring their pallet truck. It will take minutes to get it on and off a truck with a lift gate, so it shouldn't cost very much.

Alternately, you can rent a truck with a lift gate. I've done that when I've had lots of machinery to move, and I moved it all at once. That's very simple too, but of course it will take some planning and it does help to have things on pallets. and move them with a pallet truck.

Anyhow, that would be my advice since you don't seem to already own any way of doing this already. If you're going to spend money, may as well just have someone do it instead of struggling with it yourself and then having another contraption to store that you'll probably never use again.

Here's the problem with engine hoists, obviously depending which one you get, but a lot of them are similar. It's very good in theory. I know, because I used to have an engine hoist. It was leftover from my airplane building days. Instead of selling it, I kept it with visions of all the machinery I'd be able to lift by myself...until I try to do it and find that I can't get the stupid legs around the machinery. Even my bandsaw was too wide, but just barely...I was able to lift it, sorta, and then I swung it and lowered it at the same time to get it on my mobile base or else it would have landed on the legs.

That was entertaining.

So anyhow, if you decide to fiddle with an engine hoist, do be sure that it will get high enough to clear the truck, and THEN be sure that you can actually fit the legs around the tool. When you've done all that, call the manufacturer and ask them what the proper lift points are on the jointer. I doubt they want you lifting from the tables.

Another option is renting a Genie lift, but again, it's going to cost money and you still get to bust your rump.

[Wakahisa Shinta]

Here's the problem with engine hoists, obviously depending which one you get, but a lot of them are similar. It's very good in theory. I know, because I used to have an engine hoist. It was leftover from my airplane building days. Instead of selling it, I kept it with visions of all the machinery I'd be able to lift by myself...until I try to do it and find that I can't get the stupid legs around the machinery. Even my bandsaw was too wide, but just barely...I was able to lift it, sorta, and then I swung it and lowered it at the same time to get it on my mobile base or else it would have landed on the legs.

I had the same problem recently while moving a Hammer A331 jointer/planer (638 lbs) that was bolt to a pallet. But, it was super easy to lift it off the trailer and move it to another location. I then set the pallet on 2x4's, stacked high enough to clear the hoists's legs. The hoist was removed. The pallet was lowered by removing one 2x4 at a time. I used my car's jack to lift pallet, remove 2x4, lower, then move to other end to repeat process. Slow, yeah, but was not at all difficult.

Reverse process to get it onto the truck's bed, assuming you have a hoist?

[Larry Edgerton]

I haul mine upside down on a rubber mat, tablesaws as well. Easier to load and and two thousand times more stable going down the road. I use my tractor with forks, I know that's cheating.......

Larry

[Mike Ontko]

This may not be a realistic suggestion, depending on your whereabouts and the availability of your neighbors, but the person I'd purchased my used Grizzly 8" jointer from happened to have his own tractor. I had brought a utility trailer and engine hoist along for the job, but after a couple of initial fumbling attempts to get the fully assembled jointer lifted high enough to clear the side rails of the trailer, he opted to bring in the tractor with a bucket attachment, which made ultra quick work of the task. Once I got it home it was just a matter of backing up to the garage and using a couple of solid planks as ramps to roll it down (it came with a Shop Fox mobile base). If and when I move my shop to a new location, I'm definitely going to consider hiring a mover who can handle big pieces in a similar manner--either fully assembled or minimally broken down so that re-assembly and set up are a minimal effort.

[John Gustafson]

You have two issues to deal with. One to get iy out of the existing shop area. Two is get it into the bed pf your pickup.

The idea of a liftgate rental is golden but consider also a U-Haul Trailer lowboy. Most of U-hauls stuff have low beds and a ramp. Use a Come-A-Long to get it up the ramp and control getting it off. Consider also, the trailer inside has far more tie-down points than your pickup bed.

[Kevin Bourque]

What can you remove? Taking off the motor will save some weight. Taking off the fence. Removing the table from the base will save some too.

[Jim Andrew]

A tilt bed trailer works great to move heavy machines. Back it up to the jointer, put the back edge on the ground, use a comealong to pull the jointer up onto the trailer. I usually take a pry bar to help get things over the edge of the trailer.

[David Kumm]

Unbolt the cast iron from the sheet metal base and take off the belt. Two people can lift the tables ( less the fence, motor and base ). I did that with a dj 20 which should be about the same. Dave

[Erik Manchester]

I did exactly what Jim suggested with a low, tilt-bed trailer to move this vintage 14" jointer which is 87" long and was easily pulled up the ramp and into the trailer with a block and tackle.

You can also build a set of shear legs if you have chain hoist to lift the jointer and then back your truck under.

[Don Jarvie]

I used an engine hoist to get my 16 inch jointer off my truck. I took it apart as much as I could and the hoist did the rest. The auction house I got it from put it on with a fort lift.

If you take it off the stand and remove the motor and fence like suggested you can probably get someone to help you lift it on.