Dumb Question re: weight

[Matt McCoy]

I don't disagree that you can do this, but to someone that's never had a laser they are going to miss something. Plus even if you are careful, my point is still valid, it's not meant to lay on it's side. Maybe if you have two Hercules type guys who can twist it sideways to get through, then twist it back right side up without ever setting it down, but I'm certainly not that strong. Lol! The right way to do it is to rent a fork truck as Bill said.

No worries. My advice is from a first-time experience with a comparable machine, two guys, and a truck.

[Rich Harman]

How about going down to the local rental shop and renting two, forklift style lifts. Sometimes they are called lift trucks. I know them here as Genie lifts. It is a tall, wheeled lift with a wide base for stability, and forks that will raise up quite a height and can normally handle 400 to 500 lbs at least. They are hand crank and not expensive to rent for a half day or day.

Those won't work in his situation. Those lightweight type of fork lifts rely upon wheels (rollers) placed far out in front for stability. Those wheels will hit the inside wall of the building - not allowing the forks to reach through the window.

[Bill George]

I have moved a lot of heavy stuff lathes, milling machines and the like. The only thing I needed the fork truck for was to load on a tall truck, not mine BTW. I told the guy to bring a lift gate truck and he did not. He paid for the fork truck. You can unload the machine (casters down) with the FT, drive up to window. If the ground is soft you put down timbers or 3/4 inch plywood, if its that soft you won't get a truck in there either. Once you get it inside the window you have a 3/4 inch plywood ramp for it fastened at the window end and some jacks and timbers holding the other end up. Set the machine down on the ramp, keep it tied off with a rope to the truck if needed, lower the jacks using cribbing timbers if needed to support while you move the jacks down.
Nothing ever got broke and I have all my fingers and toes

[Bill George]

Those won't work in his situation. Those lightweight type of fork lifts rely upon wheels (rollers) placed far out in front for stability. Those wheels will hit the inside wall of the building - not allowing the forks to reach through the window.

We just added the heavy Unistrut, it fits right inside the top forks.

[Rich Harman]

We just added the heavy Unistrut, it fits right inside the top forks.

Can you elaborate? How does that help in this situation?

[Rich Harman]

If you really want to rent something, get one of these;

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It can lift it off the truck, poke it through the window and set it down inside.

[Bill George]

Can you elaborate? How does that help in this situation?

They extend the top forks so to speak. You leave the load down, roll up to the lift zone, crank it up and then someone holds the back from sliding out and two people move the load out to the extended forks. No you can't extend them 3 or 4 feet, most of the time all you need is just a foot or so.
In this case you could perhaps rest those extensions inside on the window sill.

[Dave Stevens-Vegas]

I've been in that situation with a Wieke 6040. It's a hefty lift for two and the load isn't that balanced. It will really take four but if you are determined three stout lads could do it though I wouldn't.

It was easy enough to uncrate and roll down the ramp with my wife and I but as others have said controlling it on a lift can be a beast. The legs/stand on mine does detach but it's somewhat of a hassle and it doesn't remove that much weight. Mine is plenty strong enough to move with no flex. The main chassis and legs/stand are 14ga steel pressed into shape. The tube housing is lighter gauge steel and not attached robust enough to use as a leverage point. With slings in the right place and a shop crate (or engine hoist) it's not too difficult to move if you know what you are doing. If you can back up to the window and use the crane/hoist and are careful two of you should be able to do it. Using four to lift through the window would be the best option.