How to get a 198 lb bandsaw off the truck?

[igor]

My Grizzly 14" bandsaw is on its way. Unfortunately, the "local" truck depot is about 75 minutes away (at best), so I'd like to have Grizzly's trucking company deliver to my home shop, since I paid for the mileage. I did ask Grizzly and they said that the saw in the box can safely be placed on its side, and 198 pounds is not much to lower from the truck. (I do have a hand truck to take it from the side of the truck to the shop.) Unfortunately, I cannot be sure I can get mid-day help to do this. I'm thinking some $$ inducement might inspire the driver -- it would be less than 60 seconds of help to slide it down the back of the truck to the ground. It's not as if I'm getting an 8" jointer. (Not yet.)

Any other ideas for doing this? Anyone know if the truck typically used for this has a slot in which I might hook a ramp -- like U-haul trucks have? Any homemade ramp designs? I figure that for anything

[J. Clarke]

The truck that delivers it will probably have a lift. Make sure that Grizzly is aware that it's a residential delivery without a dock. If they won't send a truck with a lift, you might want to drive around until you see a dock nearby and then see if you can sweet talk the manager into letting you take a delivery there. There are insurance issues and so on that he has to deal with so it's a big deal for him and he'd be doing you a big favor, so be nice.

[WD]

My Grizzle 14" came without lift gate or any lifting device. The truck driver placed an old tire below the back of his truck and gently guided the package down (I was watching from my garage). After which we lifted the package onto my homemade 3'X4" moveable steel platform and helped me push it into the garage. It was like a piece of cake. He must have done it over a thousand times.

[Dave W]

Hi Igor, I have done this with a Delta 14 inch bandsaw. Slide it out with you and the driver helping. Once on the ground, a handcart with a piece of wood across the bottom should do it. Make sure to tie the goods to the handcart! Good luck. Dave

[WD]

Correction: the steel platform is 3'X4' mounted with two fixed and two swivel wheels.

I spoke with Grizzly's salesperson and the trucking company before delivery, that I don't own a truck or any lifting device. I suggest you call Grizzly and told them what I mention here.

[Kenneth]

Hi Igor,

First, the bad news:

As I understand this situation, the trucker is obligated only to get the goods to the rear lip of the truck.

Now, the good news:

I receive a fair amount of trucked goods, some much heavier than yours.

Never have I had any trucker hesitate to provide assistance, and when they have assisted, it has often been far beyond anything I might have expected.

All that said, you have the be prepared to lower the thing on your own just in case...

In the grand scheme of things, your package is rather light. With a friend, you could easily lower it to the ground with no equipment whatever.

Were I in your shoes, I would invite a friend over, or, if that were not possible, I'd have a pair of 2 x 10s handy for a makeshift ramp.

Whatever you do, have fun with it!

All the best,

[skeezics]

i unloaded my 18" delta steel frame B/S myself. its not a big deal. lay it back into the truck. use your legs to slide it out the back untill its almost balanced. then get on the ground and tilt it down till it touches the ground or your 4 wheel cart. [thats what i used ] once it is stood up you can wheel it in on the cart or if you dont have one borrow a hand truck. im 47 years old and only wheigh 175 lb. if the truck is higher than half the hieght of the crate put down some forn of platform to get at least that high. leverage is key here. otherwise you can hurt yourself. my 115 lb wife and i unloaded a 400 pound dual drum sander the same way and she has a bad back. i didnt use the cart for this one. after we got it down i tilted it and she put a pipe under the front then i pushed it a little and tilted it back again and sliped another pipe under it a third pipe makes it much better as you roll it you put 1 pipe in front of the other as needed. enjoy the new saw.

skeez

[jev1234]

Igor,

I just got mine a couple of days ago and had the same situation. The trucking company said the driver would help, but I'd call to confirm in your case. My brother showed up for the holidays and he and I lifted it from the floor of a semi to the ground on a hand truck (dolly). The trucking company can reschedule a delivery to you for when you have help on hand (they did for me) if that helps.

Joe

igor wrote:

Grizzly's

mileage. I

trucks

box.

[Ollie]

I share the same experience as Kenneth. I have received a 600 lb table saw,

600 lb planer, 450 lb, jointer. and several lighter items even without being at home when the deliveries were done. In some cases, I got the service even without paying the additional lift gate fee ($75 - $125). At the end, I have been happy with the services received from the shipping companies. On other hand, it has been unnecessary difficult to arrange the delivery with Grizzly. The other companies (Wilkes) have been more flexible in the shipping arrangements.

Although the bandsaw is reasonable light ( Hi Igor,

[Guess who]

I'd recommend one of those one-person dollys used to move pianos. I moved my own large upright piano by myself using one: across the living room, down the steps, up a reinforced ply ramp and into the truck, and I'm no weight lifter. It has wheels and tracks down the side.

[Norman D. Crow]

preassembled

If he's getting the G0555, it's well packed, and on it's side is fine. IIRC, when I got mine in Williamsport, it was already laying on it's side when I backed into the warehouse to get it. They picked it up w/fork lift, we slid it off the forks into my P/U and it traveled 250+mi. on it's side, no problem.

[Joe]

CLIP

CLIP

Is that Williamsport, PA? If so, tell me about the area... Thinking of relocating to near Lewisburg/Shamokin. All I've learned so far is to avoid the area near the river.

[Silvan]

It's not the weight. 198 pounds is really rather trivial as stuff that ships on trucks goes. (I'm a truck driver. I shove things off the ass end of my truck all day long.)

The problem getting 198 pounds to the ground without a lift gate is with the length of the box. If you have a box about 6' long that weighs 400 pounds, it's not too difficult a matter to shove it off the truck and lever it down to the ground, using the edge of the trailer itself as the fulcrum to take up most of the weight (being careful not to snag it on door hooks and whatnot). If the box is only 3' long, then it gets bitchy. There's not much for it but to put somebody (or a pair of somebodys) on the ground to more or less try to hold it up and lower it slowly, rather than letting it plummet with a big clunk.

I would guess the bandsaw box is probably at the bitchy end of the spectrum, but 198 pounds isn't too much for two people to handle. The driver should help hold it up from his end while you lower it. Once you get it on the ground, it should be no problem to hand truck it around.

Or maybe he has a liftgate. I guess that will become apparent when he gets there.

[Silvan]

Yup. "Tailgating" the freight.

Especially if you, or someone in your employ, is, um, easy on the eyes. :)

I would *not* bother with a ramp. We used to have ramps made out of waterbed frames. Just about the same as two 2x10s, SYP. They were completely worthless. Too springy, not slippery enough; worse than nothing.

[Phisherman]

I had one piece of equipment (my bandsaw) held at the trucking company for pickup. Then I asked a friend who owns a truck to arrange for pickup. I got another beefy friend to go with us and the three of use got it off the truck with little hassle and into my shop. Another time I rented a truck with a lift. It helps to own a 1000-lb hand truck and dolly.

[Ba r r y]

If the driver won't help and you have a pickup, do the following:

Back the pickup up to the rear of the big rig. Slide the saw from the rig into the pickup bed. Drive the pickup back into the driveway. Slide the saw off the pickup bed onto the ground.

FWIW, 198 pounds isn't that heavy. (2) 2x6x12's would let you slide the saw easily from the rig deck to the ground quite easily. You can drive nails though the boards into the pavement or ground to keep the boards in place. Most drivers would help you stabilize the package as it slides down the ramp. The two of you would be standing on the ground.

I got my 265 pound bandsaw package out of my trailer and into the shop alone, but I'm 220-230 lbs.

Have fun with the new tool!

Barry

[Guess who]

"Give me a lever long enough and I can move the earth."

Try a plywood ramp and a pulley system. Been there too. Ease it down at your own pace, using one hand if the system has several pulleys.

[Bruce Barnett]

My local hardware store rents out equipment, and he showed me a powered hand truck he uses for moving heavy items, like a 400 pound safe, going up or down stairs.

It's a 2-wheeled hand truck, but when you turn on the switch, the lift end moves up and down.

p.s. is this one piece? My jet came it two boxes.

[C C]

My Grizzly GO555 was just delivered couple weeks ago. The tractor trailor pulled up in front of the house and we were waiting on it. The driver wheeled it to the back of the trailor, and before I could get the hand truck out of the shop and to the truck, my friend and the driver had it on the ground. They just tilted it and slid it off the bed and lowered it to the ground. It was no problem at all. We tilted it over and slid the base of the hand truck under it, and wheeled it into the shop. The driver did not have to, but he helped get it off the back of the truck and into the shop, off the hand truck and laid over onto the floor. There was a small tear in the cardboard of the container and he wanted us to open it to make sure there was no problem with the contents. It all arrived in perfect condition, The styrofoam had protected to saw from any damage. Was a lot easier to get off than I had expected. I was also worried about getting it off the truck and into the shop. There was no problem at all. Very easy to do. The drivers are good at helping get the trucks unloaded. You will need help getting it all assembled. Base is built first, then the saw is lifted up and attached to the base. I also got the riser block and took the saw apart before putting on the base, then assembled the riser then put the saw back together. Again, you will need help here too. If you are getting a roll-around base, it is easier to assemble that and put on base before the rest of the assembly, though mine arrived after I put the saw together. I put the saw onto the base by myself by levering the saw up onto 2 2X4's and tilting the sawand sliding the base under it, then sliding the saw the rest of the way onto the base. Be careful, it is a little tipsy like that, but was easy to do. CC

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[Silvan]

That's because we want to go HOME. :)