Shifting a heavy machine

From where to where?

What actually is it?

TBH if he wants to sell it then he needs to get it on a pallet (if it will fit!)

You might be better off getting a separate company to do the packing. Or a specific machine haulers.

In true stw. Not answering the question, but as in life sometimes the answer is not what you want is because you are asking the wrong question!

Couriers probably not, but there are companies that specialise in the transportation of machinery and industrial kit. I guess you're looking for a cheap solution though, which that wouldn't be.

Might be better just to hire a van with a tail lift* and get it done.

Hmm, now I've typed it, I'm wondering if a van tail lift would do a tonne, possibly not.

Machinery movers are a thing, but I suspect a little OTT for your needs. Maybe one could recommend a more suitable company?

It's a plastic granulator and it's in Fleet and I'm trying to get it to East Lancs.

The seller has the luxury of knowing that he will easily sell said machine to another person with the means to move it - I'm just trying to get in there before he gets fed up with me asking him to do extra things.

This is the size of it:
[img] [/img]

You've got three issues here.
1) it's got to be lifted onto the pallet in the first place
2) the pallet needs to get to you.... A pallet courier can do that but they'll only drop it on your "driveway"
3) you need to move it inside and get it off the pallet

So you're going to need some way to lift it at either end of the journey and probably a pallet truck at yours.

(If you're near Chester I've got one you can borrow)

If I could get the seller to put it on a pallet I can deal with it at my end as I can borrow a pallet truck and I have a flat entrance into where it would be going.

(I'm in Barnoldswick but thanks sharkbait)

If you removed the hopper on top* then an engine hoist might be able to lift it.

* It may be a bit high .... I could measure mine but I'm not at home this weekend.
Accurate weight would be handy also.

It's actually in Herts (Royston) not Fleet - I got muddled up with a different machine I was looking at.

Even if you got it on a pallet how will you get a tonne of metal off the pallet at your end?

Sometimes you just have to pay someone who knows what they are doing.

this guy has been around for a while
https://www.homeworkshop.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8:landylift&catid=18:traders

or google Hiab lorry delivery

Thanks Paton - that looks just the job !

Could a local farmer help. My Dad used a local one when he sold a heat pump

Doesn't look like it actually needs a pallet, a courier with a forklift hanging off the back of a curtainside would probably do it.

or

Doesn’t look like it actually needs a pallet, a courier with a forklift hanging off the back of a curtainside would probably do it.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Of course!!
Just stick a pallet truck underneath it!
That will work perfectly.

A machine moving company as suggested by Paton would appear to be your best bet. And as scruffythefirst pointed out, it looks like it was designed to be lifted with a forklift under the base without a pallet anyway.

Having said that, from the diagram you have posted, it doesn't look like it weighs a tonne, I would say less than half that. Are you sure?
It looks like the hopper and motor/gearbox assemblies would be easily removed with basic tools, leaving you with smaller parts which could probably be quite easily manhandled into a hired van.

All of the couriers I found wouldn't take anything unless it was on a pallet. I could hire a van with taillift and borrow a pallet truck but I'm not sure on weight limits of taillifts

I'm not sure what it actually weighs as I've not been able to find full specs of the machine anywhere so all I've got to go on is the sellers anecdotal 'It weighs a tonne' which isn't very helpful. If it was half that I would be tempted to drive down and disassemble the big pieces and throw it in the back of the Alhambra but I don't want to drive all that way only to discover I can't shift the pieces

I could hire a van with taillift

A tall lift can only lift about 500kg and thats a pretty hard limit (ie not a SWL with a 3x safety factor). I collected a tablesaw that was 560kg according the manual and the tali lift was screaming - barely barely managed it, almost an aborted trip

Search 'machinery transport' on eBay for smaller operators that have we vans with cranes etc and facilitate pick up and drop off not just the transport.

Luton van is about 1 tonne capacity with a 500kg tail lift

You won't need to borrow anything if you use a machinery transporter people. They'll have all the kit and pick it up and put it where it's needed.

I’ve not been able to find full specs of the machine anywhere

There'll be a plate with the serial number, voltage etc on there somewhere and that'll usually have a the weight too

I bet it doesn't weight 1 tonne - it's a motor, some shredding bits and a steel frame.

I've found one here: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Mini-grinder-used-in-environmental-protection_1600134196874.html?spm=a2700.wholesale.0.0.7c0d1ea4YpzdU6

680kg - So I'll wait and see what quote I get from Paton's recommendation.

Luton van is about 1 tonne capacity with a 500kg tail lift

Often less that 1 ton, depends on the size of the luton body, often they can only really carry 7-800kg once you take the weight of the driver and a tank of fuel into account.

I've had c700kg on a 500kg tail lift. It worked but it was pretty harrowing and it tilted pretty alarmingly.

can't really help but no courier is going to load the machine for you, so if the seller won't do it you'll either have to do it yourself or use a specialist (got to be the best option tbh). You can get higher capacity taillifts but that won't help you load the machine onto a pallet! So forklift got to be favourite, maybe get away with crane depending on access at both ends.

What I really want to know is, what you are using it for? 😃

We have a lot of 3mm acrylic sheet waste that we're going to granulate then pop in our heat press to form new sheets.

We use this bunch https://c-i-s.co.uk/ for lift and shift, might be overkill for you though. Not local either, but you'll find similar nearby.

Had a similar challenge when buying a dozen or so 3m oak sleepers for the garden.

If your license allows, cheapest could be hiring a 7.5 truck with a hiab (don't forget rope to secure the load) or similar man with van type service.

AS others have said - that doesn't need to go on a pallet - it just needs the right person to move it.
Proper machinery movers are what you need - we use https://dw-transport.co.uk/ at work - they're a bit big/heavy for what you need but you get the idea...

That machine also looks a bit top-heavy so a specialist will know to strap/secure it properly to keep it safe.

A suggestion; hire a 3500kg dropside truck, which will easily take a tonne and have lots of space to place the load with decent weight distribution. Buy straps, tarp,etc
Local independent breakdown recovery with HIAB to load/unload at each end, e.g. https://avrouk.com/search.asp?s_state=8&sp=30

So the options were move it on a pallet or pallet truck which seemed fine until I realised the machine would be oriented 90 degrees out for fitting through the standard single width door it needed to on arrival at our studio.

I've given up on this one and now on the hunt for a smaller one - preferably on castors.

Thanks for all your help, sorry for wasting everyone's time

Steel tubes - Egyptian pyramid style,

Or drop it on a sheet of acrylic and use a small chain and block and a truck curtain side ratchet strap to drag/slide it about,

Or farm jack/jackall and blocks of wood to push it about.

Or hire some machine skates and heel lifts from HSS.

Or heel bar/wrecking bar and chew it along

Or make some castors for this one and wheel it about.

Loads of ways of getting that through a door way.

If your license allows, cheapest could be hiring a 7.5 truck

You might have grandad rights that allow you to drive a 7.5t but that doesn't magic up the Operators License you need to drive one for work purposes

Steel tubes – Egyptian pyramid style,

All the way, door to door. Create a Just Giving page and pick a good cause and we can all sponsor you. You have to be dressed as an Ancient Egyptian obviously. 🙂

Now I want to buy the machine!

Happy to pass on the eBay link if anyone does want to buy it.

I've since found a smaller lighter machine that I can move easier and all I need is a single phase to 3 phase converter 🙂

If you're still looking, my former employers might be able to help, they primarily specialise in Catering equipment (often at the sorts of weights you're looking at), they have a variety of equipment for lifting and moving, with suitability trained staff, and a 7.5t lorry with a 1000kg taillift.

They're based in Kent, but cover the whole country..

Iac Delivery Solutions

If it helps, I once transported 650kg of concrete blocks inside my company Passat, so am up for a challenge. And I'm long overdue a trip up north. 🙂