Shop Moving across BC with a lot of equipment

[Susquatch]

@Susquatch We will need a large truck to move all of our stuff, it will be somewhat expensive regardless of which way we do it. I will keep the lathe and the mill and lathe, next tool purchase is a CNC mill(most likely a fadal vmc15).

Lifting it on the truck is not an issue as I have access to a decent size telehandler and can probably muster one in Golden.

So far, if moving companies can’t do it, uhaul is the best option. As far as stability of the load, I think that guilting a sturdy pallet out of 6x6 and bolting the machines could work well.

Sounds good.

In case I wasn't clear, I was suggesting a separate trailer for your machines. Perhaps one you purpose buy.

 

[140mower]

Sounds good.

In case I wasn't clear, I was suggesting a separate trailer for your machines. Perhaps one you purpose buy.

An enclosed one would be great, then if you need to store them for a few months, so be it......

 

[Susquatch]

An enclosed one would be great, then if you need to store them for a few months, so be it......

See, my closed old mind missed an obvious idea again....

I bought a flatbed to move my stuff to the new digs. I looked at enclosed but needed something for a backhoe, tractor, etc etc.

A brand new trailer cost me less than hiring a mover. And now I have the flatbed for other applications.

Ya, an enclosed trailer makes a lot of sense. Subtract the cost of movers from the trailer and it becomes a real bargain. Especially if you can duck some storage costs.

I also like the idea of looking after all that stuff on a separate schedule so the move is less stressful. Buy and pack the trailer long before the house stuff goes and vice versa on the other end.

@SimonM has to move a few vehicles anyway. Why not one with a low cost trailer behind it........

 

[phaxtris]

If your thinking of buying an enclosed to move the lathe/mill take a good look at the floor, it's usually only 3/4 ply over 2x2x.125 angle 2 foot on center

 

[140mower]

If your thinking of buying an enclosed to move the lathe/mill take a good look at the floor, it's usually only 3/4 ply over 2x2x.125 angle 2 foot on center

Attach the lathe to 4x4 skids and make a good pallet for the mill, and you should be good to go. By enclosed trailer, I am thinking tandem axle and 14,000 lb rating...... That should get you into a pretty good floor. If you need to, double up on the plywood and remove it again when you are done, probably going to need a shed at the new place..... Trailtech makes some nice trailers.....

 

[phaxtris]

Attach the lathe to 4x4 skids and make a good pallet for the mill, and you should be good to go. By enclosed trailer, I am thinking tandem axle and 14,000 lb rating...... That should get you into a pretty good floor. If you need to, double up on the plywood and remove it again when you are done, probably going to need a shed at the new place..... Trailtech makes some nice trailers.....

I'm not sure if the op was looking at buying a 25,000$ trailer....and then the truck to pull it

Maybe he was though, who am I to say

 

[140mower]

I'm not sure if the op was looking at buying a 25,000$ trailer....and then the truck to pull it

Maybe he was though, who am I to say

The trailer can be resold as soon as it's not needed, pull it behind the big U-Haul that's carrying the house contents. All said and done, one could be ahead of the game........ And on the trailer, tools are heavy....... Even with a 14,000 lb rating, take the weight of the trailer it's self off the top, say 2500 lbs, you are down to 11,500 to play with, and it needs to sit in the right places to keep the distribution right.....

 

[phaxtris]

The trailer can be resold as soon as it's not needed, pull it behind the big U-Haul that's carrying the house contents. All said and done, one could be ahead of the game........ And on the trailer, tools are heavy....... Even with a 14,000 lb rating, take the weight of the trailer it's self off the top, say 2500 lbs, you are down to 11,500 to play with, and it needs to sit in the right places to keep the distribution right.....

oh man you have bigger balls than me to even think about pulling an enclosed trailer that size with one of those u haul trucks, especially through bc, unless he gets a brand new one its going to have a 6.8gas engine (even a new one only has a 7.3 gas)......a 10k parachute behind an already underpowered parachute....thats gonna be a scary ride up those hills (i say 10k because i couldnt find an enclosed bumper pull rated at more than 9900)

 

[Tecnico]

If you don't want to buy an enclosed trailer/storage box then just renting a 6 x 12 U-haul open trailer (with ramp) to go with one of their box trucks for the household goods gives you 3700 lb of machine tool payload capacity and the ability to drop it off after a one way trip. A one day rental is something under $40. and you turn you back and drive away after the trip and don't have to worry about selling/return trip etc.

Just make sure you get the one with heavy tie down loops, some have puny ones. Don't know what to say about the ability of their truck to pull it but it does have surge brakes.

I just used one of those to bring my mill home. Technico's First Mill thread.

D

 

[140mower]

oh man you have bigger balls than me to even think about pulling an enclosed trailer that size with one of those u haul trucks, especially through bc, unless he gets a brand new one its going to have a 6.8gas engine (even a new one only has a 7.3 gas)......a 10k parachute behind an already underpowered parachute....thats gonna be a scary ride up those hills (i say 10k because i couldnt find an enclosed bumper pull rated at more than 9900)

Up is rarely the issue, it's a slow ride, going down is where the planning comes in...... Haven't looked in a while, but I am sure I still see 3-5 ton sized U-Haul trucks running around...... The hills between Simon and I run between 10 and 14% grades and I routinely run them with pathetically underpowered trucks safely...... taking your time is key with all things heavy.
No matter which way one goes about it it won't be cheap, neither Pemberton nor Golden are meccas for machinery movers, so hiring out of the city won't be cheap.... A drop deck equipment trailer can work too, but more awkward to load and unload due to the fenders. I made an enclosed trailer out of mine with 2x4's and plywood when the kids moved home in the winter.

 

[phaxtris]

Up is rarely the issue, it's a slow ride, going down is where the planning comes in...... Haven't looked in a while, but I am sure I still see 3-5 ton sized U-Haul trucks running around...... The hills between Simon and I run between 10 and 14% grades and I routinely run them with pathetically underpowered trucks safely...... taking your time is key with all things heavy.
No matter which way one goes about it it won't be cheap, neither Pemberton nor Golden are meccas for machinery movers, so hiring out of the city won't be cheap.... A drop deck equipment trailer can work too, but more awkward to load and unload due to the fenders. I made an enclosed trailer out of mine with 2x4's and plywood when the kids moved home in the winter.
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It's not scary up until your only pulling 40k an hour to the floor watching the temperature gauge climb with people flying by you at 120, just waiting for someone playing on there cell to slam into the back of you

I've made a lot of trips with an enclosed from Calgary to golden/revy (in the winter no less) so I at least know how that section goes with an enclosed doing the speed limit no less

 

[Tomc938]

I'd use an enclosed trailer and fill the extra space around the equipment with helium balloons. Will help hold everything in place and keep the weight down.

I pulled a Corolla on a tandem when Rahul trailer through the mountains with their 28' heavily loaded trailer. Overheating was an issue even though we moved in October, and the brakes got pretty hot on a couple of down grades. I down shifted as much as possible, but still had fun balancing RPM and brake fade in a couple of spots, although I think the one bad one was coming down into Golden from the east before the new highway was built.

 

[6.5 Fan]

What ever you do, good luck with the move.

 

[YotaBota]

A couple of things to watch out for when moving yourself. What route are you planning to use? If renting (truck or trailer), the Lillooet route could be off limits due to some rental companies insurance rules on "high risk" highways. Also watch out for GVW of the truck/trailer, if you hit a CVSE check point and are over loaded that's going to be a real hurt to the pocket book. A good friend is with CVSE and their summertime check points pull over a lot of tourists in an F150 with a loaded 9' camper towing a loaded boat and tell them to park it.
Depending on how much stuff you have, I think I would pack the household stuff myself and pay someone else do the lifting/trucking and move the equipment myself. If time is going to be a concern you could also rent a storage unit for the equipment and pick it up at a later date.
I can't even offer help to transport as my little Tacoma has enough trouble getting itself around.
+1 on the @6.5 Fan comment above as August first is not as far away as would hope.
I had to look up "telehandler", I've seen the machines before but didn't know what they were called.
All the best in the move.

 

[Chicken lights]

A couple of things to watch out for when moving yourself. What route are you planning to use? If renting (truck or trailer), the Lillooet route could be off limits due to some rental companies insurance rules on "high risk" highways. Also watch out for GVW of the truck/trailer, if you hit a CVSE check point and are over loaded that's going to be a real hurt to the pocket book. A good friend is with CVSE and their summertime check points pull over a lot of tourists in an F150 with a loaded 9' camper towing a loaded boat and tell them to park it.
Depending on how much stuff you have, I think I would pack the household stuff myself and pay someone else do the lifting/trucking and move the equipment myself. If time is going to be a concern you could also rent a storage unit for the equipment and pick it up at a later date.
I can't even offer help to transport as my little Tacoma has enough trouble getting itself around.
+1 on the @6.5 Fan comment above as August first is not as far away as would hope.
I had to look up "telehandler", I've seen the machines before but didn't know what they were called.
All the best in the move.

That’s good advice, plus it’s peak tourist season. The RV’s can be hazardous this time of year, the campers with “vegan power” bumper stickers are the worst
(no offence to anyone who is vegan, it’s just a joke)

 

[6.5 Fan]

What's a Vegan? many years ago my wife had a Vega car, is that close to a vegan?

 

[140mower]

What's a Vegan? many years ago my wife had a Vega car, is that close to a vegan?

I think if it runs on grain alcohol and has veggie oil in the pan......

 

[Susquatch]

What's a Vegan? many years ago my wife had a Vega car, is that close to a vegan?

Vegan is the indigenous word for "Bad Hunter".

 

[Crosche]

How about contacting a commercial transport company? Manitoulin moved both my knee mill and lathe from Ontario for reasonable rates. The down side is that you will have to put your equipment on pallets or crate it.

 

[PaulL]

Sounds like you have nice machines. If I were you, I'd rent (or buy) and haul a small flatbed behind any one of the vehicles you named. Just do it yourself and be done with it. By the time you pay a machinery mover, you might almost own the trailer. Nice thing about this approach is that you can load the trailer ahead of time?

But, you could also consider selling your current machines and buying the new mill and new lathe of your dreams when you get moved in.

Before I knew what I was doing I used a machinery mover to move my 30" bandsaw. That taught me that I can do it myself more efficiently, and maybe even more safely.
Respect the inertia, know where your fingers and toes are, avoiding using help that doesn't know what they are doing - much like rigging.