Depending on where you are moving it from and to, you can move 5500lb manually, but it's very slow. Slopes and steps and things like that are problems.
I have a set of roller skates I bought from Northern tool that I moved a 12,000 lb machine with by myself, with no help. Jacked it up with a toe jack, put the skates under it, pushed it a few feet, jacked it up and adjusted the skates, moved it a few feet, etc.
Then I used a big forklift to load it onto a truck. It was a little tricky and slow, but I got it done.
I've learned several things about moving machines:
1. pay attention to the weather - I planned to move my KT mill for two weeks and as I was putting it on the open trailer a rogue 10 minute thunderstorm drenched everything, causing me to spend 2 hours drying and spraying about a gallong of wd-40 to fight off rust.
2. Take plenty of leverage - come alongs, prybars, hoists, chains, slings, straps - you can almost never have too much of that stuff. However, this is not the time to have too many people around. You don't want to watch after kids while you are moving something heavy - too many folks and somebody is going to be in danger or in the way - take plenty of machine/leverage help and 1-2 strong, sensible helpers. I almost always move things alone, so I don't have to worry about anyone else. It also forces me to think about every action because there's no recovery if I drop something on myself.
3. Be prepared to take stuff apart on the fly - have tools ready.
4. Be very careful about tipping. Machines can be top heavy. They can tip when you lift them, they can tip when you go around corners, when you have to stop fast. You don't want a loose 5500 lb machine. I usually put two complete sets of hold downs everything - a low set of heavy chains to hold it in place, then a set of straps that go from each top corner to the truck or trailer - to prevent tipping. I drive for a mile or two, then stop and check the straps, and invariably something has moved.
5. Strap everything down. You need a good set of chains and load binders as well as a large set of heavy ratchet straps. Also tie everything off on the machine. I once got home from a 200 mile drive with a used forklift with no seat bottom. I have no idea when or where I lost it, but it was long gone. Machines sometimes have arms for lights, or DRO's; electrical doors, or all kinds of other things. I take a packing tape gun and tons of big zip ties with me to strap stuff down. I also zip tie all of my chain binders and ratchet straps shut, so they can't come open in transit, and zip tie any tails to my ratchet strap, so they can't flutter in the wind.
6. A forklift makes things much easier - if you can rent one on the harder end, it makes things much easier. Sometimes you can find a nearby business that will send their fork truck guy over for 15 minutes. If you do that have everything ready for them to be able to pick the thing up, move it and put it down quickly. I did that one time when I had to move 4 machines at once and it made the job simple - paid the guy 75 bucks and he was there only about 20 minutes.
I just moved 2 11,000 lb forklifts by myself on Monday. one of them ran, so that was easy. The other didn't run, and believe me it's not easy to move 11,000 lbs of dead weight even if it rolls. Still, I was meticulous about strapping them down at every corner high and low and getting the weight positioned right on the trailer and making sure there weren't any parts or wires or strap ends flapping in the wind.
