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Help with a lift!

BrokeEF

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
341
Location
Elgin, IL
Alright guys, I ordered up a 4 post lift from Greg Smith Equipment today! They then responded that I must have a forklift or some equipment with forks to unload it off the truck. Tried the place right by my house, all they have are front end loaders with forks. Nothing else seems to be anywhere close to me. Even just renting a forklift without having it delivered gets very expensive very quickly. I can have it delivered to my work, but I don't have a truck or a trailer to then get it back to my house.

Anyone have any other ideas? Almost forgot, they wont deliver it with a lift gate either. That was my original plan, lift gate down onto some car dollies and roll it into the garage.

HELP!
Sean
 
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topcok88

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Jun 3, 2013
Messages
660
Unload the the truck at work and rent a truck from one of the home centers or a uhaul for a day. Disassemble or remove all the parts from the shipping container to make it easier to load onto the rented truck and off once you get it to your house. It’s dirt cheap to rent a truck/uhaul for a day. Or you could call a local moving company to pick up the lift from your work and deliver to your house for a few hundred dollars. Sounds like a simple problem to solve.


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astroracer

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Joined
Jun 22, 2005
Messages
3,001
Location
Mid_Michigan
Alright guys, I ordered up a 4 post lift from Greg Smith Equipment today! They then responded that I must have a forklift or some equipment with forks to unload it off the truck. Tried the place right by my house, all they have are front end loaders with forks. Nothing else seems to be anywhere close to me. Even just renting a forklift without having it delivered gets very expensive very quickly. I can have it delivered to my work, but I don't have a truck or a trailer to then get it back to my house.

Anyone have any other ideas? Almost forgot, they wont deliver it with a lift gate either. That was my original plan, lift gate down onto some car dollies and roll it into the garage.

HELP!
Sean

That says it all right there... :) If the rental is that close buy one of the guys a case of beer...

Mark
 
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BrokeEF

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Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
341
Location
Elgin, IL
Unload the the truck at work and rent a truck from one of the home centers or a uhaul for a day. Disassemble or remove all the parts from the shipping container to make it easier to load onto the rented truck and off once you get it to your house. It’s dirt cheap to rent a truck/uhaul for a day. Or you could call a local moving company to pick up the lift from your work and deliver to your house for a few hundred dollars. Sounds like a simple problem to solve.


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That is the obvious solution, except when would I be able to spend a whole day at work breaking it down and loading it? Also have to get the boss's OK to have it sit here for some period of time, and the neighbors OK to use their forklift.

Movers are an option. Probably cheaper than renting something to be honest. I hadn't thought of that actually.
 

tthornto

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Mar 11, 2011
Messages
743
Arrange to have it delivered to a local towing company and they can use a rollback truck to deliver it directly to your garage.
 
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BrokeEF

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Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
341
Location
Elgin, IL
Arrange to have it delivered to a local towing company and they can use a rollback truck to deliver it directly to your garage.

Something along these lines was my best idea. I also need to have a car moved from near my work to my new house so I was gonna see about two birds with one stone. I am going to contact the tow company I have used and see what they say.
 

Bobf

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Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
308
Location
Poway, CA
It doesn't take up much space as packed/delivered at your place of work. It definitely shouldn't take a day to unpack. The two ramps are the largest pieces, and next the uprights. I used a cherry picker to unpack and move my stuff around.
 

pbon

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May 14, 2017
Messages
3,498
I was in the same boat with my residential property so I picked it up from the freight depo. I borrowed an suv and car trailer. The freight depo put it in the trailer with a fork lift. I got it off by taking it apart. I put the pieces on HF moving dolleys that are about $10 each on sale. Worked great. I actually assembled it all solo.
 

las5z

New member
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
2
Picked my 4Post up a couple of weeks ago in Iowa from Greg Smith inc. it is a very heavy assembly packaged well. The assembly was put on my trailer from the end of the unit. This made it harder to disassemble since the reach of the lift or tractor must go to the center of the trailer that the lift is on. Each ramp has considerable weight. Those are the challenge when off loading.
 

HotrodHR

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Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
445
Location
North Alabama
I bought my 4 post from Greg Smith and had it delivered to a nearby trucking terminal where it was off loaded. Drive my truck with a trailer to the terminal and they loaded it on my trailer. I think there was a fee, maybe $50 or $100 bucks.

I backed the trailer into my drive way and used my engine hoist to lift up the crate on the back end of the trailer. I placed several pieces of pipe under the crate to roll it back towards the end of the trailer and off to the point that the end touched the ground, moved the engine hoist to the front to lift that end of the crate up and pulled the trailer forward.

I could have broke the crate down on the trailer, but I had to return it to my friend who needed for work.

BTW, I moved all the pieces into my shop using furniture dollies and my engine hoist. I also assemble the lift myself with no help, I don't recommend this! Get at least one or two able bodied men to help.

If I can find some picks I'll post them...
 
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Viper98912

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Oct 20, 2012
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1,124
Location
GA
I rented a Uhaul trailer on the back of an F150 and went to pick it up at the terminal. Definitely a long ride home with a few feet of lifting hanging off the back...

Brought it home and broke it down while on the trailer with the help of the gf and a friend. The trickiest one was the ramp with the cylinder - that one was definitely heavy and we weren't able to lift it up - we had to use an engine hoist to lift/slide/set down/lift the other end and then move the trailer out. Everything else we just walked into the garage.
 

Oilguy

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Joined
Jun 11, 2017
Messages
58
I paid a commercial company $650 to deliver and install mine. Greg Smith recommended them as they do installations for car dealers and shops. They used a boom truck to unload the lift and then adjusted it after it was set up in my shop. Not cheap but glad I did it. It took them probably an hour just to break down the packaging and get it on the shop floor.
 

PoorOwner

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Feb 10, 2007
Messages
5,032
Location
CA
Rented trailer 12 to 14 ft long works well.
Also could use a car trailer.

At home use slings and engine hoist.
 

glentre

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Joined
May 21, 2016
Messages
909
Location
Gloucester, Virginia
I had my 4-post lift picked up at the freight terminal by a tow company using a roll back trailer. They unloaded it into my garage onto some 4x4's and I unpacked it and installed it myself using an engine hoist and a sling. I was 79 at the time so it's not a big deal if you use your brain instead of your brawn. Total delivery cost....$200.

Glen
 

ALinCarolina

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Dec 29, 2014
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757
Location
NC Piedmont
Yes to the rollback wrecker. The tow company I used was very familiar with going to the freight terminal for such loads. Luckily I have a flat bed car hauler trailer so I had the freight company load it (no charge) and broke it down at the shop. Construction was still going on on the shop so me and three masons got it all unloaded.
I used the rollback to bring a very large sliding table saw combo to the shop later. We just backed it up to the door and slid it off carefully onto car dollies.
 

SGKent

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Feb 12, 2010
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Citrus Heights CA
you can contact local delivery companies that have a truck with a loader attached. Some companies use it all the time. Then have it delivered to them and pay them to bring it over. Frankly someone selling things like that should be using a shipping company that has loaders. I have bought many heavy things that come on pallets where all they wanted to be sure is that their truck could park, get in and out, and that no vehicles would be blocking where it would be off loaded and placed.
 

Kaizen

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Jan 9, 2015
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6,948
Location
New England
i got a 2 post and was worried about this as well. you cannot count on the delivery person so it has to be a quick off load. renting a piece of equipment with delivery for a good chunk of the cost of the lift does not make sense. I like the roll back but would be concerned it will get really banged up as there isnt a normal pallet under these things. I'd contact the freight place and see if they have a service. i bet they would load onto a uhaul car trailer for you for couple hundred bucks. then you can back it into the garage, lift a piece with an engine hoist, pull out, lower it out of the way, repeat.

my two post loaded on my f150 thankfully.
 

LX-Markham

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Apr 27, 2013
Messages
2,929
Location
Markham, Ont.
Not sure if GS has a similar option, but with BP I had them install, and as part of the deal they pick up at the depot and deliver. Solved all sorts of logistical issues.

image_zps14ee3a6d-M.jpg
 
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BrokeEF

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Dec 24, 2008
Messages
341
Location
Elgin, IL
Thank you guys for all of the responses! I hadn't thought of a few of these, and that was what I was after. I knew there were options since people do this all the time, but having never run into this I wasn't sure what those options were.

I ended up talking to the tow company I have used a couple of times. They were on board with having it delivered to them so they can put it directly onto a rollback and bring it out by me. Price was cheaper than any pricing I saw for equipment (which didn't include delivery) so should all work out.

My plan was to use a combination of engine hoist and car dollies to move it around once it got to my house. I assumed it was an option to have it delivered with a lift gate, but they said they wont which is what started all of this. I am hoping that they can get it off the rollback right into my garage so I don't have to worry about going over the transition from the driveway. Not that its bad, but if I didn't have to roll over it that would be nice.

Ill update you guys with some pics when it all comes in. I am super excited to FINALLY have a lift after years of working on cars :D


Sean
 

junkman104

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Apr 5, 2005
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4,561
Location
Cherokee County N.C.
Drove to Greg Smith Atlanta with my car trailer to get mine, unloaded in pieces with my engine hoist Not a crappy HF type and assembled it myself. That was 8 years ago.
 
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BrokeEF

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
341
Location
Elgin, IL
I almost forgot to update this! I know you all have been waiting :)

It was delivered to the tow company later in the day than it should have been, but there was no issues at all. Only down side was I had to wait an extra day to get it, and we were very busy the next day. They came out pretty early though to make sure I could get it before having to leave for the day.

IMG_20190629_094043-X3.jpg


They also dropped it right into my garage no problem!
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Like I said, I had to get running shortly after so I was only able to quickly pull off the outer packaging.
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The next day I started to unpack it more and get it assembled
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Had to take a bit of break for some weather.
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At first I was excited about the storm since it was hot as hell out, and I knew that would drop the temp. The problem was it was coming straight into the garage with insane winds, so I had to close the door. Then the power was in and out, so I went inside till it blew over.

Then I got back to it. It was pretty easy for the most part, but the instructions were useless and there were no good pics even to know orientation. Having done it now, I would be able to sort it out a lot quicker, but as it was I did and redid almost everything a couple of times. The only other struggle was the power ramp. That is probably the bulk of the weight, and mine was delivered upside down and pointing the wrong way. I ended up using two jacks to get it off of the packing rack, spun around and over to the lift. Then I set it on the rails upside down and rolled it over with some help from the wife. Would have been much easier with a cherry picker or something to lift.

IMG_20190630_165905-X3.jpg


That was where I left it for the day. Again, doing and redoing things really eats up time :D I got back out there later in the week to get everything finished up. Ran into an interesting issue with the locks.
IMG_20190703_203849-X3.jpg


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That was without any of the 3 washers I was supposed to use either. Not a big deal, but means I have to drive to a home depot which is about 30 minutes away each way. I ended up with some socket cap screws (limited options in metric) which I will probably change out later for hex. Anyway, got that all done, got the cables on, and lowered it down for the first time.
IMG_20190703_223317-X3.jpg


After some dicking around getting the covers on things (P.S. cables go through the guards) and getting it kind of adjusted, I moved everything around in the garage and got the lift in its primary location. Of course I had to get a car up just to see it work under load!
IMG_20190704_224814-X3.jpg


The next morning, up nice and early to go meet the tow truck driver (same guy who delivered the lift the previous Saturday) at my buddies house to pick up my car. Again, no problem getting it back, and unloaded right onto the lift.
IMG_20190705_120039-X3.jpg


Next on the agenda is to get a jack shaft garage door opener, and high lift rails. For now I am going to do just that 3rd bay, but since the opener on the big door has been ******* me off I may do them both at the same time. That way I can also move the lift around and not have to worry about the door or the opener. For now since money is a bit tight I will probably just remove the opener on that third bay and lock the door so nobody can just whip it open into my car.

Thanks again for the suggestions and the help guys. Everything went off without a hitch, and I now have a lift in my own garage!!!


Sean
 

OldracerJones

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Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
334
Location
Chico, Texas
I picked mine up at a freight forwarder where they loaded it with a fork lift. At home, I unpacked it and carried it piece by piece into the shop where I put it together.
 

brownbagg

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Mar 20, 2006
Messages
5,208
get it delievred to the terminal, go pick it up with trailer, they will fork lift on your trailer, when you get home, break it loose on the trailer and unload piece by piece, The heavist piece is about 200 lbs
 
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