Unloading 4 post lift with a cherry picker

[DerStig]

Can this be done using a standard 1 or 2 ton cherry picker like the one below:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-61858.html

I am asking because the freight company's dispatcher is telling me only a forklift can lift it and truck is about 4ft high and with cherry picker there is no way to reach all the way in

Packed dimensions of the 4 post is 168x22x41 and 1690 lbs.

 

[Streetbu]

Not going to happen with a cherry picker. You'd be better off backing a pickup truck end to end with the tractor trailer, push/slide the lift into the pickup bed, then drive away.

 

[LXCam]

If you plan on trying to pick up or even just lower the palletized load, there isn't a chance in hell. If you can slip the driver some cash to allow you time to unwrap it all and remove the pieces individually then yes. The ramps are the heaviest parts, but you could slide them out and drop one end on the ground then pick at the center or pick the high end up and lower onto a four wheel dolly.

 

[Z2V]

A friend and I unloaded mine by hand one piece at a time. It's bolted together with some angle iron that's all. I had two four wheel dollies to get the ramps off trailer and into garage.
The posts and cross tubes you can carry by hand.
You can rent a cherry picker for around $30 a day unless you just want to own.

 

[DerStig]

why won't it work with a cherry picker? Is it the weight? The HF one can pick up 2 tons up to 70" high and 1 ton 80" high.

lift weighs 700 kg

 

[LXCam]

If it's delivered in a enclosed trailer your totally screwed. If it's a stake bed you would not have enough reach to sling the load at a leverage point capable of picking the load and that's assuming the tires aren't in the way of your center line / legs. Hell man you might get lucky and the stars align for you too, but I would suggest an alternate plan just in case.

Edit. Your math. Yes it will pick up 1 ton at 80". But the pick point is only a little over a foot away from the ram. If it's palletized like mine was on a four foot pallet you really need enough reach to get into the center two foot in. You could come up short and pick the load but it'll swing on ya, not something I'd want to deal with.

 

[38Chevy454]

Better solution: Get a std open car hauler trailer and go to the freight terminal. They load the lift package onto your car trailer at freight terminal with their forklift. Drive home and then unpack the pieces on the trailer. The biggest and heaviest are the ramps, and two men should be able to get off the trailer.

 

[lakeroadster]

I would agree with the above posts.

I had my 4 post lift drop shipped to the place I worked, and they loaded it onto a car hauler trailer.

When I got it home I used my engine hoist to remove it from the trailer.. and even at that low of a trailer height, it was still a chore for the wife and I to wrangle it off the trailer and onto my shop floor.

 

[HeadsUp]

There's a couple of ideas in this thread.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202453&page=2

 

[Falcon67]

I would agree with the above posts.

I had my 4 post lift drop shipped to the place I worked, and they loaded it onto a car hauler trailer.

When I got it home I used my engine hoist to remove it from the trailer.. and even at that low of a trailer height, it was still a chore for the wife and I to wrangle it off the trailer and onto my shop floor.

How I got my 2 post off the trailer - 1450 lbs. How I got my 12x36 lathe off the trailer, that was about 1200 lbs.

I am asking because the freight company's dispatcher is telling me only a forklift can lift it and truck is about 4ft high and with cherry picker there is no way to reach all the way in

You are going to have to use a trailer, none of this kind of stuff will go in a pickup bed. Not in a way you can easily get it out.

 

[DerStig]

None of the trailers uhaul has is big enough to carry the lift. If I rented something myself, it would have to be 17' uhaul truck. It's going to have the same problem of reach regardless no?

I'm guessing the truck driver wouldn't wait for me to open the package and unload or could I even do that with the cherry picker (for the runways)?

 

[DerStig]

It seems like uhaul has an open car trailer. Just not sure if thats long enough for this thing. This is 168" long and the trailer's length is unknown although it says 133" max wheel base. So I guess I could rent the trailer and a uhaul pickup truck?

 

[Z2V]

You could hire a flat bed wrecker with a role off to pick it up at the freight line and deliver it to your place. He could probably slide it right in your garage for you.

 

[DerStig]

You could hire a flat bed wrecker with a role off to pick it up at the freight line and deliver it to your place. He could probably slide it right in your garage for you.

I have called 9 different places for that, cheapest quote I got was $275 and that guy sounded like the price can go up to $325 which is what everyone else quoted me.

 

[Z2V]

By the time you rent a truck and a trailer then time wasted picking them up and then returning them.......$300 might be money well spent.

 

[DerStig]

What I initially was going to do was to get this: https://www.uhaul.com/Trucks/17ft-Moving-Truck-Rental/EL/

They use a forklift to put it inside then when I come home, I unwrap it inside the truck and using a cherry picker lower the pieces one at a time. If I did it using this truck, total cost is $80. If I rent a pick up and a trailer, then its going to be twice as that and yes I may as well go ask a flat bed to do this for me.

Do you think I can unpackage inside the uhaul truck and cherry picker can then pick up the 400 lb ramps from that height? Seems like uhaul truck is only 2 ft high vs 4.5 ft high for the semi that would come here, so I'm guessing cherry picker might work then?

PS: The dock is 15 miles from where I live, so not too far.

 

[Z2V]

You would most likely want to use picker to set one end on ground then drag it out and pick it up in the center of load to get it rest of the way out. It would be good to have at least one four wheel dolly also.

 

[wildfire0310]

Another option is if you rent a Uhaul truck is they have ramps. Buy two of http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1-000-lb-Capacity-Furniture-Dolly-33700/100057209" and then roll it down the ramps. It's how I moved a piano, two huge Vidmar cabinets, and some other heavy tools in my last move.

Note you may want to get a piece or two of strong plywood to help with the transition from the ramp to the ground.

If your working by yourself you can use a come along to help slowly glide it down the truck ramp.

 

[DerStig]

You would most likely want to use picker to set one end on ground then drag it out and pick it up in the center of load to get it rest of the way out. It would be good to have at least one four wheel dolly also.

Okay.

The other reason I m not leaning towards the trailer is because i have a decline long small driveway. I would have to back in there with the trailer and a truck. It's not something I m going to be able to do easily I still need to back in with the 20' truck but I think its much easier to maneuver than the trailer+truck combo going backwards.

 

[DerStig]

Another option is if you rent a Uhaul truck is they have ramps. Buy two of http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1-000-lb-Capacity-Furniture-Dolly-33700/100057209" and then roll it down the ramps. It's how I moved a piano, two huge Vidmar cabinets, and some other heavy tools in my last move.

Note you may want to get a piece or two of strong plywood to help with the transition from the ramp to the ground.

If your working by yourself you can use a come along to help slowly glide it down the truck ramp.

I was going to get them from HF. Not sure why that one is $20, the ones in HF was $4 lol

Yes its probably not so well made

 

[v8only]

i had a flatbed with a tilt deck truck pick up my 4 post. He showed up, tilted his deck, winched it up strapped down in 30 mins.

 

[86turbodsl]

You could probably pay a lift company to retrieve and install for not too much more.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[wildfire0310]

I was going to get them from HF. Not sure why that one is $20, the ones in HF was $4 lol

Yes its probably not so well made

The HFs work but are cheaper in their wood and casters. I have two HD ones and one HF. I cracked the wood in my HF one when the piano slipped a little in my hand and dropped about 2" onto the soft unpadded wood. Also, the HF one's caster has seemed to have broken and doesn't like to swivel freely and easily anymore.

That being said, if you are only going to some them once, grab the HF if a HF is really close. If you think you would want to keep them and use these dollies years from now, get the HD ones.

 

[Greg_P]

DerStig,

Sometimes a pix is worth a thousand words. In 2007, when I rec'd my BendPac lift, I had had the truck driver come to a shop where I had arranged to have the shop owner unload the lift from the truck's flatbed trailer using a forklift. At the time, there were two complete lifts on the truck's trailer. As you will see, it was a long narrow package. The forklift was then able to put the lift package on my car haul trailer -- after I put wood blocking on the car trailer under the ends of the lift package so that the forks would clear the trailer's wheel wells.

I took the lift package home and unpacked it at my leisure. I did need to use my engine hoist to unload the two runway sections from the car trailer and then to eventually lift each runway to the horizontal cross members. Most all was a two person job except three were needed to fit and bolt up the two horizontal cross members.

Greg

 

[DerStig]

DerStig,

Sometimes a pix is worth a thousand words. In 2007, when I rec'd my BendPac lift, I had had the truck driver come to a shop where I had arranged to have the shop owner unload the lift from the truck's flatbed trailer using a forklift. At the time, there were two complete lifts on the truck's trailer. As you will see, it was a long narrow package. The forklift was then able to put the lift package on my car haul trailer -- after I put wood blocking on the car trailer under the ends of the lift package so that the forks would clear the trailer's wheel wells.

I took the lift package home and unpacked it at my leisure. I did need to use my engine hoist to unload the two runway sections from the car trailer and then to eventually lift each runway to the horizontal cross members. Most all was a two person job except three were needed to fit and bolt up the two horizontal cross members.

Greg

Thank you, the problem with the wheels will probably happen to me as well so I may as well go there prepared.

I'm curious why cant the forklift lift from the short ends?

 

[Slabo]

I ended up renting a Bobcat to get my Bendpac 4 post lift out of the truck and into a landscape trailer. I would have preferred a fork lift but their were not any available to rent. We back the trailer up to the truck and used the Bobcat bucket with a chain on one end of the long package and had the truck pull forward to get it mostly out. We then lowered it onto my trailer. So now it was resting between the back of the truck and my trailer which was lower. We moved the Chain to the other end and was able to lift and set it down in the trailer. Repeat for the second package.

Once we got it around the back of the house and in front of the shop we pulled the package apart and used the Bobcat to set the long runway pieces into one side (bay) of the shop. Then I returned the Bobcat. Half day rental was all we needed. We used a pulley hoist from the rafters to set the cross beams and the engine lift to set the long heavy runways onto the cross beams.

 

[Greg_P]

I'm curious why cant the forklift lift from the short ends?

Well . . . if I understand your question correctly, the load has to be balanced on the two forks of the forklift. The forks on the small forklift that picked my lift package were only 5 or 6 ft long so there is no way that you could slide them together and try to lift the whole load coming at it from an end -- even if you chained the load to the forks. The cantilevered load would try to tip the forklift over frontwards.

Greg

 

[DerStig]

What I meant was, couldnt he have inserted the two forks from the narrow side (the package is 168x22x41). Instead of lifting from the middle of 168", why not lift from the 22/44" side and go head in to the trailer instead of from the side.

I.e: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3142409&postcount=13

 

[DerStig]

I have a friend who owns a gas station, dont know why I never thought about this. Just spoke to him his guy who owns the tow company will charge me $125 total and will also unload. Problem solved

 

[Kev442]

Good. I've done it three times and I cannot conceive of any way to get a four post off either a flatbed or enclosed truck trailer with a cherrypicker.

 

[HotrodHR]

Here's how I handled my off loading of my 4 post lift...

My lift was delivered to a terminal/transfer point near my town. I borrowed a flat bed trailer from a friend and hooked it up to my F-150. At the terminal I positioned 4 pieces of 3 inch (if I remember correctly) pipe I picked up from Lowes or HDT to set the crate on. The pipes were to help the crate roll when I got the load home. The terminal loaded it on the trailer, blocked and strapped it in place.

Backed up the trailer up to my shop and attached my HF engine hoist to the end of the crate with a strap wrapped around it and jacked it up a little to put tension on the chain.

I pulled the lift with the hoist and pushed (alternating) the crate (by hand) until several feet of the crate was off the trailer. I blocked the hoist with some heavy lumber, blocks and chocks. Got in the truck and carefully pulled forward until the end of crate tipped down and contacted the ground. I transferred the hoist to the crate end that was still on the trailer to keep it from crashing to the ground and then pull the trailer out.

Once on the ground I unpacked the crate and inventoried the parts. I used furniture dollies, the engine hoist and moved each piece into the shop and assembled the lift.

BTW, I did the entire off loading and assembly/install by myself (my helper was a no show). I don't recommend this as it is at least a two man job, better with three...

I'll have to look and see if I still have some pics of this to post...

If I was to do this again I would hire the local wrecker company and have them pick it up on a roll back...

 

[rburke65]

If you were to pick it up from the small end it would tip the forklift over. Too much 'over hanging' weight....not balanced.

 

[z0650]

Picked mine up at the freight line dock, they forked it onto my trailer and l took it home, broke down the crate and took pieces into the garage one at a time.

 

[59 wagon man]

a few pieces of pvc pipe make it ver easy to move .15 yrs I picked my 4 post up at the freight dock where they loaded onto my car trailer . from there my wife 10 yr old daughter, myself and an engine hoist was all it took to put it together and its still standing

 

[bobabuee]

HFcherry picker,2 of nylon slings, 4HF large dollies 2-4 good 1000 pound saw horses

if no acess to open car trailer and truck but uhaul rents open car trailers

ideal

call tow company with roll back like i suggested in your other post :

to pick up at freight terminal being to your house drop onto dollies if you have cement pad if not 2 sheets osb roll sucker in start unpacking and assembly done easy

 

[minytrker]

My 10k 2 post came in a enclosed 18 wheeler trailer. It was a pain in the *** just to get it out of the trailer with a forklift. I then put it on my car hauler and went home. At home I used a tractor with forklift forks and lifted the 1800lb package off. I had to put 700lbs on the 3 point hitch in order to keep the back tires on the ground. It was alot heavier and harder to move than my old chinese 9k lift. The post on my 10k lift 2 of us could not even lift them off the ground by hand to move.

 

[Ehcrain]

I'm curious why cant the forklift lift from the short ends?
Depending on how the shipping crate is build you stand a chance of the crate breaking and dropping your new lift. I work in shipping and receiving and have seen a few long pallets break when picked up by the narrow end.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[FEF]

I just went through this. The truck won't wait the 2 hours it takes to unload with an engine hoist, floor jack, and dollie.

I rented a 26' U-Haul, picked it up (have them put the end very close to the edge), then it took about 2 hours to safely maneuver the lift out without scratching the truck deck. The problem is getting the engine puller to roll the way you want. It's VERY top heavy and can tip over sideways if not careful.

In short, it can be done. Just not from the truck delivering to your house.

 

[Kaizen]

What I meant was, couldnt he have inserted the two forks from the narrow side (the package is 168x22x41). Instead of lifting from the middle of 168", why not lift from the 22/44" side and go head in to the trailer instead of from the side.

I.e: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3142409&postcount=13

To start with on that flatbed the small end is too far in from the end to pick it up. also with that long of a load chances are the pallet will break....so the forks are really not supporting the load but more making a force between the top and bottom of the pallet. if the pallet breaks or that strap breaks carnage will ensue. maybe I missed it but what is delivery to the ground cost? car trailer from uhaul is the way to go imo. they load it like it is in that picture. if you can take off the ramps he might be able to push it on from the end. either way when you get to your garage you can back it in and unload or put a winch on it and pull it off and mess with it later. good luck.

 

[Z2V]

I have a friend who owns a gas station, dont know why I never thought about this. Just spoke to him his guy who owns the tow company will charge me $125 total and will also unload. Problem solved

This is probably the best $125 you will spend on this whole project!!