Rigging Machines with Cushion Tire Forklift on Dirt/Gravel

[Garwood]

When I moved my 12,000 lb Mazak on the roll back it went really well.
Loading it on with forklift was easy, and also strapping it down.
We put some scrap OSB between machine and bed.
Winching it off was easy. When we got it over the edge of the roll back, we set the leading edge on two skates, and carried on winching, onto a second set of skates.
Then rollback can go back for 2nd machine while you're setting first.
If you have nothing to anchor winch in the building, attach winches to edge of roll back bed, then just go around the machine.
We used a chain type "cum-along".
Myself, a good buddy and the rollback driver got my mill in.
If the riggers don't want to do it, don't worry. Just get them to bring machine to hard pavement near your shop and take it yourself from there.
All you need is some skates, "cum-along", straps and some chain.
Then a $75 toe jack to get the skates out. Would save a few dollars I imagine.
Took us about 2 hours to get it in off the roll-back.
Good luck.
Bob

12K lb machine is more than most tow companies will haul on their single axle rollbacks. For good reason too. It's more than the trucks can handle even if the hydraulics will do it. Landoll will do it no matter what. Load angle is real easy, much less than a rollback.

I don't slide good machines on the deck. I put them on skates. Tons of work to get all the adjusters backed up into the casting and sliding is very slow going and jerky.

 

[Overland]

That's why we put OSB under machine so the adjusters sank into OSB, and it slid quite easily.
Skates under the machine on the deck would be scary to jack machine and then control it, I would have thought.
Bob

 

[Garwood]

That's why we put OSB under machine so the adjusters sank into OSB, and it slid quite easily.
Skates under the machine on the deck would be scary to jack machine and then control it, I would have thought.
Bob

Sounds like way less work to set it on normal dunnage then swap out for skates and roll it off with the winch.

I've done it hundreds of times. Mostly on Landolls, but also a dozen or so rollback moves.

I prefer landolls because they are more versatile and way more powerful than rollbacks.

 

[Overland]

Garwood,
Maybe you're right. I was thinking point loads a just 4 skates and that much weight would be hard on the deck; but maybe not much different to the jacking studs on OSB.
If the machine was set on dunnage, then could be lifted to place skates under it when still level, then it would roll itself down and off.
I had an ironworker on massive castors that we winched up onto a rollback. When he started to pull up the deck, it twisted and we nearly lost control of a 3,000 lb top heavy ironworker; very scary !
But the skates can only really go in one direction, so should be quite controllable.
Could work well.
Bob

 

[goldenfab]

Still waiting on company A to give me a date and price for this job. Company B is all booked this month except for dates I won't be here. Called company C and got a quote for $4k to move two machines, a Fadal 4020 and a Kitamura Mycenter 3 (both from different locations) to my place; so a three stop job. Total travel distance being 204 miles / 3.5 hr and most of that is highway and good traffic. Does that sound reasonable?

If I was to do it myself and slide the mahines off a landall or something I found a shop next door that entertained loading the Fadal with their forklift. Can't figure out a reasonable way to get the Kitamura loaded other than renting that telehandler though at $1,750.

 

[kb0thn]

Still waiting on company A to give me a date and price for this job. Company B is all booked this month except for dates I won't be here. Called company C and got a quote for $4k to move two machines, a Fadal 4020 and a Kitamura Mycenter 3 (both from different locations) to my place; so a three stop job. Total travel distance being 204 miles / 3.5 hr and most of that is highway and good traffic. Does that sound reasonable?

If I was to do it myself and slide the mahines off a landall or something I found a shop next door that entertained loading the Fadal with their forklift. Can't figure out a reasonable way to get the Kitamura loaded other than renting that telehandler though at $1,750.

I think given the unknowns the riggers are facing, $4k seems darn reasonable. I pay $5 per loaded mile for flat bed truck alone.

If you had the equipment, you could probably do it cheaper if nothing went wrong. But you don't have the equipment and you are apparently 100 miles from equipment.

It gives you good information for future machine acquisition. Add $2k per machine to get it delivered.

Also gives you ammo for getting a large forklift yourself. I've got 3500 lb to 10,000 forklifts. But never have had the right forklift for lifting big machine. So had to pay the neighbors. Now I've moved and don't have neighbors, getting a big forklift became a priority. After a year of watching craiglist and facebook marketplace, I snagged a 16k hyster for $4k and will have a serviceable 16k lb forklift for $8k after some work.

 

[Mebfab]

Local rigger wanted $3K to move a fadal (11K lbs) 15 miles. The fadal was already at the loading dock on one end. Other end had 10x10 door, big apron outside, 8K forklift to pull with . So thats a reference point.

I did it myself. Rollback pulled it on with winch. Drove it over and slid off onto apron. Skated in. $300.

 

[Garwood]

Last time I had riggers here a couple years ago they were loading two machines, a small 14K lb HMC and an 18K lb laser and delivering them to two different buyers with easy access. About 2 hours total drive time. The riggers charged the buyers $3500 each to deliver. $7000 total.

I offered to deliver each machine for $1500 with a hold harmless agreement (zero liability on my part if something went wrong). Both parties ponied up for the big riggers so their butts were covered and everyone was happy.

$4k rigging for two machines would be a steal here in the NW.

 

[mjr6550]

If the base is well compacted you could do a a layer of concrete and overlay it with another layer later (if you have the depth to do that). Concrete reaches about 80 percent of it's strength in 7 days. There is also high early strength concrete.

 

[david n]

If the base is well compacted you could do a a layer of concrete and overlay it with another layer later (if you have the depth to do that). Concrete reaches about 80 percent of it's strength in 7 days. There is also high early strength concrete.

Yeah they need a lift like this ol girl...................the mill is 15k

 

[david n]

Or yah gotta pour some crete out front......................

 

[goldenfab]

Have not heard back from company B on a moving date. Company A said they have an opening to come up tomorrow. I think I have a buyer for the DM4500 so my first VMC may never see my shop.
Fingers crossed.

 

[goldenfab]

Machines are moved. Riggers ended up using a 30k air tire forklift in the dirt and 15k cushion tire forklift inside the building to move stuff around since the big forklift was too large to tight quarters. The 15k cushion tire forklift did ok in the dirt unloaded. In a few areas it made more tracks than I would have expected and in the other areas basically no tracks. Can't say it would have been trouble free loaded.

Thank you for all the advice. Riggers did a great job but it's expensive especially due to my distance from any rigging companies. Will defiantly look into alternative means next time around due to the cost.

 

[macgyver]

Glad it worked out. When I got my first machine that I couldn't move myself I got a rigger to quote it. Needed a crane etc, they quoted app 3x's what I had expected and I had to borrow some to get it done. Turned out that they were able to do it much quicker than their sales guy thought and they only charged me actual hours so it came out to app what I had expected before the quote. No idea if other companies do that, but I was very grateful it came out under the quote.

Paying for travel time and miles hurts, but that is the reality of it most times. I seriously tried to figure out how to make it happen without the rigger, but I just kept coming up with nothing that made sense other than paying the guys to do it right. I had a loan on the machine and work for it. I really couldn't risk damaging it and costing me more than I'd pay the rigger so as I said, I just borrowed more to make sure I could get it placed. Oh, they brought plates to out down to skate it under power lines into the door, I didn't have to go find any. It did help to have my lift on site to move them around, but otherwise it was all their stuff.

Fast forward a few years, I have moved all the rest myself. Different situation now, I have more equipment, the machines have been a little lighter and dirt cheap so the risk is less.