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VMC Rigging Costs

Haggismaximus

Plastic
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
I'm taking a look at a 2005 Hurco VM2 tomorrow and got a quote from Lawson to move it. Total distance from one location to the other is 100 miles, so about 200 RT. I was quoted $4800 to move the machine and it weighs in at 9K pounds. This would be my first machine move if I go through with the purchase so I don't have any idea if this a reasonable cost for the distance. May need to skate it 20 feet at my location as I don't know if the forklift could get it into the final resting spot.

Looking for some insight if this seems be be par for the course cost wise. Going to look for other riggers in the area too. San Francisco area if anyone has some suggestions.

Thanks.
 
... got a quote from Lawson to move it. Total distance from one location to the other is 100 miles, so about 200 RT. I was quoted $4800 to move the machine and it weighs in at 9K pounds.
They quoted me $500 for the same job (San Jose to San Rafael, 12,000 lbs), when it arrived demanded $800 so I stopped the check the instant they drove off. When their head asshole called up frothing I told him to pound sand, I'd happily see them in court. He took the $500. Left a very bad taste in my mouth, I wouldn't let those creeps move a doghouse.

Dan from Oakland should show up in a sec, he's up to date on who's good and who's a loser these days. Or pm him ...
 
Seems a little high to me.
How much calling around did you do?
Did you call All Machinery Moving?
They moved a VMC and two small lathes for me from Menlo Park to Napa, including skating the VMC into my garage for a better price than that.
 
They quoted me $500 for the same job (San Jose to San Rafael, 12,000 lbs), when it arrived demanded $800 so I stopped the check the instant they drove off. When their head asshole called up frothing I told him to pound sand, I'd happily see them in court. He took the $500. Left a very bad taste in my mouth, I wouldn't let those creeps move a doghouse.

Yikes. Was this move recent? Move is from Sacramento to Oakland, quote came from their West Sacramento Division.
 
They quoted me $500 for the same job (San Jose to San Rafael, 12,000 lbs), when it arrived demanded $800 so I stopped the check the instant they drove off. When their head asshole called up frothing I told him to pound sand, I'd happily see them in court. He took the $500. Left a very bad taste in my mouth, I wouldn't let those creeps move a doghouse.

Dan from Oakland should show up in a sec, he's up to date on who's good and who's a loser these days. Or pm him ...

$500?!?? That’s really low!
Even $800 seems very low.
Were they carrying other machines to another customer at the same time?
 
Did you call All Machinery Moving?
They moved a VMC and two small lathes for me from Menlo Park to Napa, including skating the VMC into my garage for a better price than that.

Not yet, they are on the list to call. Brother in Law used Lawson two weeks ago to move 7 machines for $5400 Distance was only about 15 miles so wasn't sure if the long distance I need made the price go up so high.
 
Gary Aragon, machinery dealer in San Leandro, has a partner Mike, who moves machines. He’s worth a call. I am not sure whether he’ll go as far as Sacramento.


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$500?!?? That’s really low!
Even $800 seems very low.
It was a long time ago but I have an elephant's memory for when someone tries to jam a giant dildo up my ass :( It was blatantly dishonest with a fuck-you attitude "we've got your machine on the truck and there's nothing you can do about it."

Lucky for me, too bad for them they were so stupid as to take a check after trying to rip me off.
 
The low cost alternative is to rent a flat bed from Penske. The 9000 lb machine weight will keep you within the 26000 lb limit on your non commercial drivers license. The cost for a two day rental plus mileage and fuel will be about $600.

Or you can hire a tractor/ low bed trailer for $3.00/mile . The low bed is easier to load. The tractor operators carry chains rather than tie down straps.

You then call the local rental yard and have them deliver a forklift at your pickup location. The cost for a four hour rental plus delivery will be about $500. The delivery driver will, in most instances, operate the forklift
so that he can return to the yard as quickly as possible.

You also need to schedule another forklift at the drop off location for another $500. The promised delivery times are not that reliable so you need to plan on two days to complete the move.

For some people the lost two days of work plus the $1600 in out of pocket expenses is preferable to hiring a rigger at a much higher price.

If the riggers have no work that day they will drop the price once you mention that you are planning on doing it yourself if the quote is too high. If they are busy they will not negotiate a lower price.

The advantage of a do it yourself move is that there is less likely to be machine damage if you have taken the time to read the manufacturer's rigging instructions. Hurco has this information on their website.

You may need to make brackets to lock the table and saddle in place. You may need the lifting eye bolt that attaches at the top of the column. You may need wood blocking for the spindle. There may be a coolant tank that needs to be emptied prior to the move,

It can take several hours to prepare a machine for transport particularly if the sheet metal covers prevent access to the tie down points. Penske does not always provide tie down straps with their flat beds. Check in advance if you use their rental. If you are new at this spend the extra $100 to fully insure the truck for possible damage

Your liability is unlimited if the machine falls off the truck while driving on the freeway. If you do not understand how to tie a machine down or the use of wood blocking to prevent the machine from sliding on the truck bed it will make more sense to hire a rigger. You can still use the do it yourself cost to negotiate a lower rigging fee. The riggers may also lower the quote if you agree to do all the preparation work prior to their arrival.
 
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Gary Aragon, machinery dealer in San Leandro, has a partner Mike, who moves machines. He’s worth a call. I am not sure whether he’ll go as far as Sacramento.


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Yeah.
Gary himself is pretty good at moving machines, but he’s semi-retired.
He moved my Trak mill from Livermore to Napa within the last year.
Full disclosure: Gary is a friend.
 
Just got off the phone with Gary and All Machinery Movers in San Jose. Gary needed more info to see if there was a forklift at the sight and All Machinery said $1800-$2400 depending on on the difficulty.
 
Vierra Trucking
(510) 582-8412
24227 Palomares Rd
Castro Valley, CA 94552

Kennedy Machinery Transport
(408) 292-4990
1041 N 11th St
San Jose, CA 95112

Vierra moved a friend's full shop across the bay last year, took two days. I don't remember the specifics, but he was very happy with both the price and service. I was around for a lot of it and everything went smoothly, including some rather snug overhead and doorway fits.
 
So, EG, you gave them a check knowing you weren’t going to honour it?
You gottit. Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

I can go Old Testament when it's required :)

Robert R said:
The low cost alternative is to rent a flat bed from Penske. The 9000 lb machine weight will keep you within the 26000 lb limit on your non commercial drivers license. The cost for a two day rental plus mileage and fuel will be about $600.
Maybe if Dan's not too busy he'll put it in the back of his VW pickup and bring it up. I've seen that guy at auctions .... he's dangerous :D
 
If by simple you mean honouring a check I write, the answer is yes. I don’t control others but I do take responsibility for myself.

There’s been a few folks who have screwed me in the past. My simple response is to never do business with them again, and make damn sure as many people as possible are aware of how they do business. Word of mouth or more public methods seem to work here. Too bad if that’s not the case where you are.

EG may be successful in his public outing of someone….

L7
 
If by simple you mean honouring a check I write, the answer is yes. I don’t control others but I do take responsibility for myself.
If kidnappers have your daughter, do you insist on paying them with real bills or would you allow funny money in the briefcase ?

They got what they quoted. To me, that's honorable. Of course other people may have a different opinion, and that's fine.

About outing them, yes, at every opportunity. I really don't appreciate extortion.
 
my local place is $2000 to unload at one end. local flat deck tow company tows it about 150 miles away for $125/hr or i rent a huge forklift for $800 including delivery to unload it myself.
 








 
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