It was years ago when I was first trying to find a good way to get machines into (and eventually back out) of my garage. As most home shop machinists and hobbiests found, there are two main problems:
1. Maneuvering a heavy machine inside the garage (or shop).
2. Lifting and moving the machine into (or out of) a truck, or trailer.
It’s the last 40 feet from the truck into the garage that seems to be so hard for the home machinist.
Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of the DIY techniques for moving a big machine, including pushing along on rollers, prying with steel bars, lifting with engine hoists, renting, owning (and then fixing) forklifts, machinery skates and custom-made roller-fixtures.
Those techniques work… but you certainly trade your own sweat, time, and safety to do it cheap. Finally, I’ve come around to thinking that the way to go is to just call up the local rental yard and have them drop off a reach forklift.
A regular forklift only solves the “move it off the truck” problem, not the “move it into the garage” problem. Regular forklifts tend to be an annoying 2″ too tall to fit into a standard garage. A reach forklift can reach all the way in and just pick it right up!
Yes, it costs money. But it sure is easy and fast! In fact, it was so easy that I recently removed a 5500lb Mori Seiki SL1 lathe from my garage, drove it up the neighorhood street, and put it on a semi-truck in less than an hour – less time than I spent editing the video! (link below) That’s less than an hour, _including_ the time to maneuver it out of the garage.
For tight maneuvering inside a garage and for fine tuning the position, I now prefer to use my shop-made machinery skates and toe jack. Tools no home shop machinist should be without.
Glad I didn’t lose any toes in my earlier (and sketchier) years! What a difference a few years experience makes.
