Moving workshop/transporting machines - any tips??

[Sawdust=manglitter]

With a house move looming in a month or two (it fell through last minute few weeks ago, but re-sold within a few days thankfully!) i had already started packing away a bunch of tools and getting things prepped. So i just managed to put my table saw up on a dolly using a rolling car jack and a bunch of scrap studs of various lengths…

So it’s got me wondering about the physical transportation. I’ve got a few rolling tool cabinets full of tools, as well as now the table saw on a dolly, will put the metal lathe on it’s own dollies, the bandsaw has a wheel kit, my clamp rack is on HD castors etc etc… so my original plan was to hire a luton type van with a tail lift to move my workshop contents, but how the heck do i make sure that anything on wheels doesnt move around or tip over during transport?? There’s only so much ratchet strapping to the van walls you can do. How have other people got around the wheel slipping issue?? In my head atleast, chocks will only work effectively with non-swivelling castors, whereas most things only have a pair of non-swivelling and also a pair of swivelling castors.

Any tips or suggestions (ideally from personal experience) would be greatly appreciated

 

[Jameshow]

I'd put the heaviest stuff like saw and lathe up against the front bulkhead. You can control your acceleration but sometimes you have to emergency stop......

Also take off stuff like fences etc.

How about physically clamping the tools in place with camps too?

Ask the hire depot if they gave any removal blankets too. Better than bubble wrap tbh.

I'd put bandsaw upfront with a 4x2 fork to hold the neck. You could easily bolt it to the rails.

Just my thoughts.....

 

[Steliz]

I moved house/workshop and country 3 1/2 years ago. My Workshop stuff went in a separate Sprinter type van and we loaded it fairly easily. A van with a tail lift seems a little overkill to me as long as you have some assistance. None of my machines were on wheels then so that wasn't a problem and the straps held everything fine. My biggest machines are the lathe, which can be dismantled, and the bandsaw, which I can remove the cast iron table from. The bandsaw is a bit heavy and was laid on it's back in the van.

 

[Alli]

Just be careful with hiring a Luton van, the one I hired only had a payload of around 1000kg.( I don't know if other are more) I only found this out after offering to remove the contents of a deceased relative garage, and loaded it to the gunnels, the trip back with virtually no breaks was something I don't want to do again! If I were to move all the kit I've got these days I would be looking at a 7.5ton truck.

 

[Droogs]

I'd put the heaviest stuff like saw and lathe up against the front bulkhead. You can control your acceleration but sometimes you have to emergency stop......
Just my thoughts.....

Absolutely the wrong thing to do. Counterintuitive I know but the load must be as balanced as possible over each axle or you are liable to overturning on corners. Just been through all of this for my HGV test. You need to know the weight of each machine and then arrange them so the weight is as even over each 1/4 of the load bed as you can and then secure them using Webbing ratchet straps (rope stretches too much). If your casters do not have a brake on them then make some hollow blocks they can sit in to stop the wheels turning. Don't forget as well as side mounting points you may have shackles fitted in the bed floor that you can use as well

 

[Lazurus]

Engine hoist when I moved the VB36 makes a decent dolly and no lifting by hand as it weighs 350 kg

 

[Inspector]

If renting a truck with a lift gate I would also rent a pallet jack and not bother putting castors under anything else until after the move. Then they don't slide around in the truck. I would put the machines etc on pallets if you don't have help getting them on/off the pallet jack even if you need to make one for the metal lathe. I actually took my metal lathe off the stands and lagged it to a couple 4"x4" to act as a skid. They're are awkwardly top heavy to move around and a pain to tie into place. I loaded the heavy things like the tablesaw, stuffed under it with heavy boxes, and lightweight stuff on top. Then put sheet goods across and tied them in, stuffing really light weight things on the very top like cushions. Then the next row of stuff. Really tall stuff like the bandsaw and my air compressor went into the front corners. Long boards stacked along one side with other stuff piled on top or stood vertically between rows of machines. Remove heavy breakables like bandsaw, sander tables and put them on the floor between machines. Look for an online supplier of cardboard boxes and get a bunch in only one or two sizes along with rolls of packing tape and a tape gun. We bought dozens of 12x12x12 and 14x14x14 because they are about all you want to lift when full and they stack neatly. Plastic tote bins are nice but more expensive. Space Saver clothing bags are great for squeezing a closet full of clothes into 2 or 3 bags. After the move you can break down all the boxes flat again and sell them to recoup some of your money.

Lots depend on how far you are moving, how fast you need to get it done and how much able bodied help you have. Above all have it all packed and ready to go. Nobody likes to help someone doing a trash bag move.

Pete

 

[DBC]

Listen to pete. Forget dollies. Pallets and a truck for them. Especially if its a long drive.

 

[Sideways]

Think what will happen when you emergency stop, hit a corner too fast by accident, whatever.
You really don't want kit on wheels in the back of a van.
The strapping rails down the sides are pretty feeble when push comes to shove. As far as possible, strap to the floor anchor points.
A Luton is a darn useful tool. Some have 1/4 ton some 1/2 ton rated tail lifts. Check in advance because overloading the lift will result in an expensive repair bill, not being able to load something at all, or potentially dropping it on the way in or out.
I get the bit about balancing the load but anchor points can be a bit limited and you really don't want a ton of lathe sliding down the van to smash the bulkhead during an emergency stop. I'd put the heaviest piece near the bulkhead and all the lesser items spread behind it (rather than stacked) to try and even the balance out.

 

[Alasdair]

I agree with pallets. Strap everything down to the pallet and wrap in cling wrap if you want. Stops it getting wet if its pouring when loading. I always put the taller stuff to the front and strap to the inside of the van. Try and distribute the weight as much as possible but keep the load tight towards the front. Its scary how much momentum a heavy machine has at 50mph.

 

[Jameshow]

Absolutely the wrong thing to do. Counterintuitive I know but the load must be as balanced as possible over each axle or you are liable to overturning on corners. Just been through all of this for my HGV test. You need to know the weight of each machine and then arrange them so the weight is as even over each 1/4 of the load bed as you can and then secure them using Webbing ratchet straps (rope stretches too much). If your casters do not have a brake on them then make some hollow blocks they can sit in to stop the wheels turning. Don't forget as well as side mounting points you may have shackles fitted in the bed floor that you can use as well

I agree for really heavy stuff, but that axi saw dosen't weigh much.... I doubt his lathe does either. Mine weighs 100kg tops?

 

[TheTiddles]

Hire vans don’t come with ratchet straps, so buy some ahead.
All heavy stuff behind the cab only, watch left/right balance.
Mind the load limit and also check the suspension, leaf springs should never load beyond flat.
Many people load up vehicles and cars with all sorts and get away with it.
Those that don’t are a lesson to us all.
After you’ve done a crash safety case for a vehicle you’ll be putting your phone in the glovebox as even that breaking loose could make a mess of you at speed.

 

[Old.bodger]

Some hire vans have a rail down each side (sometimes several) that have a series of holes in them. You can hire telescopic poles that lock into them to stabilise the load , a bit like sprung loaded ‘pogo sticks’.

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Thank you all for the suggestions! Maybe i need to consider getting rid of the dollies, but that doesnt stop the rolling tool cabs which weigh a lot too.

I agree for really heavy stuff, but that axi saw dosen't weigh much.... I doubt his lathe does either. Mine weighs 100kg tops?

The manual says that the table saw weighs 215kg, and that’s without the cast iron table extensions, so probably closer to 300kg. The metal lathe (a very old Boxford) probably weighs about the same. The P/T weighs 150kg according to manual. Bandsaw weighs 140kg. Wood lathe is light enough. My worksbench likely weighs 100Kg+. Loads more, but smaller stuff

 

[Jameshow]

Would do a back of envolope weights check be sure you don't go over 1t approx.

Also look a getting a lo loader van with a much lower floor.

https://www.abacusvehiclehire.co.uk/hire-vehicles/van-rental/low-loader-van
You could then use a piece of 18mm plywood supported by 6x2 in the middle or dense concrete blocks and push the tools into the van.

Saves the tail lift weight.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Any tips or suggestions (ideally from personal experience) would be greatly appreciated

Back straight lift with your legs.

 

[eribaMotters]

We moved late 2017 from Essex to Merseyside and are about to move again. All my machinery is on castor bases and went in a tail lift, not a Luton back, and were strapped to van sides and braced with about 3m3 of timber taped into bundles. The cabinet bases allowed me to pack power tools into several of them and get lots of low down weight.
270 miles later everything arrived safely.
We are about to move everything again, this time down to Devon. The only thing I am worried about is the cost. Last time house and workshop across removal van and tail lift came in at £3,700. This time I've had quotes in for between £5,200 and over £10,000. It's the same distance and the same contents. Absolutely barking mad.

Colin

 

[Bod]

Polystyrene packing between machines, and van sides, to reduce/prevent moving and contact.
Builders merchants sell 8x4 sheet of the stuff, inch thick should be ok.
Asking at motorcycle shops might be useful as there is/was a lot packed around new boxed motorcycles, and was always a pain to get rid of.

Bod

 

[Awac]

Absolutely the wrong thing to do. Counterintuitive I know but the load must be as balanced as possible over each axle or you are liable to overturning on corners. Just been through all of this for my HGV test. You need to know the weight of each machine and then arrange them so the weight is as even over each 1/4 of the load bed as you can and then secure them using Webbing ratchet straps (rope stretches too much). If your casters do not have a brake on them then make some hollow blocks they can sit in to stop the wheels turning. Don't forget as well as side mounting points you may have shackles fitted in the bed floor that you can use as well

You have made good points Droogs. I used to drive heavy haulage around Europe, and not many people understand the effect of speed on cornering stability, braking distance and impact forces increases as the square of the speed increase. This means, for example, that cornering forces don’t just double when the vehicle speed doubles, they increase by four times.

I remember getting to the end of a long downward drive in some mountains, stopped for a break and walked around the trailer and both chains had snapped, but the weight of the machine, about 55 tons had just kept it sitting, and those chains would have held a ship! I had driven down sooo gently as well.

The point is, drive gentle and load well. Hey that‘s almost live long and prosper lol.

 

[ian33a]

We moved late 2017 from Essex to Merseyside and are about to move again. All my machinery is on castor bases and went in a tail lift, not a Luton back, and were strapped to van sides and braced with about 3m3 of timber taped into bundles. The cabinet bases allowed me to pack power tools into several of them and get lots of low down weight.
270 miles later everything arrived safely.
We are about to move everything again, this time down to Devon. The only thing I am worried about is the cost. Last time house and workshop across removal van and tail lift came in at £3,700. This time I've had quotes in for between £5,200 and over £10,000. It's the same distance and the same contents. Absolutely barking mad.

Colin

We're in the process of moving from Surrey to Devon. Like you, cost is eye watering. Two and a half large vans and approaching six days end to end - and that's with us packing all but the fragile breakable items. One quote was £8500! The other two were more manageable and it's working out at about £7000.

Trouble is, until we get to exchange (not too far away now) - it's all a twinkle in our eyes because there's no guarantee that a given company will be available to do the move on the date requested.

I'm letting the moving company decide upon placement of stuff in the van. I have dollies for some of the big items to make them easier to move in the workshop as it is. I'll leave the option of using them but it seems like it's best to take them off during the drive (but the removers can decide). Luckily, aside from the planer/thicknesser there isn't much heavy machinery. Much of the tools have been boxed and the cabinets have lift out drawers to make moving the units in and out of the vans easier.

We're hoping to end up near Okehampton - where in Devon are you heading eribaMotters?