Hi Michael, I'd be a bit cautious about pulling on the pallet, as I've seen them break when doing so, it would slide over sheets of steel much better though.

Regards Nick.

Most vertical mills are very top heavy, more so modern ones on steel sheet bases ! Your first hope has to be that it arrives still up right. IF not do not unload, return to sender ! Your sheets and a borrowed /hired pallet truck might be easier. You can raise the pallet JUST enough to clear the ground and at the first hint of topple drop the pallet back on the ground. Good luck. Noel.

Michael

where are you? I would willingly help

dont try to do it by yourself

if you get the boards down and have another to help get the delivery driver to use his truck to get it to teh garage bribe him if ness..pallet co’s i have had deliver had an electric truck which would make short work of 20 foot

I was meaning the pallet truck

In my experience, drivers are very happy to place a pallet in any reasonably convenient spot. The exception was recently when I had a pallet-load of bricks delivered. He didn't have a pallet truck so he just lifted them over the boundary wall with his HIAB.

I'd use my engine hoist – you may be able to hire one locally.

Hello Michael .

I have had a `new ` milling machine delivered – an OPTIMUM BF 46 mill / drill with an all up weight of about 700 kg .

I bought this machine from a company in North Yorkshire who actually split the machine from its fabricated base and mounted both halves on two normal size pallets and well wrapped in black HD clingfilm .

The machine arrived within a couple of days of despatch on a lorry with tail lift and an electric pallet lift truck .

I was amazed at how easily the driver manoeuvred the two pallets from the deck of the lorry on to the tail lift , lowered the lot to the ground and then wheeled each pallet across the road and dropped them where I wanted in my drive way – made it look all so easy.

From now on its down to me to get the two halves down a narrow side passage – across a short lawned area to my workshop . I do have a a good engine crane and set of roller machinery skates which do make moving quite substantial machines a fairly easy task I have used some short pieces of rectangular 80 x 40 hollow section and through bolted the skates to the under side of the machine parts. I can move this lot single handed . I also have some sheets of old ply- wood that I can use to traverse the lawn – saves any grief from the `lady of the house ` complaining about the messed – up lawn !

I will use this set up to move my other new acquisition – a CVA lathe weighing about 1500 kg ! – although I will probably strip as much off the lathe to lighten it as much as I can for the move .

This will be followed by a Harrison horizontal mill – another 5- 600 kg lump !

Oh well – these antics keep an 80 + year old out of mischief .

MARK.

500kg is easy pallet truck weight. If you're using 2 sheets of ply either get a piece of metal to bridge the gap and stop the small wheels from going through or over-lap the edges a few inches so the one you're one lays over the one you're going onto. Ply sheets are plenty long enough so that you can stopin the middle of a sheet and bring the second one around to tuck under the edge of the first to carry on.

Ideally you'll have 2 people, one on the truck handle and one to steady the load and provide some extra push.

Engine cranes sometimes won't go high enough without extending the arm to max and then the capacity drops.

The wheels aren't really meant to carry the weight so they stick a bit, then you push or pull harder and the crane goes with a jerk but the mill lags so everything starts swinging and bouncing.

If you do have to use a pump up pallet truck, overlap your boards if a wheel drops in between the two it won't come out in a hurry.