Ideas on where/how to rent a forklift?

Leland Pate · 09-26-2010, 01:35 PM

In anticipation of Operation Move to Cali I am making reservations for the moving truck and what not. I am in a pretty good bind over my gun safe and how to best move it.

I have a very heavy safe (Graffunder B-14) that weighs somewhere around 1,800lbs. I cannot possible roll this basterd up a moving truck ramp and the truck rental places will not rent a truck with a lift gate for a long distance one way haul.

Ideally I just need to find someone who will bring a forklift to my house for 30 minutes. I have a pallet jack to move the safe around with. I just need someone to set it in the truck for me.

Can the power of the brainstorming PPOT forum come up with something I have not thought of before? I can't seem to find anything but the large construction equipment rental places that surely are not going to let me walk away with a forklift for the afternoon.

My in-laws have a lift on their almond farm and will use that to get the safe back off once I get to CA. But getting it on the truck is going to be very very interesting!

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Are you doing this move yourself or is a moving company driving the stuff for you? Can a PODS container hold it? They're low to the ground, I think.

bell · bell's Garage

Are there any local businesses with one? If closeby it could be driven to your location with minimal hassle, I'd say up to a 1/2 mile wouldn't be a big deal......make the owner a nice offer and it'll get done.....I'd go for a bike ride and scour the area....

MysticLlama · 09-26-2010, 01:56 PM

Rent the liftgate truck for an hour and put it back to back with the other truck to lift it up and roll it over? Or is that crazy?

1990C4S · 09-26-2010, 01:56 PM

I used to use tow trucks with booms to move heavy machines in and out of my garage.

Proper straps and it's easy. Roll it on pipes to the doorway.

fastfredracing · 09-26-2010, 01:58 PM

Just a thought, A crafty roll back ( tow truck) operator could get that safe up into a truck without too much hassle, The pallet jack should help you transfer from truck to truck. May even want to check with a local trucking company .

Cornpanzer · 09-26-2010, 02:15 PM

Being in the forklift business, I can say that you probably dont want to foot the bill to get a rental to your property. You will end up paying $200-$300 just in transportation costs.

Like suggested above, it would probably be cheaper to rent a lift gate truck for a couple hours to transfer into your moving van.

dad911 · 09-26-2010, 02:35 PM

You can also lift it with a roll-off or the front bucket of a backhoe....

Or if you have access to someone with a trailer, use the ramps to roll it up the trailers, then angle the ramps up to the moving truck.

How about a mid-rise lift? Have access to one of those?

TimT · 09-26-2010, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Just a thought, A crafty roll back ( tow truck) operator could get that safe up into a truck without too much hassle

Yes!

I have seen many mechanics come and go, and the tool chests are often transported via tilt bed truck..

As mentioned may be cheaper to ask for a "tow" than to have a forklift rented and delivered

Mike C · 09-26-2010, 03:16 PM

Sunbelt rentals if you have one in your area should be able to get you one.

vash · vash's Garage

dont you have to be "Certified" to operate a forklift? i dunno.

is it stupid to sell the safe locally, and buy a new one when you get here? my family bought two gun safes. huge. they used a smaller truck with a lift gate to pull the safe out of the bigger truck without a gate lift. is this an option? two trucks? renting a lift gate truck would be cheaper than a forklift.

hell even a bobcat with a fork attachment may work.

Jim Bremner · 04:29 PM

I rented 2 for the weekend and it cost me $400 I looked under equipment rentals in the phone book and found it at "Budget rents" they wanted $125 per unit plus delivery and pick up.

If it cost you $2-300 and you have not damaged that fine safe of yours or worse your back you have saved big $$$

Do be carefull of what firearms that you bring in!

Go onto Calguns.com All of your pistols should be good to go but NO magazines over 10 rounds whether pistol or rifle. No threaded pistol barrels, no cans!

Rifles gets tricky if you have a AR15 or the ilk you really need to look at the flow chart that's on Cal guns.

URY914 · URY914's Garage

I'm renting a fork lift Tuesday for 4 hours and it's costing me $212.00 delivered.

Just thought you'd like to know.

aigel · aigel's Garage

You starting with Pelican? I thought the phone rep was "work from home"?

Good to hear you are coming out here. You will like it - the Porsche scene is the biggest in the world in CA.

Around here in L.A. a fork lift rental per day is around $200 delivered. People complain about high cost of living in CA but surprisingly there are quite a few things that are very inexpensive due to the competition. So, if you have to unload here, you can expect paying less than at your starting location.

George

Jim Bremner · 09-26-2010, 06:51 PM

I'll loan you my forklift in Los Angeles.

It doesn't have an auto trans,power steering or side shift. The brakes are refered to as slows and it smells like cooking rat ****, but the price is right!

You need to arrange delivery...that and bring it back with a 12 pack of red sail Long hammers!