"J T" wrote in message
...
Wed, Jun 20, 2007, 11:33am (EDT-1) (Morris Dovey)
whoe middle name is Scrooge says:
I'm looking snip to avoid paying for lift gate services. snip
Has anyone done or seen anything like this?

Not seen any plans for lifting AND moving, but several thoughts
immediately spring to mind. Depending on exactly how cheap you actually
are.

Brbe a few teenagers to lift, carry, load, whatever. If they're
employees you can threaten firing if they don't cooperate.

Engine hoist. They've got wheels, albet rather small, and you'd be
best off with a smoth surface to allow relatvely as using. Not sure if
they'd lift high enough.

Make a roling hoist, use a come-along or chain hoist. Put it on
weels.

Make a fork lift. Use a garden tractor, use a hand crank, or a
chain hoist, to lift it. Shouldn't be a biggie.

ff you've got a peekop truck, get one ofthose bed hoists. Should
run around $100. Lift whatever up, back the peekop so the load is in,
viola.

Getch 'cha a big ramp, and push the load up the ramp. You coudd
even make something to jack each corner up a few inches, and hook a
wheel, or large casters, on each corner.

Make a large dirt ramp, make a few dozen wood rollers, get a whip,
get a crew of a dozen or so Egyptians. Or, get the same, without the
Egyptians, get a camera (working or no), get a dozen or so people who
want to be in a movie, tell them you're making a move, charge them for
acting guild fees. You get the work done, you make a profit, life is
good.

That's the best I can come up with without thinking.

***********************

We can always count on JOAT for a sensible solution. In the midth of the
above suggestions are a couple that are close to what I have seen done.

I have seen a hand crank fork lift that rolled around. I would think if you
looked around some industrial sites, they would have something like this.
Just steal the design and build you own.

The earthen ramp and loading dock is what my dad had us build on the farm.
It works good if you have some cheap labor.

The wood ramp (and platform) built from some two by materials is something
that I have built and used. Maybe install an electric winch on it. Bring
the winch out when you are going to use it to keep it out of the weather.

PS: I have had to buy/build some lifting type things for 55 gallon drums.
Some of that stuff is quite clever. You may look at some of that stuff for
some ideas that could be adapted to what you are doing.