I decided to buy tool cabinets for a corner of my workshop, with the largest being a Rousseau Metal 8-drawer cabinet measuring 36″ wide x 24″ deep x 60″ tall.
From various specs sheets, it seems the weight should be around 600 pounds.
How would you unload this from a pallet and move it into place?
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I still have the Pittsburgh 2-ton shop crane that Harbor Freight supplies for review – see New Harbor Freight Pittsburgh 2-Ton Shop Crane – Review.
HF says that the crane has a max height adjust of 75-3/16″ to 90-1/2″, which should be enough, although I might need to turn the cabinet sideways to fit it between the crane’s legs.
The cabinet will have a fork lift base. I don’t have a fork lift. A pallet jack, which I also don’t have, wouldn’t fit the 2-inch gap.
I’ve seen installation examples online where teams remove the drawers from a cabinet, tilt it over, and then install leveling feet.
Moving heavy equipment requires thinking things through. I’ll probably need to recruit an extra set of hands or two, but moving 600 pounds of cabinet will require careful planning regardless of how many people are involved.
How would you SAFELY and PROPERLY move this off a pallet? Once that’s done, moving it into place or for leveling feet assembly should be easy.
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In lieu of a load balancer, maybe I can build an H-shaped structure for the bottom, with eye bolts at the 4 corners for lifting straps or chains. I would then just need 4 equal lengths each maybe 6-8 feet long.
I have moved heavy equipment before, but I don’t recall moving something like this, with such a large footprint and tall height.
Maybe I should just plan to remove the drawers and gently lower the frame onto a dolly, with moving blankets to protect the finish.
But, I’m wondering if there’s a more elegant approach. I considered getting a portable gantry crane – not for this but for freight deliveries in general – but have no place to store it.
A fork lift is out of the question.
Thoughts?
MM
I’ve done this with furniture dollies. Place the dolly right next to the pallet, walk the cabinet onto them. Or lean it to the side slightly, place dollies under the high side, lean it the other way, put dollies under the second side. Now you can roll it around whereever.
That’s assuming you have to move the whole thing at once. You can probably just take out the drawers and move it piecewise.
JoelLikestools
That was my first thout too. I would remove some drawers and then duck walk or tilt it onto a furniture dolly and the use a ratchet strap to keep it on there. That is how I have done other heavy pieces in the past. (Used the same idea to move furniture, heavy office cabinetry, and restaurant equipment.)
William
I thought the same thing. Furniture dolly, remove shelves… walk it!
Bonnie
A good appliance dolly can handle that weight, but I’d want multiple people involved spotting and definitely use a high end one.
The engine hoist/shop crane would be a good choice. That’s what I’ve used in the past for cast iron shop tools like my jointer (“only” about 450lbs). Though the maximum height often doesn’t take into account any necessary space for straps/chains above the object.
Why wouldn’t a pallet jack work? That’s what we used to move gigantic Lista cabinets at the machine shop I worked in for awhile. There are low-protile models that will fit under 2″ and I expect you can probably find somewhere to rent one (though I am spoiled with an excellent local equipment rental place).
Aram
I’d get a johnson bar involved.
ross
Is the ceiling finished? If the framing is exposed I’ve used a come-a-long to lift heavy things. Now I have an electric host that rolls along unistrut on the finished ceiling to unload from my pickup. I wouldn’t trust it with a ton of weight but take it the drawers and I think it would be fine.
Phranq
Walk it to edge of pallet onto PVC pipes and roll it into place. Typically easier with a helper. Golf Balls work also, if it has a flat bottom.
Woods Powr-Grip sucker cups are awesome for these situations, allowing you a good handhold for any maneuvering. Or these days the Grabo products if you have those. Come-alongs, if you have an anchor point. Viking arm tools are also great.
isosceles
You could try running a 15 foot lifting sling through each fork pocket in a “choker” formation. This will give you two open eyes at the top – close one shackle around the both of them to create a single lifting point (think of each eye in the “U” bow of a classic Crosby anchor shackle). Then hook into that shackle with the hook from the Pittsburgh crane.
It’s not perfect but it would only take a minute to try out. And if you can tell it isn’t lifting the cabinet in a stable/solid way, I think it’ll give you a good sense of what you need to adjust.
Josh
I’ve used a Milwaukee packout dolly to move a 800lbs water heater. That’s how I’d do it
zchris87v
I had to do this with my Garant cabinets. The ace crew unloading them tried to roll their pallet jack through a muddy grass yard. They just left them in front of my garage on pallets. They were in cardboard boxes, so I slid them off the pallets and slowly but surely got them into the garage by myself, before wiggling them off the cardboard bases and into place.