Looking to 'borrow' a flatbed truck with wee crane.

locum-motion

Hi folks,

Mods - please feel free to move this if there is a more suitable forum.

I am moving house soon, and I have a small shed in the yard that I want to bring with me. At a push, I could probably dismantle it and reassemble it at its new location, but for various reasons I won't go into here, I'd rather not.

What I really need, I reckon, is one of those flatbed trucks that has a wee built-in crane. Like the type that are used for transporting concrete blocks, although I've seen smaller ones on the roads that would suit perfectly. The shed isn't very big; only 8 ft x 6 ft.

If anybody here owns or drives (or know someone who owns or drives) such a truck, would you like to earn a few bob on one of the next couple of weekends?

I'm willing to pay for diesel and hopefully can agree a fair and reasonable rate with the driver for their time.

The shed is currently in Cork, and will be taken to near Ennis.

Please send a PM if you can help me.
Or reply in-thread if you have suggestions for me.

Thanks.

Davy

Whats it made of? You may not be able to lift it to handy, the only way might be slings underneath and up both sides and even then it may crush in on itself.

Any hiab/ palfinger crane would lift it though

locum-motion

It's wooden.

Yeah, it'll need to be slung. A mate of mine has a couple of those thick orange webbing straps with rachets that truckers use to strap down loads. I reckon they'll do the job.

I forgot to mention that the yard is enclosed by a fence, so I can't just lift it with a forklift.

slimjimmc

My advise would be dismantle it if you can't get at it with a forklift/teleporter.
Once watched a neighbour and his mates spend hours trying to lift a small steel shed with a teleporter and after listening to the sound of crunching of timbers (and the subsequent shouting) I'm of the belief a wooden garden shed would be too flimsy to lift safely.

If you do insist on lifting I'd fit diagonal cross bracing inside the shed to stop the sides collapsing during the lift.

locum-motion

slimjimmc wrote: »

...If you do insist on lifting I'd fit diagonal cross bracing inside the shed to stop the sides collapsing during the lift.

Good idea, thanks.

Losty Dublin

It may well end up being as cheap and a lot less stressful to get a new shed than for the cost of hiring a lifter truck and driver for the day. I'd also be fearful that the base of the shed will have gotten damp over the years or that it would break up on the truck itself whilst driving. Is there any especial reason why the shed can't be emptied and reassembled?

locum-motion

The shed is only a few months old. When I bought it I wasn't planning on moving anywhere anytime soon, but circumstances changed.

I have adapted the inside of the shed to suit my needs, and the adaptations would make dismantling and reassembling it tricky, but probably not impossible if I'm left with no option.

Victor

Moved from Commuting & Transport

Hopefully some good suggestions from here.

Moderator

locum-motion

Thanks for the inputs.

Over the course of the last couple of hours, I got two phone numbers of guys with such trucks from the local builders' merchant, and also interrupted two drivers that I spotted buying/eating their lunches.

Three of them are going to get back to me with prices. The fourth guy quoted me a price on the spot that (I think) was neither fair nor reasonable! I suppose I'll have to wait and see what the other guys say!

locum-motion

BTW, what is a "fair and reasonable" amount?

I reckon about €50 of diesel would do it (based on 25mpg, which I presume is achievable, but I don't know), so after that I'd be talking about approximately 6 hours of a man's time for the return journey. Maybe 7 if we allow a bit extra for the loading and unloading. What sort of rate would people regard as being "fair and reasonable"?

Pottler

It's €490 for me to get a container lifted and dropped on a run of about 50km, the container won't crush flat on itself when lifted and the bottom won't drop out of it either, neither will it blow itself to pieces when travveling and the slings dont have to be forced through undeneath, so at a guess, €500-€600? And that would be at your risk, ie if it dies, it dies;) Sounds like more trouble than it is worth, tbh. Also, send me on the name of that truck that does 25mpg, I know hundreds of lads who will want one as theirs all struggle to get into double figures.

O.A.P

locum-motion wrote: »

BTW, what is a "fair and reasonable" amount?

I reckon about €50 of diesel would do it (based on 25mpg, which I presume is achievable, but I don't know), so after that I'd be talking about approximately 6 hours of a man's time for the return journey. Maybe 7 if we allow a bit extra for the loading and unloading. What sort of rate would people regard as being "fair and reasonable"?

If there is enough room for a trailer to get into the garden I could do that job with a Landrover and trailer. Thats where 25mpg sounds about right, still its one day for me ,my trailer and landrover, fuel and the responsibility.
400 cas I know ya :cool:

locum-motion

Pottler wrote: »

It's €490 for me to get a container lifted and dropped on a run of about 50km, the container won't crush flat on itself when lifted and the bottom won't drop out of it either, neither will it blow itself to pieces when travveling and the slings dont have to be forced through undeneath, so at a guess, €500-€600? And that would be at your risk, ie if it dies, it dies;) Sounds like more trouble than it is worth, tbh. Also, send me on the name of that truck that does 25mpg, I know hundreds of lads who will want one as theirs all struggle to get into double figures.

Thanks for your input.
My car does between 45 and 55 mpg; I was just guessing that a small truck would do about half that.

locum-motion

O.A.P wrote: »

If there is enough room for a trailer to get into the garden ...

There isn't. But thanks.

enumbers

Something that has a big enough crane to reach in and lift it would in all probability do 9-12mpg cheaper and easier to take it apart and reassemble

Slidey

I would be more concerned about driving down the road with it on the back.

Garden sheds are not known for their aerodynamics and may well come apart at the seams in a constant 50mph. As the lads said, most trucks would struggle to reach double digits MPG, even a small truck would be in the teens so with a days wages, diesel and a few quid for profit I feel tearing it down and re-erecting on site would be the only financially viable option to you.

That or leave it behind

stoneill

You'd buy a decent shed for about €300.

Pottler

stoneill wrote: »

You'd buy a decent shed for about €300.

Yes, but only from that crowd that use them 35mpg trucks to deliver them with.

locum-motion

Hi, All,

I ended up doing nothing about it for a couple of months, but when it began to get a little more urgent (coz a new tenant was moving in), I rang one of the guys with a HIAB whose phone no I had. As it happens, he had a trip to do to Galway, so we agreed a price and he said he'd get back to me with a date.

A couple of weeks later, I rang him back as I hadn't heard from him. Turns out he had lost my number and had gone ahead and done the Galway trip without my shed! Unfortunately, that meant that if he was gonna do the job, then it would be a special trip just for my shed, and therefore much more expensive.

A rethink was required. Taking on board O.A.P.'s suggestion above, I borrowed a 4x4 and flatbed trailer from my uncle. Then I agreed a price with the lad with the HIAB just to lift it onto the trailer, and drove it myself. Taking Slidey's comment about aerodynamics on board, I drove slowly!

At this end, I spoke to a couple of guys in a nearby industrial estate who had access to a yoke a bit like this:



but with a fork lift fork on the end of the arm, and they came and lifted it off the trailer and into position for me.

At both ends of the journey, the shed stood up well to being lifted on canvas slings.

Total cost, including the diesel and the time for the lads who helped: less than €200.


Thanks to those of you who replied with suggestions.

Slidey

Good to hear it went smoothly bud.

Thanks for the update