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SO I am thinking about moving a soda machine by myself


m2736185

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There are no distributors for machines anywhere near me. So I have to drive 2 1/2 hours away to Orlando. I have had several quotes and they are all over $500.

 

I have seen a few post on here, but I know they make it look easier than it is.

 

I am thinking about purchasing the Appliance truck from northern tools. I have 2 DN501Es I want to pick up.... Can I do this with a uhaul trailer? How hard are these things to push up the uhaul cargo trailer ramp?

 

Any constructive advice?

 

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I have moved all my machines myself (over 100) and I can personally say that Cajoncandy has given you very good advise. I started out with a long ramp made out of a solid core door and a pallet jack (very scary). Then I purchased a pick-up truck with a lift gate (even this was not easy). Now I use a trailer with an electric winch and someone assisting. In all three cases, each and every move is always very, very excruciating and dangerous. I have dropped them, flopped them, had them fall on me, and have been injured in some way by most of them. I am 6'1", 240 lbs. and in pretty good shape and am by far no match for a vending machine that could care less if it killed or injured me right on the spot. 

 

If you still decide to move them yourself by renting a Uhaul and pushing it up the ramp, get lots of help and inform everyone that if it starts to fall, DO NOT TRY TO STOP IT!. For some reason, when a machine weighing close to 1000 lbs starts to tip, a reaction is to grab it and straighten it out. Resist this temptation, the machine wins every time. The problem with the uhaul trailer ramp is that it's too short and steep. If you use a long ramp, make sure it is well supported and attached to the trailer. Strap the machine to the mover in some way. Do not stand on the downhill side of the machine. Do not stand between the machine and anything else that the machine could tip and pin you there. Do not leave the machine tilted and unattended on the dolly. Center the machine over the axles. Use at least two heavy duty ratchet straps to tie the machine down. Check for sharp edges where the straps go over the machine.

When unloading the machine, the machine will want to roll down the ramp like a runaway freight train. I've had them roll down the ramp, hit the bottom and flop on their face in seconds. I have had just as much trouble unloading them as loading them. Do not treat the unloading lightly. Once you get them on the ground at the location make sure your path is clear. Just one step up or a curb is a real challenge. Doorways are always hard to get thru. Hallways with corners are difficult. Any uphill however slight feels like Mt. Everest.  Eat you Wheaties, you're gonna need all the strength you've got.

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I was also looking into doing this for one machine but I was thinking a rental trailer like the picture attached.  I wont be doing it by myself but with my new hand truck and my partner, I think we could move it.  Doing it by yourself I would think would be tough.  We were also thinking of renting a truck with a lift gate and doing it that way.  That will run you some money though on the mileage. 

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I have moved all my machines myself (over 100) and I can personally say that Cajoncandy has given you very good advise. I started out with a long ramp made out of a solid core door and a pallet jack (very scary). Then I purchased a pick-up truck with a lift gate (even this was not easy). Now I use a trailer with an electric winch and someone assisting. In all three cases, each and every move is always very, very excruciating and dangerous. I have dropped them, flopped them, had them fall on me, and have been injured in some way by most of them. I am 6'1", 240 lbs. and in pretty good shape and am by far no match for a vending machine that could care less if it killed or injured me right on the spot. 

 

If you still decide to move them yourself by renting a Uhaul and pushing it up the ramp, get lots of help and inform everyone that if it starts to fall, DO NOT TRY TO STOP IT!. For some reason, when a machine weighing close to 1000 lbs starts to tip, a reaction is to grab it and straighten it out. Resist this temptation, the machine wins every time. The problem with the uhaul trailer ramp is that it's too short and steep. If you use a long ramp, make sure it is well supported and attached to the trailer. Strap the machine to the mover in some way. Do not stand on the downhill side of the machine. Do not stand between the machine and anything else that the machine could tip and pin you there. Do not leave the machine tilted and unattended on the dolly. Center the machine over the axles. Use at least two heavy duty ratchet straps to tie the machine down. Check for sharp edges where the straps go over the machine.

When unloading the machine, the machine will want to roll down the ramp like a runaway freight train. I've had them roll down the ramp, hit the bottom and flop on their face in seconds. I have had just as much trouble unloading them as loading them. Do not treat the unloading lightly. Once you get them on the ground at the location make sure your path is clear. Just one step up or a curb is a real challenge. Doorways are always hard to get thru. Hallways with corners are difficult. Any uphill however slight feels like Mt. Everest.  Eat you Wheaties, you're gonna need all the strength you've got.

I know people that had to move a soda machine and didnt unload it.

it didnt go well.

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2dudes, that ramp on that trailer is short and steep. When you get the hand truck started on it, the angle of the ramp causes the machine to tilt so far straight up that it wants to tip backwards down the ramp. I have use a come-along attached to the mid point of the dolly to keep it from tipping back, although very precarious. Sometimes you can back up to a curb and not have such a steep climb.

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People, people, please!  Search this forum for threads on this very topic.  There are many, many ways to move a machine.  Some very safe and some not so safe.  Some very basic (laying down in a pickup truck), some professional with proper equipment.

 

I am the guy people call to move machines and I have all the equipment to do it properly and safely and I still worry about losing a machine or slipping and having one fall.  I do this for a living so I have invested in the equipment to do it.  Rmorriss has invested even more in the equipment he uses to move machines.  This is not something you can take lightly and the warnings given in this thread must be heeded.

 

Let me ask you newbies this question:  Do you ever see Coke or Pepsi rolling a machine up a ramp into a U-haul trailer?  No!  They do not want anyone to get hurt moving a large vendor so they use proper equipment.  Keep in mind that even with the proper equipment, you can get hurt if you hurry, take short cuts, don't ask for help, try to muscle something the wrong way, don't pay attention, etc. 

 

The advice to pay a vending machine mover, not someone called "We Move Anything", and closely watch what they do and the equipment they use is very good advice.  Please take it and save yourself some grief.

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There are no distributors for machines anywhere near me. So I have to drive 2 1/2 hours away to Orlando. I have had several quotes and they are all over $500.

 

I have seen a few post on here, but I know they make it look easier than it is.

 

I am thinking about purchasing the Appliance truck from northern tools. I have 2 DN501Es I want to pick up.... Can I do this with a uhaul trailer? How hard are these things to push up the uhaul cargo trailer ramp?

 

Any constructive advice?

By the time you bought all of the proper equipment to move a soda machine properly, you could have paid someone to move at least a hundred of them without all the personal pain.  We have one member who has all the right equipment, Roger Morris, and he doesn't use a U haul trailer.

 

Back when I first started, I decided I'd move all my machines myself - what good did it do to find a great Craigs List deal if it cost me an extra $100 to get the machine?  So I dropped 3K on a  Powermate stairclimber that will technically lift a machine into the back of a pickup truck.  The first and last machine I attempted this with was a Crane 474 (high end combo) which I paid $200 for as it needed a lot of work.  The damned thing nearly flipped out backward as I got it lifted up and I barely held it.  I wasn't worried as much about the machine as I was about the 3K Powerlift which would have been destroyed had the whole thing taken a tumble.  There's no way in hell I'd ever attempt to move a soda machine by myself or with help (just more casualties)

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There are no distributors for machines anywhere near me. So I have to drive 2 1/2 hours away to Orlando. I have had several quotes and they are all over $500.

 

I have seen a few post on here, but I know they make it look easier than it is.

 

I am thinking about purchasing the Appliance truck from northern tools. I have 2 DN501Es I want to pick up.... Can I do this with a uhaul trailer? How hard are these things to push up the uhaul cargo trailer ramp?

 

Any constructive advice?

Several reasons I would NOT use a Northern 1200-LB capacity 2 in 1 appliance truck

  • They are called appliance trucks for a reason. . . . They are made to move appliances not vending machines
  • They are only 66 inches tall which will not give you enough leverage to tilt the machine back to move it without a 2nd person to help.  This lack of height will also cause you problems when moving machines taller than 6ft through a standard doorway because it is just not tall enough keep your hands on the handles
  • The wheels that kick out swivel which will make it very unstable then going up or down slopes, the ramp of a trailer or stairs.  This will also make it very dangerous when moving machines taller than 6ft through a standard doorway. I would not want to tilt a a 78 inch tall machine back horizontally on wheels that swivel to get it through a doorway.

Get the tallest vending dolly you can find, such as a Dutro or Step Ryder

 

Regarding the U-Haul ramp. . .  When I first started my business I called all of the U-Haul dealers in my area & was told that they don't have any ramps capable of supporting a the weight vending machine.  I purchased a used trailer with a bed that tilts.

The Dutro was around $800 new with shipping, & I bought the trailer used for $700.

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I was also looking into doing this for one machine but I was thinking a rental trailer like the picture attached.  I wont be doing it by myself but with my new hand truck and my partner, I think we could move it.  Doing it by yourself I would think would be tough.  We were also thinking of renting a truck with a lift gate and doing it that way.  That will run you some money though on the mileage. 

Moving a vending machine with a "hand truck" is just asking for trouble.  Either get the right equipment or pay someone qualified to move it for you.

 

The picture you attached is of the Northern appliance dolly which I would not recommend for the reasons listed above.  I have several more but the ones listed are my main concerns.

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We (wife & I) had to go and pickup my 685lb Vendo 720 pop machine..... I'll attach a couple crappy photos that I couldn't get to rotate correctly on here,... But I would certainly not recommend hauling a machine this way!.... I removed the compressor deck which took a little bit of weight off, but me and my wife and one small guy loaded it in the back of this van, only my wife & I were here and able to unload and stand it up right!.... Very stupid thing to do and I will not be doing this again!.... Very unnerving to stand up gently.... I'm going to pickup my first snack machine tomorrow, and there will be four of us, big guys to load it right!....

Don't give me to hard of a time,... I learned my lesson!

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My only suggestion for a situation where you need to lay the vendor down like that is to always remove the compressor, not for theweight sa ings, but to protect the dome, there is oil in the dome and just like a car motor, it needs to be kept upright. We lost a 320 freezer compressor because it got transported on its side and it burned up.the valves in the dome when it was ran.

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The hand truck picture in post #4 will get the job done, if its the one rated for 1200lbs, but just barely, I have had one for years. When using this kind of dolly and traveling any kind of distance you will need to fold up the kick out wheels, tip it over and hold it while walking. As mentioned the kickout wheels swivel and when on 4 wheels it is not very stable because the wheels are too close together. I'm 5'7" and its not a problem to hold the machine while tipped and SLOWLY walking backwards.

 

If you have any doorways to go through and it doesn't fit though as is then you will need to stand it up, open the door on the machine and clamshell it through the doorway. Sometimes its easier to remove the door from the frame, sometimes you have to do both.

 

I would recommend biting the bullet and renting a truck with a lift gate, have also done the ramp and trailer thing and was lucky to live through the experience.

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My only suggestion for a situation where you need to lay the vendor down like that is to always remove the compressor, not for theweight sa ings, but to protect the dome, there is oil in the dome and just like a car motor, it needs to be kept upright. We lost a 320 freezer compressor because it got transported on its side and it burned up.the valves in the dome when it was ran.

That's why I let my machines sit upright for 24 hrs before I plug them in if I have to transport them laying down. It gives the oil time to settle.

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We thought about the trailer because we are two people and could back it right up to the curb. With the over hang and the ramp, it would reach the machine making distance basically zero and the slope of the ramp minimal if any. Reconsidering now with all of the responses. Thanks for the advice.

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We (wife & I) had to go and pickup my 685lb Vendo 720 pop machine..... I'll attach a couple crappy photos that I couldn't get to rotate correctly on here,... But I would certainly not recommend hauling a machine this way!.... I removed the compressor deck which took a little bit of weight off, but me and my wife and one small guy loaded it in the back of this van, only my wife & I were here and able to unload and stand it up right!.... Very stupid thing to do and I will not be doing this again!.... Very unnerving to stand up gently.... I'm going to pickup my first snack machine tomorrow, and there will be four of us, big guys to load it right!....

Don't give me to hard of a time,... I learned my lesson!

You'll find that removing the shelves on your snack machine will make it much easier to load and unload as the shelves weigh a good 35 lbs. each.  Just take it easy on the motors.

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We thought about the trailer because we are two people and could back it right up to the curb. With the over hang and the ramp, it would reach the machine making distance basically zero and the slope of the ramp minimal if any. Reconsidering now with all of the responses. Thanks for the advice.

 

 

If you can reduce the slope to only a few degrees it sure helps but you need extra hands, because if it starts to get away from you..... steamroller.gif

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There are several versions out there, if you are going to stay in this business and move your own equipment you will need several different kinds of moving equipment to handle the different situations you will encounter.
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How do I search the forum for a thread? Sorry, still new. I think I have started new topics when old ones are still valid. My apologies in advance while I learn the in's and out's of proper forum etiquette. I am okay with grumpy and sarcastic remarks (not that anyone has used those here) but can't deal very well with silence, hahaha.

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How do I search the forum for a thread? Sorry, still new. I think I have started new topics when old ones are still valid. My apologies in advance while I learn the in's and out's of proper forum etiquette. I am okay with grumpy and sarcastic remarks (not that anyone has used those here) but can't deal very well with silence, hahaha.

From the home page..very top right is a search bar.

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also if your searching for a particular thing such as vendo gage bars you have to enclose your search with quotes such as "vendo gage bars" or it will split up  your search and show every result with the word vendo and every result with the word gage and every result with the word bars.

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