packs179 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 I have decided to buy an eagle talon crane. It is 28.5"Wide x 6 4"Tall x 35"Deep. What is the best way to transport this crane? This will be my first time moving a crane. I looked online and was thinking about renting a truck with a liftgate to move it but is there any other way that is better? And what should I do to the crane to get it ready for transport? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Vending Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 If you have a pickup or a big enough suv you can lay it on its back. Just put the gantry all the way to the back and tie the claw to the gantry so it doesnt bounce around and brake when you first lay it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbuford Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 If you have a pickup or a big enough suv you can lay it on its back. Just put the gantry all the way to the back and tie the claw to the gantry so it doesnt bounce around and brake when you first lay it down. I haul cranes like this in the back of Dodge grans caravan and in the back of Ford E-150 cargo van, but I actually take the gantry off the cranes for the trip. You gotta be carefu, especially in the minivan or you will put scratches on the cranes back from hitting the van door latch. I take the latch off every once in a while, but usuially use about a third of a sheet of plywoon and lay it on baqck threshold/door frame so the crane is on the plywood when sliding in and you can avoid those deep scratches that way. Sometimes I just fold up a cardboard box and set it on the latch. I've been gonna get like a piece of 2"x6" and notch it and lay it over the latch to use for hauling cranes in the back of minivan but haven't done it yet. hauling one tomorrow in the back of my E-150. It's already loaded. I have loaded and unloaded cranes this way by myself, but I get help 90% of the time. There is usally someone around to hit up for a hand for a couple minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Vending Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I haul cranes like this in the back of Dodge grans caravan and in the back of Ford E-150 cargo van, but I actually take the gantry off the cranes for the trip. You gotta be carefu, especially in the minivan or you will put scratches on the cranes back from hitting the van door latch. I take the latch off every once in a while, but usuially use about a third of a sheet of plywoon and lay it on baqck threshold/door frame so the crane is on the plywood when sliding in and you can avoid those deep scratches that way. Sometimes I just fold up a cardboard box and set it on the latch. I've been gonna get like a piece of 2"x6" and notch it and lay it over the latch to use for hauling cranes in the back of minivan but haven't done it yet. hauling one tomorrow in the back of my E-150. It's already loaded. I have loaded and unloaded cranes this way by myself, but I get help 90% of the time. There is usally someone around to hit up for a hand for a couple minutes. i like how you think tbuford this is exactly what i do if not using the trailer will you my excursion or e250 and have no trouble doing it by my self. i lock the front two wheels and get on the side, put my foot behind the wheel and tilt back. then muscle it in and get behind it and push in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbuford Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 i like how you think tbuford this is exactly what i do if not using the trailer will you my excursion or e250 and have no trouble doing it by my self. i lock the front two wheels and get on the side, put my foot behind the wheel and tilt back. then muscle it in and get behind it and push in. Yep, lock the two wheels before tipping it. I would like to have a drop deck trailer for hauling cranes but even if I had one I still couldn't eliminate my E-150 cause the Grand Caravan would not be good for towing a trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musser Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I have a couple of expandable closet rods I put in the crane. Push the gantry to the back and put one rod in back one in front so the floor and the gantry don't move Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 The problem with rented lift gate trucks is the crane is too tall to roll under the door clearance so if u go that way be prepared to tip it back with a appliance dolly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowerVendor Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 E250 van. I use the duck brand shipping wrap from walmart to hold the claw to the cross bar. the crane will lay down on its back in the van. I use cardboard to slide it into the van. plywood might be a good option as well. a good helper to assist with pulling it out of the van is a good idea. That would suck to have your crane roll away when you tilt it up and drop it in the parking lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendamania Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 I just cable tie the gantry to the back using the plastic loop thingy that is supplied for that purpose. Then just cable tie the claw to the rods on the gantry. I also always get help at the location to flip the crane out of the van. Also paranoid that the crane will roll away and slam on the ground on it's back. Learned my lesson about getting help after a winners cube spun around and fell off the liftgate. Fortunately I jumped off the truck spinning it on it's back and saved it from smashing. Unfortunately I smashed my finger and broke it as it landed on the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWvend Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I haul cranes like this in the back of Dodge grans caravan and in the back of Ford E-150 cargo van, but I actually take the gantry off the cranes for the trip. You gotta be carefu, especially in the minivan or you will put scratches on the cranes back from hitting the van door latch. I take the latch off every once in a while, but usuially use about a third of a sheet of plywoon and lay it on baqck threshold/door frame so the crane is on the plywood when sliding in and you can avoid those deep scratches that way. Sometimes I just fold up a cardboard box and set it on the latch. I've been gonna get like a piece of 2"x6" and notch it and lay it over the latch to use for hauling cranes in the back of minivan but haven't done it yet. hauling one tomorrow in the back of my E-150. It's already loaded. I have loaded and unloaded cranes this way by myself, but I get help 90% of the time. There is usally someone around to hit up for a hand for a couple minutes. Lol tbuford ! you put a huge smile on my face with this post. I thought I was the only one with the caravan latch problem. I figure the engineers at Chrysler didn't want us vending guys declassing their product by using it to deliver vending machines , so they devised that latch to gouge the crap out the games so we'd search for another delivery vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbuford Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 One good thing about those grand caravans is they have kind of fallen out of favor with consumers who now want SUV's so you can get great deals on them used. 20 mpg+. With all the seats out they are great for running routes. The one I use for vending has all the seats out and a piece of thick cardboard covering the back. My wife also drives one and she generally has the back row of seats out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjacks Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I used to have to lay our cranes down flat in the back of my Nissan Frontier truck. Once I had enough money saved up I got a cheap Dodge truck and put a lift gate on it. Some of the best money I have spent and it is a wise investment if you build up enough cranes over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbuford Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Did you get a new lift gate and have someone install it? How much did the liftgate cost installed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjacks Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 If I remember correctly it was about $3k installed new. I would bet you could find a used truck with a lift gate already installed if you looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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