# Grizzly Liftgate Service Experience?



## MSG (Apr 21, 2014)

Hey Jocks,

I am new to this site and have been very impressed with the sharing of knowledge and the fine work shown.
I am a relatively new to woodworking and have gotten the "fever" big time! I am in the process of setting up my shop in the 2 car garage of the home that I plan to retire to in the next couple of years. My plan at the present time is to order a jointer, planer, drill press, cyclone dust collector from Grizzly and use their liftgate service for the delivery.
On the Grizzly site, they indicate that the delivery driver is only responsible to drop it off on the street. I was wondering if anybody has any experience with the liftgate service. Will they wheel it into my garage from the street? I do not have anybody to help. My driveway is only about 20 feet long and not too big an incline. Any thoughts?


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## RockyTopScott (Nov 16, 2008)

They will back up to your garage door, roll the tool ( I got jointer and planer) to the liftgate, drop the liftgate and roll the tool into your garage.

At least that is what they did for me. Put the crates right where I wanted them. Perfect.


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## adrianpglover (Mar 25, 2014)

First things first: Welcome to LJ!

It really depends on the driver. I've had a driver bring a DC directly into my garage. For my TS, my wife went back and forth with Grizzly customer service before placing the order until they got the delivery service to agree to drop it off in the garage. We paid all of $25 extra to SAIA to do this for us. FYI: I'm in Katy, TX, right outside of Houston. Both my DC and TS are Grizzly brand and were delivered by SAIA.

Officially, the freight companies don't like to go down cul-de-sac streets (although mine is one), they're not supposed to drive up private drives/driveways, or bring your items into a structure, unless you get them to contract to it. I've heard that if you just slip the driver $20-100, then generally the driver will help you get it inside.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

In my case, the driver refused to come up my driveway, so I had to meet him at a nearby gas station and transfer my bandsaw from the UPS truck to my minivan - laying on its side (the bandsaw, not the minivan). So "liftgate service" was useless for me. The truck, by the way, was a 24 ft semi-trailer. I'm certainly not a truck-driving man, but I have personally driven a 24 ft rental moving van pulling a car dolly up my driveway. The semi with 24 ft trailer should be easier since it can make tighter turns. So, yeah, the driveway is narrow and the ditch is deep, but c'mon, UPS driver is supposed to be pro.

Bent the lifting hook on top of the bandsaw in the process and the blade tensioning lever a little. No big deal, but annoying. I called Griz and asked for a refund on the liftgate service, which I think they grudgingly refunded.

For my planer, I had it delivered to my office, where we have a forklift. One of the guys here forked it over to my pickup truck, from which I removed it myself unassisted like this.

After pumping the engine hoist ($50 from CL) all the way up, I still had to let air out of my tires in order to be able to drive the truck out from under it. So, just barely worked.










-Paul


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## Daric (Jan 7, 2014)

In December, I took delivery of a Grizzly 17" Bandsaw and a 46" lathe. I had the same concerns. The driver was great! Wheeled them right into my garage and placed them where I wanted them. I did tip him afterwards…


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## adrianpglover (Mar 25, 2014)

That is another point too. We had the TS delivered with liftgate service and they used a "shorter" truck (according to my wife as I was at work). I think the truck was probably around 26' truck. The DC (which we had delivered the year before) was delivered on a full 53' trailer. The driver of the 53' truck came at 9 o'clock at night, when everyone in the neighborhood was home, so he had a hard time getting through the street. The other guy called ahead and my wife scared them into delivering it during the middle of the day and everything went smoothly.


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## RockyTopScott (Nov 16, 2008)

The carrier, (UPS I think) called me a couple of days ahead of time and said they were looking at Google maps and asked what size truck I thought could get into my lower driveway.

I think they did send a 26' truck that worked just fine for me, but my lower driveway is gravel and flat so no issues there. The UPS driver I had could not have been any nicer.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

If you have problems of this nature it is advisable to tell the delivery company beforehand and even pay a little extra. Or better still, offer the driver a few bucks to go beyond his normal call of duty. I often do this and have built up quite a rapport with them when they come to me. *Believe me when I say , they do like money* it has a strange effect upon them everyone so long as your not asking them to break the law of course LOL and has always been my preferred method.Alistair


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Like everyone said before…depends on the driver. They don't come up your driveway for lack of skill in most cases, but for fear of cracking your driveway with the heavy truck. Most driveways are lucky if they are 4' thick 3k psi concrete, with very little sub base prep. If you have a trailer, you can pick it up at the freight dock. I had several of my Griz stationary tools delivered to my business' freight dock, and then loaded them on a liftgate pickup. I have also picked up at the griz whse in Springfield and muscled them in my garage by myself. $20 usually works wonders, but if the truck is large and heavy, I would reconsider having them on your driveway. Buy a couple of 4 wheel furniture dollies and set the tool on those right off of the truck's lift gate and push it up to your shop if you have a paved driveway.. Once again for $20, the driver will probably help you.


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I have found it is really up to the driver. I have also found that every truck that has delivered to me has had a lift gate, whether I ordered it or not. All the drivers I have dealt with have been very cooperative and helpful and done more than I thought they would. I may have just been lucky so far.


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## RockyTopScott (Nov 16, 2008)

Could it be they simply feared the dog Paul?


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## danofpaco (Feb 24, 2013)

I have a long, somewhat steep driveway oriented to the road in such a way that the driver couldn't have backed his trailer up even if he was willing to. I met him at the bottom of my driveway with a dolly that converts to roll flat and some ratchet straps. The driver simply looked at me and said, "It'd probably be easier for you if I just wheel it up to your garage with my pallet jack." And he did.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Worth every penny. Unloaded and set in shop in a couple minutes, with no help from me. I was impressed.


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

I had three or four Grizzly deliveries when I was setting up shop. In all cases they stopped the truck in my road (I am at the end of a culdesac), liftgated the boxes down, had them on a wheeled pallet jack and towed them up to my shop, which is detached and set abck from the house but on the same driveway, so about 40-50 feet of slightly inclined driveway.

I never had any problems except for once, when the jointer was being delivered. I wasn't there, it was my husband accepting delivery, but I gather the metal straps on one of the jointer boxes twisted when it was being offloaded from the pallet jack, and scraped some gouges in the epoxy coating on my shop floor. I wrote and complained and I think they ended up waiving the liftgate fee as compensation.


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## endgrainy (Mar 25, 2013)

I had a similar experience to Elizabeth. UPS freight stopped on my street, unloaded and used a pallet jack to take the crates down the driveway and into my garage. No problems or damage. Getting the 8" jointer down the steps into my basement shop was another story


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## Whiskers (Nov 6, 2012)

I only read a couple replies here, but here the straight dope. There is no single answer! It depends on what company delivers and the driver. UPS did mine and they refused to back their truck up my drive to my garage. Afraid they would crack the cement. I pointed out the cement was cracked to hell already but the driver would not budge cause he was afraid a auditor might be following and catch him violating policy. He had a pallet jack though and he was happy to use it and we were able to push my similar order up my long steep drive and into the garage. I've also heard horror stories about jerks that just dropped it at the curb and said so long sucker. I think that kind of rare though. For the most part delivery people want to leave you happy. Most will at least drop at the entrance of your garage, the UPS guy was a exception for me, but he made it right by getting my stuff up there and in the garage.

Corporate people are so stupid to make dumb arse rules like that.


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## bowedcurly (Aug 31, 2013)

the best way for me to pickup my orders from Grizzly is to pick it up at the terminal I have to drive 30 miles but it"s a lot less hassel because I'm in control of the delivery, but I have a tractor and loader at home, I guess the lift gate is ok if you don't have other means or some stong back buds to help.. have a good day


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I have had different experiences when picking up at the terminal. One said it was on the loading dock and I was on my own getting it in the pickup. Another used their forklift and loaded it in the pickup for me. Again it appears it is what company/individual you are dealing with. I helped a friend a couple weeks ago that had purchased a Powermatic lathe. My friend called the terminal and they said it had just come in. But, all deliveries were out for the day. The boss said he knew my friend was anxious to get it so he had it loaded on his own pickup and brought it to my friend house! I thought that was above and beyond. Unfortunately, they didn't bring anything to unload it off the pick up. I had brought my hoist so all was well. They backed the truck right into the garage and we offload it a few feet from where it was going to be set up. The boss even helped unpack it to make sure there was no damage before he left. I'm thinking the boss was a woodworker and wanted to see the lathe also.


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## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

I had about the best experience possible from the the lift gate service twice with UPS for grizzly equipment. They called a day ahead of time, arranged a time, and actually showed up at that time. All of my equipment was in a walk out basement. I was expecting the driver just to drop it on the curb. He asked where I was going w/ it, I told him in the basement. He asked if it was a walkout, and when I told him it was he made sure the path to the backdoor through the grass was ok and then drug the machinery down the hill and through the grass on a pallet jack. I tipped him $20 (what I had in the pocket at the time). The second piece of equipment, I was lucky enough to get the same driver w/ the same service. Tipped him $40 that time.


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## JamesK1 (Sep 18, 2018)

Not sure if I should start a new thread but I just ordered my first full size table saw from Gizzly, the G0833P and I've been trying to get help from customer service to see if the freight service will be able to switch to a smaller truck as a full size semi wouldn't be able to fit into our cul-de-sac. So far it's been a no-go. I may have to cancel the order cuz I don't have the means to pick up the saw and unload it myself. Anyone have any suggestions?


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

Last time I had a bigger truck come than would fit up a private road I live on, I had them call me when they were getting close. I met them on the county road my drive runs off of, backed my pickup up to the big truck and we slid the iltem into my pickup. I used a shop hoist to get it out of the pick up and into my work shop.


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## JamesK1 (Sep 18, 2018)

Yeah, I don't have a truck nor a hoist. I could rent a small truck, no problem but I don't have room for hoist. #smallgarageproblems


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I have had good experience with lift gate service. The last time the driver wheeled the pallet into my garage and Would not take a tip.

I bought the HF engine hoist and used it to safely set up my tools on wheels or assemble them. I do not have any help. If you catch it on sale or a coupon it is a good deal.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

I know what I have experienced, and I know what I have read from others on this subject. This leads me to believe it varies all over the country.

I'm in SW Ohio, and UPS delivers the Grizz loads around here. I always get a call 2 days before, asking if in 2 days it would be a good time. I also always get another from the driver at his last stop, asking if all is ok. I live on a state highway (2 lanes) and it has regular traffic all day long. They pull up, and back down our lane, and then the small lane to my barn/garage. He'll ask me to spot him so his lift gate will slide right into the shop, but not move the roofline back. Once parked he'll lower the gate, and pallet jack the load right inside for me, to wherever I ask him to park it. I have had 4 different drivers from UPS just for Grizz, and all of them did it exactly the same. BTW it's UPS short Semi, not the little brown delivery trucks with your Amazoo package.

I helped a chepazz friend go to the terminal once, and it took us 96 minutes once there, and all kinds of he(( to get that picked up. Then we had to grunt the load all over the place, and both of us about dropped a nut doing that. Never again.

I forget how much it is, something like 50 bux? Worth it every time.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> Not sure if I should start a new thread but I just ordered my first full size table saw from Gizzly, the G0833P and I ve been trying to get help from customer service to see if the freight service will be able to switch to a smaller truck as a full size semi wouldn t be able to fit into our cul-de-sac. So far it s been a no-go. I may have to cancel the order cuz I don t have the means to pick up the saw and unload it myself. Anyone have any suggestions?
> 
> - JamesK1


The driver will just drive past the opening, and back it up to you if he's capable. See below about what I have experienced, and the horror stories I have read online about drivers…..

If they call to arrange delivery as they are supposed to, wait until then to ask them this. I can't speak for the drivers near you, but if they are anything like the pros I have near me, they will tell you no sweat, they will get it to you.

Enjoy your new saw.


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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

Most trucking companies that do lift service, will have a pallet jack in the trailer. this is what they use to get the pallets to the lift gate. Most drivers that do the delivery will use the pallet jack to roll the pallet into the driveway or garage if the surface is flat, and not on a hill.

When I got my edge sander and table saw from Grizzly, the driver rolled the palleted crates with the pallet jack into my drive way (where I wanted him to put it). from there I took everything out of the pallet and used a hand dolly to put them in my shop.


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## Zort (Jan 15, 2019)

The UPS driver that delivered my Griz table saw not only moved the saw into my garage on the pallet jack, but because the box had a small dent in it, he helped me un-box it to be sure there was no internal damage and then helped remove it from the shipping pallet and set it on the floor. He said mine was the last delivery of the night so he didn't need to hurry. He also refused a tip.

He did ask me to talk to Griz about the shipping pallet because the placement of the rails made it impossible to get both forks of the pallet jack into the openings. This meant that he had to put just one fork under the saw and lift-creating quite a wobble as it moved.


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## JamesK1 (Sep 18, 2018)

I think there's a bit of confusion here.. My concern is not with getting the saw from the truck to the garage.. I've heard from many sources that the delivery guys are very accomodating. My issue is with the cul-de-sac not having room for a full size semi.. so I'd have to pick up the saw at the shipping dock which I can't do with my minivan. I also don't have room for an engine lift in my garage which I'd probably only use once or twice in my lifetime.

Anyways, the electrician made the decision for me as it would cost about the same as the table saw I wanted (G0833P) to get 220v wired up from the finished basement to the garage (opposite ends of the house). I know I can wire the saw for 110v but I worry about it being 16amps and having the dust collector running at the same time. Regardless, I can't get a grizzly anyways because of the delivery issue. I'll have to find something else.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

It is not just Grizzly. Just about any large tool you have delivered is going to have a problem with neighborhood deliveries unless you get lucky and they use a smaller truck. I bought a large Laguna lathe that was delivered in an 18 wheeler with lift gate. We have rear entry garages so the 18 wheeler could not get down the alley. I had them put the (400 lb I think) carton on 2 harbor freight moving dollies and we just rolled it down the alley and up my driveway-about 200 feet. It helps to have a buddy who can help you steady it while you both push it along. A couple of cheap ratchet straps can help you keep it on the dollies.

My backup plan was to rent a pallet jack to roll it down the alley but the dollies worked just fine.


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## JamesK1 (Sep 18, 2018)

Thanks for sharing your experience with Laguna. I was looking around and I'm thinking you're right about other saw manufacturers. I live on a top of a hill so it would be pretty difficult to push a 400-600lb saw on dollies. I guess I'm stuck with getting a delta 36-725. At least it'll save me a good chunk of change.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

If you arrange your own freight, you can specify that it must be delivered in a shorter truck. It may be more expensive than grizzly's standard charge but it might not be too bad.

Edit: my driveway has about a 3' rise over just 25 feet and it was actually not too bad with 2 of us pushing so if you can get some help I think you could probably get it up the hill. If you put larger wheels on the dollies it would be even easier.


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## adrianpglover (Mar 25, 2014)

My experience before with ordering freight from Grizzly and it being delivered by SAIA (a standard freight company) was when I lived at the third house in on a ~15 house cul-de-sac street. That house had about a 2 foot raise in around 35 feet. I just requested lift gate service and then either asked Grizzly to talk to the shipper or my wife talked directly with them about garage delivery. They charged $20 to get it up the driveway. This was for the G1023RLWX saw. For the dust collector, the shipping company sent a normal 18 wheeler with a 53' trailer at about 9 PM, when everyone on the street was home and had a lot of cars parked in the street. The driver just backed down the street until he got to the next street and then turned down and went on. It helps if the delivery company is going to send a shorter truck, but that's on the shipping company. Most experienced drivers have done this before and know how to handle these situations.

Haven't had any large freight deliveries at my new house (just a trampoline, but in manageable boxes), but there we actually live on the cul-de-sac and we have a total of 3 inches of rise at the street, then the driveway is a long 50-70 foot flat runway.

Good luck with your purchase. Let us know here what you end up deciding and how it all turns out.


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## jacksdvds (Jun 13, 2015)

I live in a small development in a cul de sac. I have had several deliveries from Grizzly, (17 " bandsaw, 22" lathe, 16" belt sander and 8" jointer) two with lift gate and two with out. 
The same contract driver delivered and used a lift gate and hand fork lift to set the machiner where I wanted it. Never a mention of lift gate charge. I think Grizzly, et.al. companies just pocket those fees.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Griz doesn't thrive by *not* getting their products delivered. Griz doesn't own a shipping company so if something shows up damaged it was damaged in transit & not Grizzlys fault.

UPS too only succeeds when deliveries are completed. They will find a way to get your delivery to you without you having to rent a truck to move it up your driveway. The shipper will contact you before delivery to work out the details and the driver will deliver into your garage.

M


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

It's weird though. The first time I called Grizzly to see what could be done to get a table saw delivered, not only would they not try to help me ensure that a suitable truck was sent, the guy actually told me to buy from someone else. A year later, I decided to roll the dice on a bandsaw and luckily they sent a truck that could just barely drive down the alley to my rear entry garage. The driver wasn't happy about it though. I guess he realized that if he didn't, it was not getting delivered.


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