Moving a press?

What kind of press? At 900# I would assume something along the lines of a Vandercook SP15 or C&P 8x12 (though the former is a little shy of 900 and the latter a little more).

What kind of access is there to the shed?
Will it have to go over grass?
On a pallet?

I would bet you could do it yourself with some friends and a rented pallet jack. But it’s hard to know without the details.

We moved an 8x12 c&P new style into my ‘backyard shed’ aka studio (it is a 10x20 framed building on a concrete slab so it had a step up and all)… and here is what we did:

when we went to get it, the owner said it was on a pallet, so we rented a pallet jack, drove 3 hours to get it and we found out it was actually on the original floor that had been cut out around it and moved… so we finally got it on the truck and on the road. when we got it back to my house we CAREFULLY moved it from the old flooring to the nice new pallet we had built out of mdf and 2x4s. we bolted it down to the new pallet and got the pallet jack under it. we had to drag it across alot of uneven pavers/paths and across some grass, but with a couple guys and a sturdy pallet and pallet jack, it wasn’t too difficult, even in the sand of florida. once we got it close to the door, we pumped the jack up enough so the pallet would slide over the threshold of the door and into the studio. then we just pushed and slid it into place.

it definitely isn’t easy because it is a very heavy and bulky chunk of metal, but with enough manpower it can easily be moved.

of course, i live in florida, near the beach, so all of this moving was done on pretty much flat land, so add some hills and grades into this equation and it will probably be alot more difficult, but still doable.

we also used a come-along and alot of strong rope to try to hold it in place as best we could.

Thanks for your replies. I’ts actually not a letterpress, just a plain ol’ ABDick 9810 offset press. My drive way is sloped but most of the way after that is flat concrete except for a 5ft grass incline(slight) up to the shed. At the shed there is a 4” step up. It sounds like most people use a combination of a pallet jack, crowbars an muscle to move their presses. Any advice as to whether to use a moving truck vs trailer? Things to be prepared for etc?

Fortunately a 9810 is not, in my opinion, quite as top heavy and fragile as a cast-iron C&P, but most of the same moving cautions still apply. I’ve moved my 9850 w/ T-head by myself using a pallet jack, although it was mostly more-or-less level concrete. Use a large chunk of heavy plywood on top of the grass, maybe making a ramp to the top of the step so you can roll it right in. With a couple of helpers, working carefully, it should be no problem.

Personally, I use a small hydraulic drop trailer so I don’t have to lift the press, but a truck with a decent liftgate should be okay for a relatively light press like your 9810. It’s tempting to leave the press on the pallet jack when it’s in the truck or trailer - don’t do it. And do be sure to tie it in place solidly in the vehicle (straps with ratchet tensioners work well).

Before you move it, be sure all the screws holding the covers on are in place and tight, and keep in mind the covers are only sheet metal, so don’t lift or pry on them, and grab more solid parts of the press when applying muscle to move it. As usual, take all the rollers and other “loose” parts off both to reduce weight a bit more and so nobody’s accidently pushing or pulling on something that comes off in their hand. (With the ink fountain off the fountain roller actually becomes a pretty solid grab bar.)

Thanks!