[Shop-talk] Hauling a big planer

[David C.]

I should be picking up a Powermatic 180 thickness planer sometime in the 
next month. According to the info on the web, the uncrated weight, with 
motor, should be around 1150 pounds. I have a 2004 GMC Sierra 2WD 1/2 
ton, extra cab pickup with a 6 foot bed and towing package. About all it 
gets used for these days is hauling old tools (and boards). I moved a 
Delta 12/14 table saw from Gig Harbor to Snohomish (about 100 miles) 
with no problems, and a G4003 engine lathe with stand (about 1300 pounds 
total) from Bellingham to Snohomish, about 85 miles, again with no 
problems. The catch is that the PM 180 is in North Dakota, about 1100 
miles away. There are also a few mountain ranges between here and North 
Dakota, a situation I didn't encounter in my trips up and down I-5 to 
Gig Harbor and Bellingham.

So, the question is, should I rent a UHaul one way in N.D., or should I 
be good to go just strapping the planer down in the truck bed? The 
biggest drawback I can see to the trailer option (other than the added 
cost) is that it's one more thing to break down, and there are a lot of 
wide open spaces in Montana to cross.....