About a third of our deliveries go to sites with no material handling equipment at all. It is entirely routine, and the only thing that ever goes wrong is nobody mentioning it before the truck leaves.
Option 1 · Lift-gate box truck
Our 26-foot box truck with a lift gate carries about fourteen 275s. The gate lowers the unit to ground level and the driver walks it off on a pallet jack.
What it needs from you: a firm, flat surface to set down on, within pallet-jack range of where the truck can park. Gravel is usually fine if it is compacted. Soft ground, grass and loose stone are not — a loaded pallet jack sinks.
Option 2 · Roll-off from a flatbed
For as-is and technical units where cosmetic damage does not matter, we can tip empties off the deck onto tyres or a sand bed. It sounds brutal and it is perfectly acceptable for a cage destined to become a firewood crate or a ballast tote.
Never for food grade, never for rebottled, and never for anything with a marking panel.
Option 3 · You bring a trailer to Livonia
We load your trailer or your pickup bed with our forklift during yard hours. For one to four units, this is almost always the cheapest answer and a lot of customers combine it with picking out their own units.
A standard pickup bed takes one tote. A 16-foot utility trailer takes four comfortably. Bring straps.
Option 4 · Tractor with forks
Most farms have one, and it handles a 275 easily. Tell us and we will send the flatbed, which is cheaper than the lift-gate truck and carries three times as much.
| Your situation | What we send | Units | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| No equipment, firm surface | Lift-gate box truck | up to 14 | Most common |
| No equipment, soft ground | Lift-gate + you spot a plywood pad | up to 14 | Tell us in advance |
| Tractor with forks | 48' flatbed | up to 44 | Cheapest per unit |
| Collecting yourself | — | 1–4 typical | We load you at the yard |
| Scrap-destined units only | Flatbed, roll-off | up to 44 | Cosmetic damage accepted |
The driveway question
A tractor-trailer needs room to turn and a surface that will not rut. Long gravel farm drives are usually fine in summer and a liability in March. If you are unsure, send a photograph of the entrance with your order — our dispatchers would much rather look at a picture than argue with a driver on the phone they cannot call.
