Scanner Maintenance Tips – Scanner Transportation
Good afternoon, and welcome back to our weekly segment on scanner maintenance tips. This week, we’ll be taking a look at scanner transportation. Often times, owners and renters of large format devices find that they need to move their device to a new or temporary location – while small format devices are relatively easy to transport, large format device transportation requires delicacy, precision and forethought. Let’s take a look at some of the steps we recommend you follow before moving your large format device.
I). Know Your Surroundings – Whether moving your device up a flight of stairs, or one room over, it’s important to know how much space you have, and how you’re going to get the device to its intended destination. First things first – make sure to measure and weigh your device (alternatively, give us a phone call if you want a quick reference for sizing and weight specifications on any of our products), otherwise you might end up an inch or two short in a tight space. Similarly, it’s important to know exactly how you’re going to move the device. If you’re planning on carrying it, make sure you have adequate manpower. Generally, we don’t recommend carrying large format devices up stairs except in situations where no alternative options are available. Your best bet for moving a large format device between floors is a lift gate (if you have a dock on site), a stair-climbing hand truck, or an elevator if available. At our warehouse, we like to use dollies for pallet transportation, and for our larger packages we have a forklift – if necessary, don’t hesitate to rent the proper equipment to accommodate your requirements.
II). Clear Out Adequate Space – This might sound like common sense, but every inch of space you provide for your device will count during transportation. We aren’t just referring to resting space either – make sure the path between the point of origin and the destination for the device are free from any and all unnecessary clutter. Also, make sure that you’ve planned your route with any potential obstacles in mind – banging your ankle on a sharp corner hurts enough when you’re not carrying anything, but when you’ve got a 250-pound flatbed scanner in your arms a mistake like that can be potentially life-threatening.
III). Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help – Generally, we recommend that, for every 50 pounds of weight on an object, one person be present to help lift. While most of our large format devices are under 200 pounds, we nonetheless recommend having 4 fully capable adults present to help lift when transporting any of our larger devices. In particular, our VERSASCAN series of flatbeds are large enough to potentially warrant a fifth or even sixth adult to assist in the process of transportation. Be sure to communicate the specifics of the process of transportation to all assisting parties – make sure everyone knows where the device is going, and how it’s getting there.
Go Back I). Know Your Surroundings – Whether moving your device up a flight of stairs, or one room over, it’s important to know how much space you have, and how you’re going to get the device to its intended destination. First things first – make sure to measure and weigh your device (alternatively, give us a phone call if you want a quick reference for sizing and weight specifications on any of our products), otherwise you might end up an inch or two short in a tight space. Similarly, it’s important to know exactly how you’re going to move the device. If you’re planning on carrying it, make sure you have adequate manpower. Generally, we don’t recommend carrying large format devices up stairs except in situations where no alternative options are available. Your best bet for moving a large format device between floors is a lift gate (if you have a dock on site), a stair-climbing hand truck, or an elevator if available. At our warehouse, we like to use dollies for pallet transportation, and for our larger packages we have a forklift – if necessary, don’t hesitate to rent the proper equipment to accommodate your requirements.
II). Clear Out Adequate Space – This might sound like common sense, but every inch of space you provide for your device will count during transportation. We aren’t just referring to resting space either – make sure the path between the point of origin and the destination for the device are free from any and all unnecessary clutter. Also, make sure that you’ve planned your route with any potential obstacles in mind – banging your ankle on a sharp corner hurts enough when you’re not carrying anything, but when you’ve got a 250-pound flatbed scanner in your arms a mistake like that can be potentially life-threatening.
III). Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help – Generally, we recommend that, for every 50 pounds of weight on an object, one person be present to help lift. While most of our large format devices are under 200 pounds, we nonetheless recommend having 4 fully capable adults present to help lift when transporting any of our larger devices. In particular, our VERSASCAN series of flatbeds are large enough to potentially warrant a fifth or even sixth adult to assist in the process of transportation. Be sure to communicate the specifics of the process of transportation to all assisting parties – make sure everyone knows where the device is going, and how it’s getting there.