Gennett Lumber called us for a delivery to a new home build in Brevard. The load was a mix: two stacks of plywood at roughly 3,000 lbs each, plus a run of LVL headers, the longest of them 24 feet at about 2,500 lbs.
The site was the real challenge. It had a narrow, steep entry and room for exactly one vehicle in the unloading area. Here’s how we got everything off the truck and set where the builder wanted it.
Why a Crane Truck Was the Right Call for This Site
On a lot like this, the usual options don’t work well. There was no room alongside the unloading area for a skid steer, a Moffett, or any other machine to operate.
Without a crane truck, those 24’ headers would have had to come off at the road and be carried in lengthwise with a machine on each end. That’s two machines and two operators to do one job.
Our truck could pull straight in and set material off either side from one spot. One truck and one operator made it the most cost-effective option for the customer.
One Trip: Loading Plywood and LVL Headers on a 16’ Flatbed
Our 2003 International 4300 had the payload for the whole order, so everything went out in a single run.
We lined the LVL headers up along one side of the bed. The two plywood stacks went end to end on the other side. Each stack was 4 feet wide, so together with the headers they filled the full 8’ width of the bed.
The longest headers hung well past the back of our 16’ bed. We flagged the overhang as DOT rules require and took local roads to the site.
Unloading Plywood with a Crane Pallet Fork
Because the load was packed so tightly, there was no gap between the plywood stacks and the headers to run straps around either stack. That’s where the crane pallet fork attachment earned its spot on the truck.
We carried the fork strapped along the outside of a plywood stack. At the site we hooked the crane to it, slid the tines under the first stack, and set it down right beside the truck. We did the same with the second stack.
The builder asked for the plywood bundles to go on risers, so we set them up off the ground and covered them with a tarp on site.
The Second-Floor Request
The customer first asked for the headers to go up on the second floor of the house. We would have liked to do it, but the perimeter of the home was full of equipment and supplies, and we couldn’t get the truck close enough.
Our crane reaches out to 31.6 feet, where it’s rated for 1,851 lbs. To reach the second floor from where we could park, we’d have needed close to full extension, and a 2,500-lb header is well over what the crane is rated for that far out. Our load chart made that decision for us.
So the headers went down on level ground beside the truck instead.
Rigging the 24’ LVL Header with Nylon Choker Slings
We lifted the shorter headers off with the pallet fork. The last and longest one was harder.
Dunnage under the back half of the load supported the overhang. That dunnage kept us from getting the forks in at the header’s center point. So we picked the header up off-center with the forks, just long enough to spin it and get slings underneath.
From there we rigged it with two nylon web slings in a choker configuration. Each sling is rated at 6,300 lbs in a straight vertical lift, and about 5,000 lbs in a choker hitch, which cuts a sling’s rating to roughly 80%. Together that gave us about 10,000 lbs of capacity for a 2,500-lb header. That’s a very comfortable margin, and the chokers cinched down so the header stayed balanced and didn’t slide in the air.
Placement: Shimmed, Level, and Ready to Build
Every piece went exactly where the customer pointed. Long engineered lumber like LVL can bow if it’s set down on uneven ground, so we shimmed and leveled the headers to keep them straight until the framers need them.
Proof of Delivery Photos
At the end of every job, we take detailed photos of the material in place and send them to the customer. The photos record the condition of the cargo, where it was placed, and final confirmation of delivery. Any notes from the job go along with them for the customer’s records.
For a lumber yard, that means the order is documented as delivered in good condition, even when nobody from the yard is on site.
Building Materials Delivery in Asheville and Western North Carolina
A tight lot, a steep drive, and nowhere to put a forklift are normal for home builds in the mountains. A crane truck can reach over, around, and across to set material where it’s needed.
Lumber yards, builders, and homeowners: if you have a delivery headed to a site that’s hard to reach, call (828) 357-7553, email service@upuplifting.com, for send a request through our crane truck inquiry form.
Up! Up! Lifting is a crane truck service based in Black Mountain, NC, serving the greater Asheville area and Western North Carolina with lifting, transport, and final placement for building materials and heavy deliveries.
