Picking up an MEP-803A from an Army depot

Jeff H · Mar 10, 2019

I am attempting to purchase a MEP-803A for the first time, not a trailer mounted one. I have an F-250 long bed, and I also have a dual axle steel deck car trailer.

What has been everyone's experience on getting this loaded when picking it up from the Army Depot?

The auction page says: No Loading Dock, Ramps, or Forklift Available: Only RGN or trailers with ramps can be used to pick up this item at this location. Seller will not allow item to be loaded on a step-deck or flatbed trailer without the appropriate ramps.

What are appropriate ramps? Are the two steel diamond plate ramps of my car trailer appropriate?

How easy does the aluminum skid slide?

Do I just winch it up the ramps with a hand winch? My trailer does not have an electric winch.

Does no forklift really mean no forklift? Would they forklift it into the truck bed? (not sure how I would get it back out at home though) Or onto the trailer?

Thank you

Zed254 · Mar 10, 2019

Need to post pick up location so folks experienced with that specific location can respond. I picked up an 802 from Ft Bragg (Gov Liquidators) a little better than a year ago and they forked it into the bed of my truck. Call the contact number on the auction page to get the number of the people you will be working with during recovery and call them. They will know forklift capability at their sites.

Jeff H · Mar 10, 2019

Hi
I have been bidding on ones located at Chambersburg, PA, it is the closest one to me.
Thanks

desmodromic · Mar 10, 2019

Jeff H said:
Hi
I have been bidding on ones located at Chambersburg, PA, it is the closest one to me.
Thanks

The guys working that lot are great to deal with. I have been there 10+ times. They will forklift it onto your truck no problem.

I have a mint 803A that went through a full rebuild that I am putting up for sale. PM if interested.

Zed254 · Mar 10, 2019

Jeff H said:
Hi
I have been bidding on ones located at Chambersburg, PA, it is the closest one to me.
Thanks

I've recovered several trailers from Letterkenny's Gov Planet location and as desmodronic says they are a great bunch of guys to work with. They picked each trailer out of the back field with a large pneumatic tired fork lift and a couple of them were placed on the ground behind my truck with the fork operator placing the lunette ring perfectly onto my pintle hitch: a very good fork operator. This was a large fork lift, so it may be best for you to use your car hauler if it has a solid bed. That way the operator can lift the generator from the side (wider fork placement). They may have smaller fork lifts, too. Give them a call and they will get you lined up.

Jeff H · Mar 10, 2019

Thank you guys for the information. It is good to hear the positive reviews. As much as I would like to make the trek with just the truck, using the car trailer is probably safer and better to prevent damage to my truck and to be able to get it safely off once home.

Light in the Dark · Mar 10, 2019

Yea the chaps at Chambersburg will take care of you.

Daybreak · Mar 10, 2019

Howdy,

GovPlanet Chambersburg, PA will lift anything and put it where ever you want.

Look over the forum on how other members removed them from trucks, and or trailers. Wooden dowels, pipes to roll on work here too.

MEP-802A weighs in around 800-880 lbs
MEP-803A weighs in around 1,140-1,200 lbs
depends if they have fluids drained, and /or batteries

69birdman · Mar 11, 2019

Jeff , I don't know how long you've been watching auction activity but 803s have been bringing stupid money anymore. Running, low hour machines have been going for 4, 5, 6k, the $5 bids seam to create a frenzy. Add in auction fees, taxes and now credit card use fee. Then your travel expenses to go pick it up. After you get it home, you'd probably want to change all fluids & filters , most need batteries, more $.
Just food for thought, may be in your interest to see what Desmodromic has for sale.
Peace
Brian

Demoh · Mar 11, 2019

If you intend to drive to PA do not under any circumstances stop on the side of the road, even to look at your GPS. I got nailed with $1600 in tickets for being commercial, no medical card, no DOT number, put OOS for 12 hours and my ticket was 8' long. He even posted a guy to watch the parking lot I pulled me over in to make sure I didnt attempt to leave so I had to hire a tow truck to bring the generators to me because I got there friday morning.

As I went through the process to fight it Im told the cops/DOT there look for out of staters on the way to that yard and really love to get joe homeowner's money by writing them up as commercial. Basically stay under 10,000 GVW and 17,000 GCVW for nameplate ratings. Basically dont bring a dually. I hope your trailer is less than 7k GVW.

That was my first recovery from PA and that was also literally a generator for home use not for resale. The cop and judge were real tight and I ended up losing the fight too. If you do get pulled over do not give them any paperwork that shows a company name on it because thats how he was able to pin me as commercial.

Im not trying to scare you away from going, but I would go again but this time be very particular on having my ducks in a row. F250 forked into the bed should have no problems.

Light in the Dark · Mar 11, 2019

Unbelievable. Our tax money at work. I will hold my actual thoughts on your plight Demoh... but that sucks you had to go through that.

csheath · Mar 11, 2019

Picked mine up in Atlanta with my F150, 6.5 ft bed. Fork lift had no trouble putting it in. Truck drove fine with it in the bed.

I winched it out onto a flatbed using 6 ft aluminum ladder type ramps. It didn't slide worth a flip. Had to keep tightening up on the winch and prying up on the skid runners to coax it out of the truck. If I were to do it over I would either get smooth ramps or rig it and lift it out with my backhoe.

If prices are still crazy you might want to look at the new Perkins generators at Hardy Diesel.

uniquify · Mar 11, 2019

They will also fit in the bed of a 1/2 ton crew cab chevy.

In a pinch, you can move them on a flat surface fairly easily with a roller (3 or 4 foot long piece of steel pipe or wooden dowel rod) and a 3 foot pry bar. Use the pry bar to lift up under each skid just enough to get the "roller" under both skids, and then you're golden.

Demoh · Mar 11, 2019

Light in the Dark said:
Unbelievable. Our tax money at work. I will hold my actual thoughts on your plight Demoh... but that sucks you had to go through that.

I take it as a learning experience. Some people look at it and say I got royally screwed. At the end of the day I am wiser and some lessons are expensive. No sense getting mad over it. My friend which was with me wont let it go and It bothers him deeply, but at the end of the day I still will buy lunch for an officer if there is one behind me in line as situations like these do not taint my views. I posted so others are aware and hopefully some others may learn from my mistakes.

But going back on topic, OP should have no problem with that yard if he has it put into the bed of his truck as long as its the actual GP yard where they have all that equipment.

Jeff H · Mar 11, 2019

My F250 is SRW with a regular car trailer, not a construction or equipment trailer. No company names involved, not painted on the truck or trailer, or on my registration.

Demoh said:
If you intend to drive to PA do not under any circumstances stop on the side of the road, even to look at your GPS. I got nailed with $1600 in tickets for being commercial, no medical card, no DOT number, put OOS for 12 hours and my ticket was 8' long. He even posted a guy to watch the parking lot I pulled me over in to make sure I didnt attempt to leave so I had to hire a tow truck to bring the generators to me because I got there friday morning.

As I went through the process to fight it Im told the cops/DOT there look for out of staters on the way to that yard and really love to get joe homeowner's money by writing them up as commercial. Basically stay under 10,000 GVW and 17,000 GCVW for nameplate ratings. Basically dont bring a dually. I hope your trailer is less than 7k GVW.

That was my first recovery from PA and that was also literally a generator for home use not for resale. The cop and judge were real tight and I ended up losing the fight too. If you do get pulled over do not give them any paperwork that shows a company name on it because thats how he was able to pin me as commercial.

Im not trying to scare you away from going, but I would go again but this time be very particular on having my ducks in a row. F250 forked into the bed should have no problems.

smokem joe · Mar 11, 2019

PA is terrible for any out of state guy pulling a trailer. Commercial or not they will pull you over and ticket you for something. I'm only an hour away from the Western border of PA and wouldn't take a trailer of any sort across that line for any reason.

69birdman · Mar 11, 2019

I picked mine up from Albany Ga. In a f150 , my truck is lowered 2" in rear and rode just fine.

Picking up an MEP-803A from an Army depot

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