forklift rental in San Jose, CA?

Renting a forklift is usually not a problem; most large industrial equipment rental yards have several species of lift truck for hire. Operating the said device, and transporting it, is the problem. To hire a forklift for a remote site job requires that you get it there, and small ones are generally not very roadable, even if street-legal. Therefore, you need it delivered and picked up, usually with a four-hour minimum, sometimes more. If you haven't had much experience with them, it might be better to hire one with operator: all this gets prohibitive fast. Have you considered heavy lumber ramps, ropes w/block and tackle, and a few hardy StrongPersons to *ease* it down the ramp? I have unloaded some fairly heavy items myself, using readily-available lifting aids, wood, and a little thinking and planning. For example, I got a *big* CDC SMD drive, and it was put onto my pickup truck by four guys using a loading dock. At home, I used a chain hoist and 4x4 spreader bars, and nylon flat cinching straps to lift it off the truck, drive the truck away, and lower it down. Took three hours, but what else could I do with 700 pounds o' gear? Just some thoughts. A forklift is certainly best in your situation, if the costs make sense. In California, look for a chain of places called 'Sam's U-Drive'. Cheers John