Nice one! I run a pallet shipping business and you would be amazed how people think they can just stick a large machine on the pallet and hope for the best. I like the way you lowered the knee and rotated the head to lower the centre of gravity as much as possible.
Note to everyone looking at this - you can rent a forklift for the day for pretty cheap. That's what I did when I moved my shop. If you palletize all your stuff, it will make you life a lot easier.
I used an engine crane when I moved my lathe. About 1000lbs. The guy I bought it from forgot to mention all the huge cracks in the floor. Took 3 maybe 4 hours to move it 30 feet. Pallet jack would have been sooooooo much easier . Nice job.
Busy Bee ct043. Does metric and standard. Older model. Guy used it about an hour and lost interest. Swings almost 14" x about 36". About 18" with the gap out. Descent machine from before they got more cheaply made.
Good move going high and low with the hookup pulling the milling machine up the incline on the rollback. Wouldn’t be a rigging crew without a plumber’s crack though.
Nice to see British lathes still popular in the USA! You did a great job moving them. I run a pallet shipping business in the UK and we see a lot of mills damaged because people don't bother lowering the head or the knee so they end up falling over.
Thanks, I researched it today and discovered it's called a johnson bar. I haven't found any place that sells them around here so I might make one myself.
Sometimes they are also called a pry bar dolly or pry bar lever. I got mine for a decent price at Northern Hydraulics: www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200673892_200673892 There is even a larger one available that will lift 5.5 tons!
Im in the U.K and I call it a fencing crowbar because its used to make holes in the ground for fence posts with the pointy end, its about 6 foot long and a very useful tool to lever heavy weights with the angled foot on the other end of the bar.
Thats a Lever Dolly; some times called a "Johnny Bar" They are available with either a steel or Oak Wood Handle & Come in three different lengths. Very handy; but on top heavy loads yeah gotta have the quitting sense. Toolwell and Carr company have them; around $200.00 bucks well spent; longest ones are more money, I have had mine for 40 plus years.
Honestly, renting a forklift or even a skidsteer is the best way to get these out and onto a trailer. This looks more like you were trying to save some money and finagle this with whatever tools you had on hand. Take it from someone who had to close a machine shop and move granite tables and tool room lathes out...a forklift is money very well spent. And OMG..buy a tarp at Harbor Freight next time!! The poor machines!!
I've used 1" iron pipe to move big data safes... They are lined with high density concrete and can weight 1500kg but a few bits of pipe and a pry bar they go easily...the Egyptians moved huge stone blocks on wooden rollers so why not a Bridgeport on steel
newstart49 I soaked the machines with WD-40 before I left so the rain didn't do any damage. I think it cost around $300, but I really can't remember anymore.
Even though WD means "Water Displacement" in Military lingo it is not recommended to avoid rust/likewise plastic tarps sweat on the under side and can cause a lot of damage. Water and oil can cause an electrolysis process between unseen surfaces. CMVHighPriest
Clifford, So how would you protect some machines that had to be moved?... and moving them on a wrecker / on a open trailer was your ONLY option?.... Please give a DETAILED response. Additionally, any rigging /moving tips or tricks you can share? Thanks!
DO------NOT-----LEAVE------BARS or BARS/Levers WITH WHEELS where anyone might trip over them!!!!! Even for a moment: ie. like standing the lining bar on concrete against a pallet leaned against the wall: Kind of like a BOX TRAP only there is no need for a CARROT!!!! CMVHighPriest Rigger for 40 plus years with a 100% accident Free safety record!! Company I worked for had hired a few dummies over the years that could/would not be retrained to do it the safe way and they had to be "CANNED"!
graham waite posted: "I work for a machine moving company and if i moved machines like this i would loose my job" Q: How would you MOVE a mill and a lathe... WITHOUT the equipment you may have at your JOB ? Please give details vs one-liner.. offer some suggestions and work-arounds... "tips" from your years? of moving stuff.
First rule of thumb is never leave a lever dolly; where unattended it could become a hazard; I have seen those things tripped over or falling down or worse the handle coming up with great velocity: true Pros think safety first. CMVHighPriest an accident free Machinery Rigger for 45 years!
@@billoxley5315 Oh okay cool thanks. I was watching Alec Steele's channel where in his latest video he got 3-ton power hammer and just couldn't imagine moving that around a shop lol.
I tear my machines all the way down and then build them back up again. One person can move almost any machine. I even hung my airplane from the ceiling in my shop that way. It hangs above my machines. You can see it in my heavenly machining video.
Yes, moved my boxford lathe and Warco mill myself, except I needed a hand realigning the mill head and getting the bolts back in. It wasn’t that I couldn’t lift it, I just couldn’t support the weight on my shoulder and put the bolts in, it kept moving and when cast iron moves……
Glad you got it done , but this is not how pros move machine tools . 100% not.This is DIY level, nothing wrong with that at all , but “like a pro “ gives idea of instructions . Happy machining !
This made me feel like a moron! We spent hours struggling to move a mill, even dropped it, almost killed me. Never occurred to any of us that we could just drop the table and flip the head to lower the center of gravity!
You don't appreciate how top heavy those milling machines are till you try to move one. I think I'm going to need a week off just to recover when I shifted mine.
Hard work man!!! Good job getting that stuff home and advancing your shop to the next level. Is there anything you would do differently? I have to move a mill in the near future, not very far but still will be difficult.
What size lag bolts did you use for the Ex-Cell-O Mill? I just purchased a 602 similar to yours from an auction and I need to move it soon. I don't have any way to see it or measure it before I pick it up since it is a few hours away from me. Any details on the number and size/length of lag bolts that you used to attach it to the 4x4 beams would be great. Also, how narrow does the pallet jack need to be to fit between the beams? Thanks in advance...your video has really helped me out!!!
Hi there. You'll want lag bolts 7" or 8" long - 3/8 diameter will do - you'll need 4 of them. You'll need really large washers for the lag bolts as the hole in the mill base is rather large. The base of the mill is just shy of 3' in length and the space between the 4x4's is 28". The mill is around 3000 lbs. Good luck with your move and thanks for watching!
Thanks! Also, if you don't mind me asking, what tools will I need to bring along to extend the ram and rotate the head down like you did to lower the center of gravity?
I'm about to bring a 4000lb lathe to my shop using a roll back truck and a pallet jack. I like how smoothly this moved off the truck onto your floor. My only question is, how did you get the pallet from under the lathe? I will be up against the same challenge if I move it on a pallet.
Watch 2:30 in the video. We used big prybars to move it onto the pallet. It was a huge pain in the ass! Good luck with your move and thanks for watching!
As a pro I can tell you that this was super dangerous and inefficient all to save a couple of hundred bucks. I would have bid the whole move including tarped transport at 300 to 350 depending on mileage.
Not all ‘pro’s’ like your claimed title, can get into awkward sheds across grass gardens etc. Sometimes a bit of ingenuity like these guys came up with is all you need. As for super dangerous, rubbish. They took all possible precautions and ensure the lathe pallet was big enough and strong enough for the job. Credit where credits due. I suspect your jealous, an worried that potential customers will see they can afford to do it themselves without paying so called experts a small fortune.
