How do you move a milling machine?

M

Mith

Active member
I'm toying with the idea of buying a milling machine, there is one on the cheap side locally.
Apart from the tooling (that only money can solve) its gotta be moved out of the workshop its currently in, onto a trailer, up the road, across the lawn, and into my workshop.
The getting it on the trailer, may be an issue. The mill probably weighs about a ton + or - and is very top heavy.

Any thoughts?

I'm thinking along the lines of making a dolly, lifting the mill a little at a time with jacks, sliding the dolly underneath, and winching it onto the trailer. Getting it off the trailer may be more exciting, as my workshop is on a slope.

Anyone done anything like this? I'm thinking it might be more effort than its worth..... :(
 
All depends on how much it'll cost you and how much you need it.
A dolly could work. Ask how they got it in there, maybe that will give you a clue to a better way.
 
Lower the "table" to it's lowest position (lowering the c-g). Remove the "head" (drive motor and spindle (very heavy but can be done with help). You can also remove the "ram" (what the head is attached to) with some help. Now the mill is more manageable and can be lifted onto a flatbed trailer with something like an engine hoist.

For the type of fabrication you do, it is NOT more hassle than it's worth!!
 
Uh, I hadn't thought of taking the head off :pat: With the head off it'd probably short enough to lift straight with an engine hoist (2 ton), and just wheel it over and lift it into a trailer.
Its a pretty small mill, only about 6' to the top.

I'd have to buy new tooling or a converter as it has an odd type taper. And there is the expense of converting it from 415V to 230V. Thats what is stopping me at the moment.

Cheers
 
Mith,

Do you have any riggers locally? Here in the States I have used professionals for many such tasks, and it is often amazing how cheap and quick they are.

Just a thought.
 
Not yet Doc, I'd like to, but although its an outstanding deal I'm having trouble parting with the money.
 
Looks like this is a go.
I think we are going for AV8R's suggestion of removing as many parts as possible.
I have a 1 ton lift, that should be able to lift as many parts off as possible, and then lift the rest onto a trailer.
 
Glad to hear it Mith. This sounded like a deal that you would have been kicking yourself in the behind down the road if you had not decided to get it.

Good luck taking it apart and moving it. :thumb:
 
Mith, this is how I moved my last one I had when I sold it. Jacked it up until I could get it on a sturdy pallet. (I first lowered the table), Then using the bolt holes on the bottom of the machine, I bolted it to the pallet. I also tied it down good to the pallet from the mill head. From there it was a simple matter to use a pallet jack, with a couple guys for assistance and to help maintain the balance, to roll it out to the trailer and up the ramp onto it. The guy reversed the process when he got it home.

This way there is no dismantling...unless you want to.
 
Doc, I'm thinking along those lines. I would like to build up a collection of tooling, at the moment I have to wait for workshop time, so it'd be nice to have access to a mill when it suits me. Cheers.

Dennis, the only problem I can see with doing that is that I have to move the mill down and across a hill to get it into either the garage or the workshop (dont know where its going yet). With leaving it assembled I'm envisaging it rolling onto its side, which would be an absolute nightmare as you can imagine!
That may be the method of choice, but I'm still fairly set on removing the head to lower the CoG.
Cheers
 
Mith, the one thing you might consider. When it is bolted to a pallet and also banded to it, it becomes much less top heavy in that you have placed it on a much wider base. You put a 2 x 3 machine base on a 4 x 5 base it actually triples the base area as long as it is well fastened. equals alot less tendency to tip. And if you are still nervous you can throw some additional weight on the outside edges of the pallet around the base of the machine.

But you should whatever do you feel safest with and what works for you. :D

Good luck with it. Keep us posted.
 
goldchaser said:
Mith, the one thing you might consider. When it is bolted to a pallet and also banded to it, it becomes much less top heavy in that you have placed it on a much wider base. You put a 2 x 3 machine base on a 4 x 5 base it actually triples the base area as long as it is well fastened. equals alot less tendency to tip. And if you are still nervous you can throw some additional weight on the outside edges of the pallet around the base of the machine.

But you should whatever do you feel safest with and what works for you. :D

Good luck with it. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...

10 years ago I bought a Millport (cheap Bridgeport knock off) 42" milling machine. When we moved 2 years ago, I built a 7'X7' skid out of 3"X3" angle iron. Bolted that to the base, then strapped the machine to it. That made the trip from point A to point B a LOT less stressful.

A mill is the handiest machine tool made so far as I'm concerned.
 
Farmwithjunk said:
10 years ago I bought a Millport (cheap Bridgeport knock off) 42" milling machine. When we moved 2 years ago, I built a 7'X7' skid out of 3"X3" angle iron. Bolted that to the base, then strapped the machine to it. That made the trip from point A to point B a LOT less stressful.

A mill is the handiest machine tool made so far as I'm concerned.
Click to expand...

Moving the machine whole is something I would prefer doing. I do not like taking those machines apart. Especially the well used ones. Its too easy to get things out of wack. The only time I have seen em disassembled are some of those big Bridgeports, the ones that are 2 to 3 tons in size. Major factory job. Most of the major weight on milling machines is in the table and base and once you crank the table all the way down that usually takes care of it being excessively top heavy. And the way that you did yours was excellent. And like you said...removes alot of stress.
 
You can also lower the bed and turn the head upside down. A fork lift is nice if available, I had a wrecker lift mine one time and sit it on a trailer. They weigh close to 2400 pounds.
 
Well, we've got it done. Lifted the head off, and lifted the base onto a pallet. Used pallet forks to put it on a trailer, and moved it that way. Actually, it couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Put the head back on this morning, and thought I'd snap a pic of the new toy. Its still on the pallet so we can move it into place. You will notice the lack of a motor, we are upgrading to a more powerful motor, and are adding a VFD, which allows the speed of the motor to be controlled digitally (from a keypad panel or from a computer).

Thanks for all the suggestions guys :thumb:
 

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Mith said:
Well, we've got it done. Lifted the head off, and lifted the base onto a pallet. Used pallet forks to put it on a trailer, and moved it that way. Actually, it couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Put the head back on this morning, and thought I'd snap a pic of the new toy. Its still on the pallet so we can move it into place. You will notice the lack of a motor, we are upgrading to a more powerful motor, and are adding a VFD, which allows the speed of the motor to be controlled digitally (from a keypad panel or from a computer).

Thanks for all the suggestions guys :thumb:
Click to expand...

Wow!!! :ohmy: What a nifty new toy!!! :thumb:

Congratulations on the successful move! :beer:

Dougster
 
Wow am i jealous ! I occaisionally see bridgeports, and similar machines for sale on my local Craigslist. I have thought MANY times of purchasing something similar. I think my concern is...... the milling machine may only cost me a couple thousand, the tooling however, i could see being several thousand on top of the cost of the machine. Very nice !!!

:applause: :applause:
 
Thanks guys.

Ductape, eventually a deal too good to pass up will come your way. You can get cheaper tooling from machine shops, here they often buy new cutters for every job, so you can pick up lightly used cutters for very little.
This one came with some tooling, enough for now anyway.
 
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