I use a collapsible 1 tonne engine crane for my shaper (335kgs) and lathe (about the same). My Chester Champion (135kgs) can be split in two (table and column/mill head) and moved with a sack barrow.

Having just got a new workshop once it is insulated and powered these will have to be moved from the garage over soft ground (grass) to it

The shaper and lathe can be split into two (base and the rest) and lifted onto a trolley truck (e.g. **LINK**) then moved on gravel boards (like train tracks)

That's the plan anyway!

regards

John

Your machines will come on a pallet, maybe with surrounding ply protection. Hopefully the delivery will be with a tailgate lift. Don't expect the delivery man to move it any further than the floor he drops it on! Now you need lengths of timber and some rollors and some help.

I did it this way, had two lengths of 2 x 2 and unpacked the machine and slid it off the pallet onto the 2 x 2, this then allowed me to move it in the direction I wanted. Clear all obstacles in the way as it will be difficult to clear later. If need be, dismantle parts to reduce handling weight. On reaching the bench I started to build a tower of wood by tilting one way and then the other and adding the wood to gain bench height. Be careful and screw each piece of wood to the one below. At bench height I placed two bits of wood to slide machine onto bench. My Sieg X3 weighed 190Kg and it took me nearly all day to do it. I could not use an engine crane as I had restricted space. You definitely need another person for safety reasons. Consider carefully where you want to put it as you need space around it for table movement or for a lathe room to put bar through the headstock.Ideally, 2 other helpers and no dogs around to get in the way, plenty of wood packing and screws etc. Allow plenty of time and refreshment. Finally, plan, and plan again to get it right.

Clive

There is a post on here just now about using rollers. It all depends on the ground you have to move over. Clives advice above is good ,esp. getting the machine dropped onto batons, makes things much easier later. If the ground is not dead smooth consider laying a temporary path. Steel sheets from a scrapyard can be used and then returned. As everybody will say, the biggest problem is not the weight but the center of gravity. You can move several tons on your own with a turfer or winch ,so long as it can roll or slide.

Hi David

My Lathe was about 125kg I think and I used a 1 Ton Engine Crane but I would say its much easier, especially if like me you are going to do it on your own, to use a load leveller. I used this one **LINK** It's would have been better if it had been longer I think but much better than trying it without..

Its a shame that they don't seem to fit small lathes with lifting rings I think..

You need a decent height clearance above for the crane and a bench / table that doesn't foul the legs on the crane..

Cheers

Allan

Remember an engine crane is rated at the shortest arm setting – usual advertising hype – so much less at full extension which is probably where you want to set it. The Axminster 2 ton is nice but you then have to store it. Helps if you can borrow one.

Note that lever hoists (aka come-along for americans) are not for use on vertical lifts. This is because they have no safe way of letting down. The Haltrack pulley blocks are better in this situation for small loads. I used one to lift a Warco Minor but the problem was the pull required had me sliding across the floor as I didn't want to be in the position for a downward pull.

Again using the Haltrack I have rigged 2 step ladders with a couple of 4×2 between to make a frame to lift from for 200lb loads. A ladder is rated for a fat man but not too fat so think a bit.

Outside if you need to lift something onto rollers or trollies you can lean 2 ladders against a wall and rig a support beam between them. If the 'wall' is your open garage doorway you get space all round.

The safe lifting load for a man is very small. A metal thing about a cubic foot and looking like it is mostly air eg hand shaper is on or above the limit. A 6in machine vice is above. I think it used to be about 50 lbs but then only under suitable conditions.

Hi David,

I recently had to move a Chester Super Lux mill (around 300 kg) from the pallet in the garage at the front of the house where it had been delivered to the workshop at the rear of the house. The route was straightforward—no soft ground and just one small ramp up a step. The main problem was the very tight space it was going to end up in, and a couple of narrow gaps through doors. The first step was to build a beefed up version of the crane described in MEW 205; this I did while waiting for delivery of the mill. Having removed the more fragile bits of the mill (like the DRO display) I used the crane to lift the mill clear of the pallet so I could remove the pallet and put the mill onto the floor. I fitted castors to the pallet and lifted the mill back onto it. We could then wheel the mill through to the workshop. I did it this way as I really didn't want to move the mill any distance hanging from the crane. Then I used the crane again to lift the mill onto its pre-positioned stand in the workshop. This procedure was taken very slowly and carefully and took a couple of days, on and off. I was surprised how much planning it took, but it worked OK in the end.

Good luck!

Trevor

My Warco major was lifted into place by the delivery guy and his 2 ton engine crane, I've since acquired other machines my Hurco for instance weighs in at 1730kg and I occasionally have to get in behind it, which was a pain, I now jack it up with the levelling screws drop it onto 1" rollers and walk it along using a 1/2" rod that locates in a series of holes drilled into the concrete floor, the rod first passes through a lifting eye bolted to the front of the machines foot, as others have stated these machines tend to be very top heavy so be careful.

I'm thinking of moving house the Hurco will be a nightmare to relocate, last time I moved it with a Hyab which was scary, and a pallet truck which needed major surgery afterwoods but is still usable but bent…………

I have a 2 meter floor crane (like an engine lift on steroids) and I recently (Tuesday) sold my RF25 (200+kg) and didn't use it, rolling poles all the way, it's quicker and safer if you ask me, lifting it is hard….. so don't lift it

A slow way of moving, or lifting machines is to "jack and pack". This is used a lot, or used to be, in mining.

If lifting in this way, DO make sure that the thing is not going to tip over, especially onto you (ANY doubts, make sure that you have an easy escape route. You can buy a new machine, but new limbs are harder to source)

My Mill/Drill was bolted to its bench(on an angle iron bearer/load spreader frame) inside the workshop door, and the whole thing prised up to fit some 1/2" round bars under neath. The bench and machine were then pushed to the far end of the shop (bear in mind mine is only about 10 feet long) using a car scissor jack and pieces of wooden packing, braced against a piece of 4" x 2" across the door way. It took a bit of time, but it placed the bench and machine, which I could not have pushed, where I wanted it. And then the rollers were removed.

The lathe had been lifted onto its bench using a folding 1 Ton crane. (The crane had to be folded to get it through the shop doorway)

The lathe had a convenient cast hole under the headstock, so the sling was placed round a piece of 1" bar through this, and under the Tailstock end, taking care not to crush the power shaft or leadscrew , and back round the inner end of the steel bar. This allowed the lathe to be moved into position as the crane legs went under the bench.

If moving a machine on a crane, only lift the machine just clear of the floor, to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible. Even then be careful, the load can swing quite badly on a sling, so it is possible to tip over the crane and the load!

Take time and be careful. Better to spend three hours moving the machine than three weeks in hospital, after trying to save a few minutes.

A fairly recent move of "old mill out, new mill in" at a colleagues' house was watched by two amateurs (me + colleague) and attempted by a long time machine distributor + his helper.

Their "dolly" had broken straps + one flat tire. We got the flat tire pumped up for them, but as they had to move a heavy mill, they were under equipped by a long shot, plus were wearing the proverbial running shoes.

We told them to stop. Did not outright tell them that they were going to kill themselves, but, as they were glad we had told them to stop, I think they were worried.

Eventually, others got the mill apart, down into the basement, with ease, and nary a scrape.

Lesson to all: not every machine distributor should be trusted to actually move machines!

Another John.

i moved my 1000 Kg Deckel clone mill by myself. 6' pry bar, 42" crowbar, loads (16?) bits of 18mm packing pieces. Lift corner of mill, insert packer, repeat for all for corners. Using one packer under crowbar, repeat to get second packer under each corner. Repeat until high enough to get short pieces of scaffold pole under mill, you will need at least three.

Basically it was to do it very slowly and testing each lift before committing to it. The exciting part was the hired flat bed lorry with a Hiab to lift the mill over a 9' high brick garden wall!. The mill was then committed to a self store container and the Hiab could just get its boom into the container with the mill hanging off it. VERY tight, some shorter lifting strops would have been very useful.

To remove the mill from the container, we used a lorry with a 1 ton tail lift. It was extremely difficult to get the tail lift between the open container doors as they had welded on restraints. I think we had to crowbar the slack out of them to get the tail lift close enough . Once home we dropped the tail lift and crow barred it back on to the rollers, where it went up the concrete garden path and jacked up into the new shed (6"+).

So it cost ~£200 (Hiab) + £200 (lorry) + £100 (crow bars, beer etc.), seems a lot for a £1500 mill

Frank

Myfords, the old Beeston firm, delivered to me a reconditioned Super 7 with cabinet type stand on castors. These were fitted in the cabinet hold down bolt holes. The lathe could be wheeled about without any difficulty. Once it was positioned the lathe and cabinet was gently tipped one way and then the other to remove the castors. An easy two man job.

I guess it is all down to planning. A friend once moved a Colchester Chipmaster 25 yards down a concrete garden path, including two right angled bends, and then down seven steps by himself in a day without hiring any fancy lifts etc. Mind you his day time job included planning the movement of much heavier and more valuable equipment. He refused any help on the basis of "too many cooks spoil the broth".

JA