Destroyed lathe

[Tractor manParticipant @tractorman]

Transport firm drops my lathe

[Tractor manParticipant @tractorman]

Hi all. Just sold my pride and joy raglan 5 inch tons private buyer and his transport company have managed to wreck it on route! I’m appalled and disgusted and feel so bad for the buyer.
I put my heart and soul into one of the finest lathes I’ve seen and was happy to pass it on to a good home. But now its in ruins! I only hope the firm compensate him fully for the loss of his new machine. They just said “sorry, we’ll send you a claim form” total disgrace.
Mick

[Bob StevensonParticipant @bobstevenson13909]

Did you restore this lathe?….Is this the one that was aquired from Epping Forest Horology Club?

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Difficult to destroy a lathe I would think?

Tony

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Depends what height you drop it from, suppose it could have cracked a casting.

[vintagengineerParticipant @vintagengineer]

 

Posted by Tony Pratt 1 on 23/01/2018 19:49:34:

Difficult to destroy a lathe I would think?

Tony

Very easy to destroy a lathe. Seen it done several times by transport companies who don't know what they are doing!

Lifting it incorrectly will snap the bed or dropping it as little as 3" will break the bed depending on size and weight.

Edited By JasonB on 23/01/2018 20:26:18

[Tractor manParticipant @tractorman]

Hi Bob. I did restore it but I bought it from a dealer in Sheffield.
Apparently the tail stock was snapped in half, saddle and apron damaged, gear cover casting broken to name the things from a quick inspection.
The lathe was bolted on a pallet and I told the firm.it would need careful handling as it was heavy and potentially unstable due to weight being at the headstock end. Not a cowboy outfit either a well known carrier.

[Robert ButlerParticipant @robertbutler92161]

The purchaser may be disappointed most carriers restrict their liability to £1,300-00 per tonne. One tonne weight of goods = payment of £1,300-00, half a tonne = £650-00!!!

Robert Butler

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Robert Butler on 23/01/2018 21:45:10:

The purchaser may be disappointed most carriers restrict their liability to £1,300-00 per tonne. One tonne weight of goods = payment of £1,300-00, half a tonne = £650-00!!!

Robert Butler

That does not limit your right to sue the carrier for negligence. Accidental damage is rather different than negligence on their part.

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

Things like that make me SICK-SICK-SICK !!!

Sue them,they should have known what they were dealing with,that,s their job.

[LambtonParticipant @lambton]

Tractor man,

They may be "a well known carrier" but the people actually doing the work were definitely cowboys.

Many times whist at work I used carriers to move machinery and in my experience it is matter of luck if you happen to get a good crew for the job. I have very carefully briefed well know carriers about the value and vulnerability of certain machines only to be faced with a similar result to your Raglan lathe at the end of the job.

If you want a good outcome from moving machines you need to personally supervise the loading and securing of the machine and if practicable go ahead to also supervise the unloading. This way I always achieved good results

. left to themselves machinery removal operatives will usually look for the quickest and "least trouble" means of getting the job done without much regard to the needs of the load itself.

I know some people will disagree and quote that such and such always do a perfect job – you have been very fortunate!

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

So far i have managed six ‘transportation events’ with Raglan LJs and a 5”. All easily accomplished on my own – and the last four in my Citroen Saxo. No stands involved with the car, mind! Removal of motor, carriage and tailstock makes them easy enough to manhandle, in and out of the car, by one person. One LJ bed/headstock casting was carried down stairs by two people.

So not a difficult task, if properly secured to a pallet and in the hands of a reputable carrier.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I am in the process of buying a new property which will involve the transportation of my machinery a distance of two hundred miles or so. I've accepted a quote from a "well-known company". I just hope it's not the one used by the OP's buyer!

John

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

Seems to be a case of "Pot Luck" when it comes to carriers.During two house moves [never again ! ],I moved my Craftsman lathe and my Lux mill,pillar drill,saws,planer,spindle moulder,ect,in my Hi ace van,with the help of two friends. With the lathe stand removed we were able to get it up a flight of steps and into the van,intact. Same with the mill.Took a few runs,but nothing was damaged,or lost.

I believe it,s better to hire a van,or flat bed truck,round up a few friends and do it yourself [fill them with drink afterwards,not before ] That way,you can have some control over the move.

Unless these people are experienced in handling machinery, they are best left alone. They may not understand how easy it is to ruin a good machine.

[Martin 100Participant @martin100]

Sadly It never seems to be cheap easily replaceable far eastern junk that gets damaged.

Touch wood I've been lucky so far with dismantling various machine tools into easily manageable lumps and transporting them in the back of a small hired van or the back of a hatchback. I think our original lathe was moved as two lumps but we were a lot fitter then. The courier used by Arc Euro delivered the X3 and stand on two pallets exactly where I wanted without any fuss using a pallet jack in no more than a few minutes. It took longer to unpack than it did to move and the bext part of a weekend to dismantle, remove the transport grease and reassemble.

A Boxford lathe I acquired more recently a few hundred miles from base was dismantled in about an hour into very manageable bits (bed, gearbox, stand, headstock, talistock, motor, saddle, apron) I then drove home and went to bed, next day just after sunrise I unloaded it onto a platform with casters bit by bit, moved them into the workshop, before dropping the van off and going to work.

It was significantly easier doing that than getting John Lewis to deliver a Fridge Freezer direct into a kitchen without going through the entire house in muddy boots.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I, too, would prefer to do the move myself – if I was twenty years younger and without a heart condition. I took three boxes of books to the charity shop this morning and that was knackering! If I tried to shift the machines, even with help, I'd probably end up being the one in a packing case. I'm happy to pay up and hope to see the kit at the other end of the motorway in one piece, I hope!

[Peter Simpson 1Participant @petersimpson1]

I sold an Elliott Omni mill years ago. The courier came with the usual tail gate pallet lorry. I had bolted the mill to a pallet for transportation. To say the loading of the pallet on to the lorry was a iffy would be an under statement. How on earth it did not topple over is a miracle.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Regular pallets just aren't suitable for mills and lathes in the larger sizes. I once foolishly set out a pallet for the delivery crane to put a machine on but quickly realised it needed bracing even to sit on the drive. If you need a pallet because the shipper expects it then you should custom make something. While they are easily capable of supporting a ton of neat squared up bricks the small footprint of a mill plus its top heavy nature show up the flexibility of thin wooden slats.

[oldveloParticipant @oldvelo]

Hi

Bazyle has is right normal pallet is totally inadequate to transport any lathe – mill other than a small bench top models.

Build a timber frame that is Bolted through with large washers as nails can pull out easily.

[Conroy StarkParticipant @conroystark]

I used Machinery Movers here in Cardiff to move my 1334 Lathe and Bridgeport milling machine. I was well impressed by their knowledge. I have used them twice.

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