# Moving a 3000lb + mill the easy way.



## deere_x475guy (Jan 31, 2009)

Hi gang, I had the pleasure of spending a good part of the morning with stevehuckss396, his son, and another hard working young man and 3 of my friends. The work began at 8:00 and by 11:30 the mill was strapped down to the trailer and Steve was ready to take her home. When I framed in my area for the machine shop my wife located a free double french door. When I placed the door in I used 3 lag bolts on each side and some caulk. This made removing the door easy and we got the mill out through that opening. Steve showed up with everything we needed to get the mill to the garage door. Below are some shots of the move...we had a good time.

Here you can see we are in the process of moving things out of the shop and still haven't removed the door yet.






Here we have the door removed:






Another friend is removing the mill from the 3 phase power.





Here, Steve and his helpers are rising the mill up on wooden blocks until it is high enough to place the rollers under it.






Not to long and she has the rollers under her and is ready to move.






With the mill being at the doors it was a quick pick for the wrecker to snatch her up.






WIth it placed on the trailer and strapped down here I am hugging her one last time before she moves on to Steve's care.







I am happy to report that Steve got her unloaded saftely to her new home and he even made the drive back here to drop my trailer off this evening.

I will be picking my new to me mill up the last week in February and hope things go as smoothly as today went. I want to thank everyone who helped out today. I was totaly worthless as I am still recovering from surgery and they all made sure I lifted nothing heavier than my coffee cup.

Steve enjoy, and looking forward to seeing you at NAMES.

Bob


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## stevehuckss396 (Jan 31, 2009)

I was totaly worthless as I am still recovering from surgery and they all made sure I lifted nothing heavier than my coffee cup.



I would'nt say that. He makes one fine pot of coffee!! By the way, both those young lads were my sons. They both did a fine job!!

After dropping off the trailer, we slid right thru an intersection and onto someones front lawn. Never even made it out of the neighborhood. Mr Abbott was kind enough to dispatch some help.


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## shred (Jan 31, 2009)

It's amazing what a little leverage and rollers can do. I just helped with a 3-way move (full-size mill across town, baby-bridgeport across town and loading a 16" Clausing lathe; all separately, all one afternoon/evening). I'd hate to be doing it in that kind of weather though. Did you have the wrecker or rent it or what? We used a gantry crane which worked but was a little slow sometimes.


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## Mike N (Jan 31, 2009)

Looks like a good moving job. 

I used a pallet jack & my car trailer to successfully move 3 Bridgeport's last summer. My trailer has a 2 foot beavertail & I put a piece of 3/4" plywood over the ramps & winched it right down onto the garage floor. With the pallet jack still under the base it is easy to move around. I use a 10 ton porta-power to lower it down to the floor from the pallet.


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## deere_x475guy (Feb 1, 2009)

stevehuckss396  said:
			
		

> I was totaly worthless as I am still recovering from surgery and they all made sure I lifted nothing heavier than my coffee cup.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Steve sorry I didn't realize they were both your son's. If you couldn't tell I wasn't really what I would call on top of my game today. Irregardless they were both hard workers and I would be very proud of them.

The end of the road is always slippery and I have a guy contracted to keep it salted but he was in Lansing and hadn't made it to our road yet. Ross said he got you ok. BTW how was that resturant? Pam and I haven't made it there yet.

Now the long wait for me new to me mill to show up. At least I should be back to work for the last week and that should help things along a little.

Will stayed around a little while longer and he and I did some brainstorming about how to overcome the heavy lifting for me. Lots of options really. I am wondering how much control those electric chain falls have. Can they be slowed down so one can ease a chuck into place? Just things I will have to ask around about. I know I seen a video not to long about about a guy that has designed a little different power drawbar set up and you didn't have to reach above the mill to use it.

Catch up with you later....

Bob


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## deere_x475guy (Feb 1, 2009)

shred  said:
			
		

> It's amazing what a little leverage and rollers can do. I just helped with a 3-way move (full-size mill across town, baby-bridgeport across town and loading a 16" Clausing lathe; all separately, all one afternoon/evening). I'd hate to be doing it in that kind of weather though. Did you have the wrecker or rent it or what? We used a gantry crane which worked but was a little slow sometimes.



Shred the wrecker was plan B. Plan A was to have a friend of mine show up with his bobcat but it wouldn't start. Actually I think this worked out much better. I don't think the guy spent much over 15 minutes from start to finish and he charged $50.00 instead of the $200 the guy with the bobcat had quoted. When I get my new mill home I am going to have him move it in the shop for me. With his setup he will be able to move it right to the doors to my heated part of the shop then I can move it in on bars.


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## deere_x475guy (Feb 1, 2009)

Mike N  said:
			
		

> Looks like a good moving job.
> 
> I used a pallet jack & my car trailer to successfully move 3 Bridgeport's last summer. My trailer has a 2 foot beavertail & I put a piece of 3/4" plywood over the ramps & winched it right down onto the garage floor. With the pallet jack still under the base it is easy to move around. I use a 10 ton porta-power to lower it down to the floor from the pallet.



Yea Mike there are lots of ways to skin this cat. The main thing is to have the knee cranked all the way down and the head turned sideways or upside down to get that center of gravity down. I will be posting more pics once I get to move my new jet in place.


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## stevehuckss396 (Feb 1, 2009)

Mike N  said:
			
		

> Looks like a good moving job.
> 
> I used a pallet jack & my car trailer to successfully move 3 Bridgeport's last summer. I use a 10 ton porta-power to lower it down to the floor from the pallet.



With the rollers and tow truck, the whole thing went so fast at both ends, that i had time to make the 200 mile round trip the same day to return the trailer. May not be the cheapest way, but it was very fast, safe so nobody got hurt, and there was no damage to Mr. abbotts very nice concrete floor and not a scratch on the trailer. Those 3 things are priceless, mostly the last two. I think it was worth a few bucks to ensure nobody getting hurt.

The concrete floor in his shop is like brand new and his trailer is equally as nice. It would have bothered me for life if there were any damage to either one. I am just wierd like that. Things borrowed should be returned as good or better than when you pick them up. 

it wasn't cheap, but boy was it easy.


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## dreeves (Feb 1, 2009)

I moved my bridgeport the same way. It was put on a trailer with a forklift. Then when I got it home I got a tow truck to pick it and put in the garage. There was very low head room with the trucks boom. I put it on 1 Dia. by 4 foot pipe and rolled it into place. I did not think it would go so easy.


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## Mike N (Feb 1, 2009)

deere_x475guy  said:
			
		

> Shred the wrecker was plan B. Plan A was to have a friend of mine show up with his bobcat but it wouldn't start. Actually I think this worked out much better. I don't think the guy spent much over 15 minutes from start to finish and he charged $50.00 instead of the $200 the guy with the bobcat had quoted. When I get my new mill home I am going to have him move it in the shop for me. With his setup he will be able to move it right to the doors to my heated part of the shop then I can move it in on bars.



You are lucky the BobCat didn't start, A friend of mine tried to pick a Bridgeport off his trailer & tipped the whole works over. Broke the crank handle & bent the lead screw on the mill! Most BobCats won't lift even 2000 lbs.


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## deere_x475guy (Feb 1, 2009)

Mike your right about most of them won't, but his is rated for 3000lbs which was right on the border.


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## Metal Mickey (Feb 1, 2009)

Having the Mill Steve, will it mean you will scale up your engines and perhaps build a V16 or V32? :big:


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## stevehuckss396 (Feb 1, 2009)

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> Having the Mill Steve, will it mean you will scale up your engines and perhaps build a V16 or V32? :big:




Not yet!

The hunt is on for a larger lathe. Then I will be able to align bore longer blocks. 

So for now, more cylinders means going smaller!


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## jlmanatee (Feb 2, 2009)

This reminds me of a story my Dad used to tell of how they moved a 50-ton press across the factory floor during the Depression. He says they puzzled about how to do it till someone suggested bananas. Apparently they got a crate of bananas and smeared the floor with them and then slid the monster across the floor. No info on how many men it to to slide it or how they got the bananas underneath. I always thought it was just a tall tale. :


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## stevehuckss396 (Feb 2, 2009)

jlmanatee  said:
			
		

> This reminds me of a story my Dad used to tell of how they moved a 50-ton press across the factory floor during the Depression. He says they puzzled about how to do it till someone suggested bananas. Apparently they got a crate of bananas and smeared the floor with them and then slid the monster across the floor. No info on how many men it to to slide it or how they got the bananas underneath. I always thought it was just a tall tale. :



Most of the stamping plants i have been in had enough oil on the floor that bananas would not be needed!!


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## 90LX_Notch (Feb 2, 2009)

Steve you forgot the walls, lights, beams, ceiling, etc. Basically, anything within the walls of the manufacturing area.


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## Phelonius (Feb 3, 2009)

I guess a hot air balloon would not have fit in the garage.

 Phelonius


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