Need Suggestions

[jr45acp]

all right guys heres the deal. I have an acquaintance in Mass that is soon going to be closing down a metal fab shop. It seems they had previously purchased some equipment (running) from a job shop and have it in storage. At this point all I know is that there is a lathe, verticle mill, horizontal mill and a surface grinder. cost? Come and get it! That's right the machine tool fairy has paid me a visit! Problem, very limited budget. Have contemplated forgettng it ( not an option), buying a gooseneck equipment trailer (10K payload equipment type for less the 3 grand rigged, having it shipped (sounds very expensive and more than purchase of a trailer, or finding someone who leases goosenecks. At this point I am open to any thoughts you may have. the best thing is, if I can't get it this year, they'll store it at no charge until I can! I can't offer much info on machines as there's a 15 foot snow bank in front of storage site. Sounds as though the lathe is a Logan or Sbend, Bridgeport mill, horizontal is anybody's guess at this point and surface grinder possibly a Harig. Bottom line is it's all USA made, and for all intents and purposes free. I'm losing sleep sorting out all the contingencies. HELP :CONFUSED:

ps: I see this as a one in a lifetime opportunity! Am I a candidate for the Psycho ward?

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John B

I guess one piece of info that is relative is that I'm approx 1000 miles from Boston and have the truck to pull such a load

[This message has been edited by jr45acp (edited 02-15-2003).]

[SGW]

I am tempted to suggest that it is obviously too much bother to contemplate, and since I live fairly close to Boston I could take the machines and you would have the great satisfaction of knowing they have a good home...but I won't.

If you've got the truck to pull the load...how much of it would fit in just the truck? And how soon does the stuff need to be moved? If not "soon," does the possibility of 2 or 3 trips in the truck, taking some of the machines each time, make any sense, spread over a year or whatever?

Have you actually checked into shipping costs? It may not be (relatively) as bad as you think.

[merf23]

I have a friend here in eastern connecticut who specializes in moving equipemnt(he just moved my welding table and a lathe for a friend). He has a roll back truck with a forklift, 30000GVW i believe. He charges $65 an hour for trucking/loading etc and is PAINFULLY honest. I recommend him without hesitation. No he isnt a relative, business partner, etc...
his name is:
Chris, Canterbury Machinery
860 546 5000

[x39]

You could rent a Ryder truck. They have trucks that are rated at less than 26,000 GVW (no CDL required) with automatic trannies and lift gates that anyone can drive. Not very expensive either.

[Rock Ranch]

John,

Look into having the stuff shipped. I, too, thought it would be too expensive. From Detroit, I could have had a flatbed full of stuff shipped to a terminal for about $1200. Distance was about 700 miles. The reason it was so high is because flatbeds don't normally go to terminals. If you have a way to get it unloaded at the destination, I would suspect you could get it done for around a grand. I know a guy, who knows a guy at FreightQuote. I'll get his name and post it here, if you are interested. I suspect you will need to know approximate weights and measurements when you talk to him.

Larry

[gizmo2]

It is also possible to find an independent in your area, running to the Nor'east without a return load. They might do it just to recover their return trip. It'll take some sniffing, but might be cheaper than making the round trip yourself. We made our move from midwest to Wyo like that for about a third of the cost. The trick, for us anyway, was insurance. Good luck!

[JCHannum]

If somebody made me an offer like that yesterday, I'd be there tomorrow with a flatbed rental truck loading it.

[jr45acp]

thanks for the suggestions guys! I've considered all of these and only threw this out in case I had missed the obvious. I'm gonna get those machines on way or the other. As for my truck, could probably move only the lathe, then maybe two mills etc. At any rate, I'll keep everyone posted. new update, got a call last nite from a trailer builder, said hewould build and rig as previously stated for under 3 grand. said that if I wanted he'd buy it back for roughly $500 less than I paind for the trailer. that sounds promising. Again thanks to all!

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John B

[t&cgrinder]

A few months ago I was forced, to move from Colorado to Texas because of the falling economy. I Purchased an enclosed cargo trailer and loaded all my equipment and stuff for the move. I had a 28" goose neck with a 12,000# capacity. I went over the scales at 28,640#. I actually ended up with a little over 16,000# on the trailer. It was not a fun drive that 1100 miles. In the end I would suggest hiring it done. I had the truck to pull it with also. 1990 Ford diesel with 248,000 miles on it. You still gonna need to have the stuff unloaded when you het it home.

Good luck

paul

[TONY R]

The best thing I can sudjest is getting a U haul, There cheap and easy to use Ive moved alot of stuff in them before. Another is use Nations or Hertz for a stake type truck

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by jr45acp:
all right guys heres the deal. I have an acquaintance in Mass that is soon going to be closing down a metal fab shop. It seems they had previously purchased some equipment (running) from a job shop and have it in storage. At this point all I know is that there is a lathe, verticle mill, horizontal mill and a surface grinder. cost? Come and get it! That's right the machine tool fairy has paid me a visit! Problem, very limited budget. Have contemplated forgettng it ( not an option), buying a gooseneck equipment trailer (10K payload equipment type for less the 3 grand rigged, having it shipped (sounds very expensive and more than purchase of a trailer, or finding someone who leases goosenecks. At this point I am open to any thoughts you may have. the best thing is, if I can't get it this year, they'll store it at no charge until I can! I can't offer much info on machines as there's a 15 foot snow bank in front of storage site. Sounds as though the lathe is a Logan or Sbend, Bridgeport mill, horizontal is anybody's guess at this point and surface grinder possibly a Harig. Bottom line is it's all USA made, and for all intents and purposes free. I'm losing sleep sorting out all the contingencies. HELP :CONFUSED:

ps: I see this as a one in a lifetime opportunity! Am I a candidate for the Psycho ward?

</font>

[Rock Ranch]

John B,

Here is the info on shipping I promised.

It seems the regular contact at Freight Quote, Bill Stitch, has moved up. Call his replacement.

Mike is new guy handling Bill's accounts. Bill got moved to new position.

1-800-323-5441 x: 1549

Tell him Corey from Basic had you call.

Corey and I have gotten some pretty good quotes in the past. Good luck.

Larry

[WJHartson]

John B,

A couple of things to consider. Is there a way to load the equipment at the storage site. If not you have to make arrangements for that. Truck stops usually have a bulletin board with a list of drivers looking for loads. If you can find one empty on a return trip you could make a deal with them. If you go with just the driver and not the company he works for there is no insurance. See if there is a Hot Shot company in your area that is going to the Boston area. The Hot Shot companies usually run empty on the return trip unless they can pick up a load at a truck stop. Some of the contacts given may be your best bet. Do you have a way to unload it when you get home?

[Rustybolt]

If you can rent a Ryder truck for the weekend with unlimited miles you might makeout ok.Around here they're less than a $100.00 a day. The liftback trucks have a stated lifting weight of 2500lbs but I wouldn't put that to the test. The most I've lifted was about a thousand lbs and it seemed to strain at that.If you can contact you friend and see if he can arrange for a forklift to be available. Forklift companies will rent lifts by the day and often deliver them to the site if its not too far for a minimal cost. If thats not an option some times you can borrow one from a nearby factory for an hour or so for a modest bribe.
Once loaded in the rental truck it a good idea to screw cleats around the machine bases to keep them from sliding also some D rings for tie downs. The wall mounted tie down slats on rental trucks will not stop a mill once it starts to tilt. The holes you make in the floor of there truck box can be filled with dowels and epoxy.
The key is having everthing ready before you leave home to pick the stuff up.
Drive carefully and Slowly. One of these days I'll relate the storey of the machining centeer and the on ramp to the expressway.

[jr45acp]

Guys, I can't begin t thank you all enough for your input and insights. I've got loading and unloading covered! So it's just a matter of deciding on contracting the shipping or renting a truck and doing it myself. Will probably go with the self proposal as I'm kind of anal that way.

Rusty, roger your load securely and drive carefully. In another life I used to haul Nitro. Not a time for slipshod practices.


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John B

[wdtom]

Would it be out of the question to buy a trailer, use it for the move, and sell it, still looking new? It might only cost a small amount for the use of the trailer.