Moved a BP Series I Rigid Ram today

[SJorgensen]

The ordeal is over, and again I wish I had taken pictures. This move was about coordinating forklifts on both ends, and everything just happened to work out just fine. The best part about this move today was the trailer. I was able to rent a hydraulic trailer that was 7000lb capacity. The platform was big enough for a car and with big solid "D" rings to bind the chains to. The platform lowers to the ground and the ramp was about 2.5'long and with a very shallow angle, which turned out to be great getting on and off. The bed was probably only two inches above the ground when lowered. Even lifting the mill on the forks from the bottom, the forklift had no difficulty with driving onto and off of the trailer with the mill. It was the best $60 I ever spent. I'll take a picture of the trailer because it was pretty cool and it carried the mill very low and very well.

I feel like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

One thought that I had today was to install a 5/8" bolt in each of the holes in the mill's base. I'd leave an inch of thread and the purpose would be so that the bolt would be available to bolt on some square tube for lifting and to make a wide base so the mill couldn't tip over. It’s just an idea and it might end up a nuisance to have those bolts sticking up. And on my mill the control cabinets might be a problem. I don't know how strong the casting is around those holes in the base either. It is just a nerve-wracking thing to move these mills. I'm getting better each time though.

Spence

[torker]

Hey Spence...glad to hear it went well for you! Too bad you're so far away...I'm hoping to get a BP clone in the next while and am going to need some expert advice on how to load and unload them tippy looking things

[rsr911]

When I move my rigid ram I use the procedure in the BP manual. You remove the side plates on the ram and there is a space to put a 2" bar through long enough the lift the machine with the bar across the forks. We side loaded my flatbed trailer and chained her down. Unloading at the shop was the same way except I had to take the cage of off the forks to clear the low ceiling in the work shop area, come to think of it I took the tool changer off to, those rigid rams are TALL!

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-Christian D. Sokolowski

[SJorgensen]

It is much easier if you have smooth concrete. Any slopes or bumps complicates things alot. Good tie downs, chains and binders prefered, and this type of trailer was much better than my first transport which was on a flat-bed truck with poor suspension and over-load springs and loose tie-rods and balljoints. I'm glad the brakes worked. I was a wreck after that move. Oh yea, the guy brought his dog too. On a flat bed. And chained it between the mill and the headache rack. That dog had about 18". One hard brake, would probably have done the dog in. Two straps were missing when we got to the destination. They had been chaifed through because of sharp edges on either the ways or the table. I'm all for chains on this stuff.

[SJorgensen]

Thanks Christian,

I did take off the side plates and chained through them but we didn't lift it that way. If I had that manual I might have done that. there is both a long slot and an about 2"x2" hole. Does it balance well there with the control and power cabinetts mounted? With smooth forks and a round 2" bar (or did you mean 2" SQUARE bar?) Did you worry about it sliding?

[This message has been edited by SJorgensen (edited 04-17-2005).]

[rsr911]

I used a round bar thru the 2x2" hole. I put C-clamps on the forks to prevent sliding. The machine balances rather well with only a slight lean front to back.

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-Christian D. Sokolowski

[SJorgensen]

I would have put a strap to keep it from sliding on the forks. Some probably wouldn't be worried, but a hard round bar on hard smooth forks with only a slope of 3 or 4 degrees or more with 3800lbs could get out of hand super quickly in my imagination. Would a handful of detergent help give the bar some traction where there might otherwise be waxes or oils that make things more dangerous? This is a very dangerous process and every possibility deserves some consideration.

[torker]

Spence...you are right to be cautious. I've moved a lot of really heavy sawmill equipment and have seen some get away. It ain't pretty when something that heavy gets away. Last year we where moving a big twin ring debarker out of a building (had to lift the roof off with a 65 ton crane). The dummass foreman used a shackle that was too small (we tried to tell him). It broke and the thing swung around and smashed out a huge section of the wall next to it. Then when it swung back it bashed a big hole in the floor (laminated 2X6 fir). Something like that is like trying to call a bullet back after you've pulled the trigger!