Announcement

**Thrud** · 01-26-2003, 11:08 PM

Do yourself a favour and stick to machines with R-8 or better spindles. the tooling is generally easier to find and cheaper than anything with a Morse taper. Morse Taper is problematic - go for the R-8 machine.

As far as the machine goes you can talk to your trucking company and see if a power tailgate of sufficient power is available. Once on the ground it can be rolled into the garage with a pallat jack or solid steel bars under the machine as rollers. Get some help from some friends for safety.

Alternately, you can have a machine rigger pick it up and deliver the machine where you need it.

**WJHartson** · 01-27-2003, 02:09 AM

If there are scrap yards in your area ask them for the name of someone that has a crane truck. Many of the people that collect scrap have these trucks and can be hired to pickup and deliver equipment for you. I have used a guy to pick up machinery at the truck terminal and deliver them to my house and set them inside the door of my building. I have moved them on heavy wall pipe or solid round stock. The charge has been in the $75 - $100 range for a trip.

Thrud is right stick with R8 it is cheaper in the long run.

**SteveC** · 01-27-2003, 02:37 AM

Yes, the machines that I have been looking at are R8 spindles. I think only the very small mills are not. They are basicly just drill presses with a movable table. I'm just curious as to how you would hold the spindle still while turning the draw bar nut.

------------------

**Ian B** · 01-27-2003, 05:26 AM

Steve,

In my experience, drawbar nuts don't need to be all that tight in the first place - a gentle nip-up is usually sufficient.

My mill has a 40 Int taper, and I usually need to give the top of the drawbar a light whack with a mallet to free the tool after I've backed off the drawbar nut.

So - no need to lock the spindle for tightening / slackening the nut.

I hope you sort the transport problem out on the larger mill - once you have it, you'll be pleased that you did.

Ian

**mikem** · 01-27-2003, 01:27 PM

The local car towing company moved my mill from the previous owner's shop to mine on a flatbed straight truck and used the tow truck to lift it and push it through the door for $150. You could have them pick it up for you at the local freight terminal.

These machine dealers negotiate with the freight companies to get good shipping rates and they can't keep the cost down and spend half a day unloading the machine.

Most of the major freight lines deliver in semi-trucks that don't have lift gates. When I get huge stuff and the freight company doesn't have a lift, I have had them deliver it to a local freight company dock that does use lift gates. This costs another $35 delivery charge but it is worth it for something that you will have and cherish for a long, long time. Don't be cheap on the freight and delivery and have to put up with a machine that chatters and is hard to use for the rest of your life. Thanks--Mike.

**nheng** · 01-27-2003, 02:23 PM

Steve: As owner of a Jet mill/drill I've just gotta say that it would be awefully sad to be soooo close to a knee mill and give it up One thing I like about this board is that some of these guys move the big machines around as if they were toys. It helps some of us who wince (speaking only for myself of course) at anything over 300 lbs.
Den

**SGW** · 01-27-2003, 02:24 PM

Yeah -- figure out the delivery problem. If you've got the space (and the money) get the larger mill. You'll have this thing for the rest of your life, most likely, and 30 years of not having what you want just because of a delivery hassle is not the way to go.

I take it you're within driving distance of Grizzly. Rent a heavy-duty pickup, if you don't have one, or wheedle a friend who has one into helping you out, and get the machine yourself. Then you can take your time with the unloading and not have an impatient truck driver standing around.(n.b. if you do move it yourself, be dern sure it's well lashed down, because it DOES have a high center of gravity.)

The machine can be lightened up considerably by taking it apart. The motor, head, ram, and table should all come off without major hassle. At that point you'll probably be down to about a thousand pounds or a little more, and the mill won't be so top-heavy. Then you can do what I did: rent two sections of pipe staging, put a heavy beam across the top with a come-along attached, back the truck in between the legs (measure the truck and the staging to be sure it will fit before you do this), lift up the mill, drive out the truck, and set the mill down.

Or take the easy way out and pay a machinery rigger a couple hundred bucks to move it for you. What's that going to cost -- 10% or so of the price of the milling machine. In the grand scheme of things, small change.

**ftownroe** · 01-27-2003, 03:10 PM

Steve,
I would just echo the sentiments of the others that you should work out the transportation details and get the mill that you want. I got one of Grizzley's mill drills and tho it is adequate for my needs, I would much rather have the knee mill, since the mill drill with the round column is a pain to re-align and the flimsy stand makes it unstable. Also, when I bought my mill drill and again when I bought my 12x36 gear head lathe the drivers both put the machines in my garage exactly where I wanted them. And this included pushing up an inclined driveway and over a 1/2" lip on the garage floor. I did have to pay the $100 lift gate charge, but it was worth the cost. I also tipped the drivers $20 for their efforts, but did not have to offer any incentive up front. Ironically, when I moved from this house to a new one my neighbor across the street worked out a deal with my landlord and filled the garage with industrial machinery, some weighing over a ton and over time moved it all across the street and behind his house. I know he did not have any fancy equipment except good wheels on pallets and my engine hoist to lift the pallets to install the wheels. Spend the money to get what you really want and find some strong friends to deal with the details.

------------------
Fred Townroe

**ftownroe** · 01-27-2003, 03:23 PM

Steve,
I would just echo the sentiments of the others that you should work out the transportation details and get the mill that you want. I got one of Grizzley's mill drills and tho it is adequate for my needs, I would much rather have the knee mill, since the mill drill with the round column is a pain to re-align and the flimsy stand makes it unstable. Also, when I bought my mill drill and again when I bought my 12x36 gear head lathe the drivers both put the machines in my garage exactly where I wanted them. And this included pushing up an inclined driveway and over a 1/2" lip on the garage floor. I did have to pay the $100 lift gate charge, but it was worth the cost. I also tipped the drivers $20 for their efforts, but did not have to offer any incentive up front. Ironically, when I moved from this house to a new one my neighbor across the street worked out a deal with my landlord and filled the garage with industrial machinery, some weighing over a ton and over time moved it all across the street and behind his house. I know he did not have any fancy equipment except good wheels on pallets and my engine hoist to lift the pallets to install the wheels. Spend the money to get what you really want and find some strong friends to deal with the details.

------------------
Fred Townroe

**Techtchr** · 01-27-2003, 11:04 PM

Lifting a 700 pound mill drill as I did or a 2 ton mill is not a solo endevor. My experience is this: Bought an Enco mill drill. Base, mill, vise, and tooling were all shipped from different places. Luckily I had a friend who had a shop that the mill could be shipped to and taken off the truck with a fork lift. We set it on my utility trailer and drove it to my house. After cleaning and finishing preliminary work, my friend and two brother-in-laws picked up the machine on to the base with two 1"diameter x 5' lengths of CRS threaded through 4 very hefty rings bolted to the table. I'm sure there are better ways, but that's wht we did. We saved the beer drinking for after the lifting. Oh yea, my friend paid me back, I had to help him move a 9" logan lathe from a barn into his basement a few weeks later. Payback is hell.

Matt

**Hellbender** · 01-27-2003, 11:44 PM

I bought mine at Grizzly, had a low trailer, hauled it home, and used my engine hoist to lift it, pulled the trailer out, lowered the mill, and set it into place all by myself. Roll it around w/ one hand.

Rent one at a rental place if you don't have one.

Another idea, do you have a neighbor with a tractor w/ high lift (or rental again)?

------------------
NRA Lifetime Member

Announcement

Grizzly mill drill

Grizzly mill drill

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment