Moving a Delta Rockwell 17

[liliysdad]

I am going to pick up a pristine Delta 17 drill press tomorrow, and am curious as the best way to move it. Are these built where I can drop the table and the head down the column to lower the center of gravity?

If not, any pointers? Its a huge press with a gigantic production table.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Presuming it has a rack, you can only lower the table rack so far. Thus the head can only be lowered until it gets close to the rack.

I usually bring a small bottle jack. With the table lock tight, I use it to break free the top head if needed when the locking bolt is loosened. And then lower the head the travel of the bottle jack. I then lock the head and lower the table by the travel of the bottle jack and then repeat.

Is it a variable speed or the step pulley version? For the step pulley version I would pull the motor + mount after unhooking the switch cable. I would also pull the pulley cover and maybe the spindle pulley. Not much weight then. I would not do any of that for a variable speed version.

 

[lafester]

I would remove the motor, then the hub, pinion and spindle. Then remove the head and table.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[liliysdad]

It is a step pulley machine.

Thanks for the tips. I hate to break the machine all the way down, I am only moving it ten miles...but it seems to be the best way.

 

[gnpenning]

As mentioned, break it down in easy to handle pieces then lower center of gravity as low as you can. You got this. Besure to show us pictures when you get it home.

 

[mikeinri]

I've never moved one of these, so I'm curious. If a guy had a trailer, couldn't he strap it to a dolly to move it, then just lay it down on the trailer (or leave it standing up, strapped to the rear gate), all without disassembly?

Mike

 

[Jim C.]

A guy hauled a Delta 17” standing model for me from Washington State to Illinois on an open trailer with a wood plank bed. All he did was lower the head and table as far down as possible, tied a strap around the post attaching both ends of the strap to the sides of the trailer and then lag bolted the base to the trailer bed. 2,000 miles no problem.

Jim C.

 

[Davefr]

I just sold a big Delta 17-600 last week and moving it was easier then I thought.

1. Remove the table. (One 1.25" nut)

2. Remove the table elevation rack so it doesn't get damaged. (Raise rack gearbox, remove rack, lower gearbox.)

3. Lower the head gradually all the was down. Move the support collar just a few inches at a time. It's very heavy and you don't want it to come down too fast.

4. Two of us were able to slide it across the garage floor and then push/pull it up a long ramp into his cargo trailer. (a long ramp was essential and saved us a ton of time because Plan B would have been disassembly). You should haul these upright if at all possible.

 

[liliysdad]

I've never moved one of these, so I'm curious. If a guy had a trailer, couldn't he strap it to a dolly to move it, then just lay it down on the trailer (or leave it standing up, strapped to the rear gate), all without disassembly?

Mike

You could....but these things are so ridiculously top heavy, tipping them over is an inevitability. Laying them down has their own set of dangers...damaging controls, damaging castings, etc.

 

[liliysdad]

I just sold a big Delta 17-600 last week and moving it was easier then I thought.

1. Remove the table. (One 1.25" nut)

2. Remove the table elevation rack so it doesn't get damaged. (Raise rack gearbox, remove rack, lower gearbox.)

3. Lower the head gradually all the was down. Move the support collar just a few inches at a time. It's very heavy and you don't want it to come down too fast.

4. Two of us were able to slide it across the garage floor and then push/pull it up a long ramp into his cargo trailer. (a long ramp was essential and saved us a ton of time because Plan B would have been disassembly). You should haul these upright if at all possible.

Thank you...this is exactly what I was looking for!!

 

[bigmaq]

It is VERY heavy (300-400 lbs, depending on specific model), and requires two people to get in to and in your truck, SUV, or trailer. Bring PB Blaster and some wrenches, gloves, and a moving blanket.

 

[liliysdad]

Got it moved, by myself. It wasn't horribly difficult.

I raised the table, removed the rack, then lowered the table as low as it would go. I then removed the motor from the head, and leap-frog lowered the head as low as it would go.

With the motor removed, and the center of gravity greatly lowered, I used an appliance dolly to load it on my trailer. So far, reassembling it has been more work than disassembly and loading.

I will get photos up shortly.

 

[Packard V8]

Got it moved, by myself. It wasn't horribly difficult.

X2, it's just a medium-large DP, not a grand piano. I moved mine by myself and I'm an old guy. Congrats on gitten' er done.

jack vines

 

[liliysdad]

Got a few photos;

Collapsed for transport



In its new home, all together







I don't know the age, there is no serial tag on the machine. The lady I bought it from told me her husband worked as a QC Inspector in the Ford plant in Cleveland in the 60s. She told me that he bought the press from the plant. She couldn't remember what year that was, but they moved from Ohio to Oklahoma in 1971, and they brought it with them. She told me that to her knowledge, he never even plugged it in once they go to Oklahoma.

Its in very good shape. The table has a small arc of shame, which I have already filled with QuickSteel. I had the light already, and it matched the Delta Grey perfectly. Casting numbers indicate its a DP-600. This one should last me a lifetime.

 

[lafester]

Thats pretty nice. If it had the serial number you could date it.
You have the original badge on the machine but the later 17 badge on the cover.
The cover was probably added later to replace the cast iron version.
I think that is a mid to late 40s era machine.

The motor may have a date code on it as well.

 

[liliysdad]

That explains why I couldn't find any photos of machines with similar badging. Thank you.

 

[Davefr]

Nice machine. I see it has the optional head raising mechanism. Have you thought about going 3 phase + VFD?

 

[y'sguy]

That really a nice machine. Your profile doesn't show where you are located? But I wondered from what you wrote if you are in Okla? Just curious, I'd love to have a DP like that one but don't see an opportunity much.

 

[liliysdad]

Nice machine. I see it has the optional head raising mechanism. Have you thought about going 3 phase + VFD?

I really haven't. For what I use a drill press for, this should be fine as is...but I am not wholly opposed.

That really a nice machine. Your profile doesn't show where you are located? But I wondered from what you wrote if you are in Okla? Just curious, I'd love to have a DP like that one but don't see an opportunity much.

I am in southern OK, about an hour south of Oklahoma City. I quite literally just happened across this one, it wasn't even for sale.

 

[Packard V8]

Good find. The head raising setup is very rare. Overall, very good condition and with the original Delta motor.

jack vines

 

[liliysdad]

The head raising rack makes dropping the head to move it much much easier. I wasn't even aware that it wasn't a regular feature.

In what scenario would the ability to raise and lower the head be useful? Parts too big to fit on the table?

 

[lafester]

They are mostly found on machines that have a fixed table height.

I think the parts are the same for the table or head so not really all that rare, just nobody needs both. You could probably sell the parts and make back most of your investment.

 

[liliysdad]

Thank you very much for all the info. Having something like this with some history is pretty neat.

 

[Whitworth]

The head raising rack makes dropping the head to move it much much easier. I wasn't even aware that it wasn't a regular feature.

In what scenario would the ability to raise and lower the head be useful? Parts too big to fit on the table?

Head raising hardware is standard on production table setups. You typically don't need both on a stand-alone drill press. The hardware is the same parts/part numbers, so assembling a raising mechanism for the head is easy.

 

[gnpenning]

Nice score. Looks to be in great shape