3x6' platen

[waltmcq]

A friend was telling me about a couple 3x6' platen table tops at the place he works. It' a 2 hour drive to get there so we've been talking back and forth about the price and actual weight. So today I was in the neighborhood and stopped. They are in great shape but the thing is when we weighed them thinking maybe 1000 lbs turned out to be 1900 lbs a piece.

I was thinking at a 1000lbs I could build the table so it could move around on wheels but I don't know how I could push 1900lbs no matter how good the wheels are.

I don't need them at this time in my life but they are dirt cheap, what would you do?

 

[PAToyota]

Hmmm... You don't say? Wouldn't happen to look something like this, would it?

 

[waltmcq]

no more like this. but it's just the top that is at least 6" thick

 

[Stick]

I'd snag it depending on how cheap is "dirt cheap". We've got a 5x5 Acorn Platen at work, and it gets tons of use in the weld shop. I wouldn't think that it would be a big deal to get it onto a frame with some good casters underneath it, as my toolbox is ~1400 lbs empty and I can move it full of tools by myself. If nothing else, snag it just for resale down the line.

 

[Steve from Socal]

at 1900 pounds plus some frame work figure up to about 3000 total weight. With some good casters that is very movable(on flat ground) it sounds worse than it actually is to push around.

That is a nice chunk it will make a great table and stuff like this once in a blue moon so grab it. Even if it has to sit for a while, you would regret not taking it.

Steve

PS this is a little under 5000 pounds 36x36x72

 

[Vinko]

Totally doable with good casters. I posted a photo of some 8" Albions, but you could do 10-12" and, balanced, it'd roll with little effort when you wanted it to.

I've got a platen that's about 6' x 14 and it's great.

 

[bgott]

How cheap is dirt cheap?

 

[vlpronj]

but I don't know how I could push 1900lbs no matter how good the wheels are.

Ever push a car? You can push some heavy weight if the wheels/bearings are good.

Just keep in mind you may have to one day move it onto a truck or something similar, if you move out of your current location.

 

[waltmcq]

dirt cheap is a couple hundred bucks each. Their at 2 available

 

[bimmer1980]

dont' even question getting them. Just make it happen. a new platen table like that is at least a couple of grand!!!

heck, you can always drop them off at my garage if you don't want them!!! I will put them to use!!!

 

[ZRX61]

Ever push a car? You can push some heavy weight if the wheels/bearings are good.

Once pushed my 6000lb F350 crewcab dually into my garage, took 2 attempts to get the front wheels over a small lip.. which then stopped the rear wheels... backed it up to the traling edge of the front tires & tried again.. took 3 tries to gets the rears over that ******** lip



Did I mention my drive slopes away from the garage so it was actually uphill?



Almost grew another pair of testicles by the time I was done...

 

[Iron-Iceberg]

For 2 bills. I would have 2 in my shop before you finnished typing.

 

[v7guy]

for that price I'd get a couple buddies to help me lug it to the basement to store. That's a lot of steel and a lot of table to pass by if you have the spare coin.
If nothing else you could make a good chunk by holding it and waiting for a buyer.

Don't know where PT is, but if it's anywhere close to NYC let a brother know. lol

 

[waltmcq]

Well, I finally bought these. I sold one right away for the price of both.
So now I have to build a stand for it. What I need to know is when I buy the casters do I need to get them rated for the full 1900 lbs or can I buy ones rated for 1000 lbs.

 

[ddawg16]

Glad you made the RIGHT decision....if it was close to me, I would have jumped on it as well.

Depending on how you attach the legs....as long as each caster can carry at least 30-50% of the total weight...you should be more than fine. The problem with going to 25% is that as you move it, unless the floor is perfectly flat, at some point, one caster is going to be carrying a lot more weight than the others.

 

[bimmer1980]

you definitely want some good casters. I would look for a caster that is rated for at least 750 to 1000 per caster. You also want to make sure you get a caster that is cast iron or steel. Skip the rubber or urethane coated casters. As the soft rubber compresses, it makes the caster really tough to move.

For temporary storage of my lathe (it's about 2400 pounds) I have it on two dolly that each have four casters rated at 700 each. it is still a struggle to move it. once it is moving, it works ok. But it does take some effort to move and to stop. four of the casters are 4" and the other 4 are 5" diameter.

Can you post some pics of your fine purchase???

 

[waltmcq]

you definitely want some good casters. I would look for a caster that is rated for at least 750 to 1000 per caster. You also want to make sure you get a caster that is cast iron or steel. Skip the rubber or urethane coated casters. As the soft rubber compresses, it makes the caster really tough to move.

For temporary storage of my lathe (it's about 2400 pounds) I have it on two dolly that each have four casters rated at 700 each. it is still a struggle to move it. once it is moving, it works ok. But it does take some effort to move and to stop. four of the casters are 4" and the other 4 are 5" diameter.

Can you post some pics of your fine purchase???

That make sense on the coated wheels. I don't have a photo yet because the guy that bought the other one is also going to have them shipped over. But as soon as it shows I'll get a few pics.

 

[blazemaster83]

I've always wondered about air filled casters. Ive seen some large 12" or so that are rated for well over what your looking for. I imagine they would be alot easier to move than a steel caster, or a smaller urethane caster as well. Price might be an issue though...

 

[Steevo]

Wow! The last one of these I saw come up for sale in my state went for $1500

 

[waltmcq]

it's getting closer. It got delievered to town today. I need to get busy building a stand so my friend can get it up to the shop.

 

[metal1313]

another option is to build the frame with lift points down low for use with a pallet jack. i use one all day moving things from a few hundred to few more than the jack is rated for. that way you can move it when you need to, but you dont have to worry about the wheels under load.

 

[MN4x4]

^^^^ I vote for this. With either casters or wheels, if it's easy enough to move when you want it to, it's also easy to move when you DON'T want it to.

 

[waltmcq]

Well, it's finally at it's new home.

I didn't put and wheels on it but I should be able move it ok when I need to

 

[Brinskan]

Looks great!