Milling about

[niget2002]

This is following me home in the near future.

A friend of mine is cleaning room out of his shop and doesn't use it as much as he thought he would. The price is good.

I need to order a gantry for getting it off my trailer and moved in to place. I know you're not supposed to move a gantry when it's loaded, but can you still roll something along the rail? My thought is to move the gantry so the mill is on one side, lift and roll the mill the length of it, then set it down and reposition the gantry for the next move.

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[That Guy Scott]

I just had a Bridgeport project follow me home. I moved it with a pallet jack. Use your crane to get it off the trailer and place it on a pallet of sorts. I made one out of 1/4” square steel tube I had. Move it around and then lift it off. I had a tilt trailer with a winch and rolled mine off.

 

[Snip]

If concerned about moving the gantry, another option would be to build a sturdy pallet to go under it and use the gantry to lift it, set it on the pallet. You could rent or buy(craigslist, you may end up keeping it, handy to have) a pallet jack to move it as much as you want. You would use the gantry to lift it off the pallet and place it at its final resting place.

 

[matt_i]

There's nothing wrong with rolling the gantry loaded.

Assuming you have proper casters, the load is centered, the load is ~3/4" off the ground and not 8 feet high, the floor is level and swept and you don't try to hit 4mph.

If you have to cross thru (under!) doorways where the header is not tall enough for the gantry, the pallet jack will cover this distance as others stated above.

 

[gorilla]

IMHO the best way to move a Bridgeport type mill is by forklift under the dovetail ram. The base of that type of mill loves to slide on forks or pallet jacks. The other option is to have a tow truck unload it from your trailer with some slings under the ram. If you need to buy a gantry you might be able to rent a forklift for about the same money. I've moved at least 50 Bridgeport's from across the shop to all the way across our 50 acre plant so I'm speaking with some experience.

 

[niget2002]

The gantry has been on the shop wish list for a while. I only need to move it from under the carport to just inside the garage door. My shop was built with no lip going into it and only a short incline up into it.

I never knew gantries weren't supposed to be moved loaded until I really started shopping for one today.

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[nadogail]

IMHO, Machinery Skates might be an option.

 

[RoninB4]

+1 on the machine skates and a hydraulic toe-jack. You can make both if so inclined and have a welder. The skates will allow you to move machinery in places where the gantry won't fit. I move my 5,000 lb. jig borer with them by myself and the BP is even easier. Skates come in handy for the yearly cleaning under the machinery too.

 

[dutchgray]

Easy to move a Bridgeport with a few bits of pipe and a large pry bar as well.
How ever you move it, take it slow, think about what you are doing and keep it as low to the ground as you can.

 

[bczygan]

Moved mine with black iron pipes and a pry bar.

Just got a Johnson bar. Will make some skates.

Bill

 

[niget2002]

+1 on the machine skates and a hydraulic toe-jack. You can make both if so inclined and have a welder. The skates will allow you to move machinery in places where the gantry won't fit. I move my 5,000 lb. jig borer with them by myself and the BP is even easier. Skates come in handy for the yearly cleaning under the machinery too.

Easy to move a Bridgeport with a few bits of pipe and a large pry bar as well.
How ever you move it, take it slow, think about what you are doing and keep it as low to the ground as you can.

Moved mine with black iron pipes and a pry bar.

Just got a Johnson bar. Will make some skates.

Bill

My friend moved it in to place using black pipe and a crowbar. I've considered this method as well, but I still need the gantry to get it off of the trailer at my house. I could hook the hoist to the rafter at the top of the shop, but it's way way up there

I agree that whatever method we end up going with, it will be very slow.

 

[RoninB4]

A gantry crane may be the safest route. When I moved my shop I built a gantry from 4x4's and 2x6's for about $100 and used a chain hoist to unload the mill, lathe, surface grinder, and surface plate off the trailer by myself. I also recommend using a low-boy/drop-deck trailer ($50 at rental yard) for this so deck height to the ground is much less than a regular trailer. Skates or pipes is optional. The gantry can be either disassembled or folded up for storage. Swing the mill head upside down with wood between head and table for lower center of gravity. Good luck.

 

[bczygan]

I also rented hydraulic drop deck trailers to get all the big heavy machines home. So I could just roll them out at ground level.

Bill

 

[MushCreek]

I had a 2 ton gantry, and moved it with a load all the time. In fact, that's why I had one! Keep the load a couple inches off of the ground- Where's it gonna go?

I move all my machines with an engine hoist (cherry picker). I undo the four bolts on the ram turret, and lift the ram and head off. Set it on the truck/trailer. I lower the table all the way down, and all the way in. I put a sling down under the knee, and pick it up with the hoist. Set it in place, then use the hoist to set the head/ram/turret assembly back on. With the machine taken apart that way, it's a lot lighter and less top-heavy for transport. Whenever I move a machine (by any means) I keep it very close to the floor except when putting it on the trailer.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Call a local wrecker, they will get it off your trailer for as little as $75. The boom might even be able to reach a ways into your garage.

Set it on the concrete, use a big crowbar to slide some lengths of black pipe under it, spin it and roll it where you want it take the pipe out from under.

Done it a few time. It's easier than you think. Just go slow and easy, and cross any seams in the concrete at an angle.

Lots of Youtube videos of the process.

 

[rsanter]

When moving that, you want to lower the knee as far as it will go and then turn the head sideways or upside down to lower the center of gravity.

Most of those have a threaded hole on the top of ram for a lifting loop, otherwise you place straps under the ram.

Use the gantry to pick it up and them pull the trailer out from under it, then lower to the ground.
Moving the trolley from side to side with a load on it is no issue with a gantry, moving the gantry along the ground can be sketchy depending on the load and the dimensions. If you do this I would go very slow and have the mill no more than an inch off the ground.

Machine skates are great but expensive, I have moved many machines with 3 floor jacks under them acting as machine skates. Ideally you have 3-4 people to do this and go slow.

I have built a roller base for my B-port and love it. Very easy to move, very convienent

 

[landlord30]

I have built a roller base for my B-port and love it. Very easy to move, very convienent

Can we see a picture?

 

[lxrubin]

I did what MushCreek suggested. Used a cherry picker and took it off in pieces. It gave me an opportunity to do a thorough inspection and clean up all the ways. It comes apart pretty easily.

 

[Zaxxn]

I did what MushCreek suggested. Used a cherry picker and took it off in pieces. It gave me an opportunity to do a thorough inspection and clean up all the ways. It comes apart pretty easily.

Did the same thing a little while ago. Moved everything in pieces (head w/ram, table, knee, base) with a cherry picker around the shop and re-assembled with said cherry picker as well. Worked like a charm and I got to know my new to me mill quite well in the process.

--Zax

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

IMHO the best way to move a Bridgeport type mill is by forklift under the dovetail ram. The base of that type of mill loves to slide on forks or pallet jacks. The other option is to have a tow truck unload it from your trailer with some slings under the ram. If you need to buy a gantry you might be able to rent a forklift for about the same money. I've moved at least 50 Bridgeport's from across the shop to all the way across our 50 acre plant so I'm speaking with some experience.

There's a tapped hole in the ram for an eye bolt. It's there for moving a Bridgeport around. I've moved many, so I'm speaking from experience also. Moved them short distances with a heavy duty cherry picker, (we have a shop built, 3000# electric/manual cherry picker) longer distances with a forklift. No worries about dinging the dovetail with the forklift forks.

 

[gorilla]

There's a tapped hole in the ram for an eye bolt. It's there for moving a Bridgeport around. I've moved many, so I'm speaking from experience also. Moved them short distances with a heavy duty cherry picker, (we have a shop built, 3000# electric/manual cherry picker) longer distances with a forklift. No worries about dinging the dovetail with the forklift forks.

I agree that's the best way but I've never had enough headroom for the forklift rack to do it that way. We put UHMW on the forks to protect the ram and strapped the mill to the rack to keep it from moving.

 

[bad_idea]

Moved mine with an engine hoist, crow bar, and 1/2" round stock. Hoist to get the pieces out of the truck and assembled. Then rolled it around the shop on round stock and a pry bar to coerce it as needed.

 

[justanengineer]

I just use a couple pieces of scrap 1” black steel pipe to roll mine, even my wife can push it around easily. Add a come-along and you can go up and down trailer ramps easily.


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[Darinfred]

I agree with the forklift. Precarious!

 

[matt_i]

I agree that's the best way but I've never had enough headroom for the forklift rack to do it that way. We put UHMW on the forks to protect the ram and strapped the mill to the rack to keep it from moving.

UHMW = super slippery !?!?!?!

Use standard wood, good old 2x4s are perfect, or scrap conveyor belting pieces to build friction between the forks and machine frames or bases.

 

[MushCreek]

In an industrial setting, we always moved them with a forklift under the ram, padded with blocks of wood. Simple and safe if you have room next to the mill for a forklift. With the engine hoist, I can stick it in a corner. You can adjust the location and angle with a Johnson bar. I recently had to move mine out about 6" from the wall, and just used a big crowbar. Lift and pivot, first one side, than the other.