moving a 1250kg bridgeport clone

Certainly you should be able to remove the head without removing the motor and still have the head stay upright; here the slings are through the belt access slots. I needed to move my J1 head Bridgport accross the workshop and fit a riser block recently. needed to get the weight down to 1 tonne as that's all the workshop crane setup is good for.

This is it built back up, quite a bit more weight there with all the bits and bobs.

The other  thing you can do to reduce weight is remove the ram assembly complete - removing the four bolts which allow you to slew the head/ram assembly will allow you to lift it off with an engine crane or similar. You could still lift the rest of the machine if you put an angle iron  bar accross the base unit and pick up using two opposite 1/2" x 13 bolts through onto the cruciform that the head normally bolts to.

Edited By Stueeee on 21/09/2023 15:42:41

Wow great workshop stue!

Carl, Good words of advice here, but as it's been said, don't rush the job, slowly and surely.... I agree , loose all the weight you can, I used to photo it all, mark the bolts with tippex ect , rather than leaving to memory! Yes not sure what the Luton vans tail lift is rated, it's what we used years back, some are only 500 kg, the old mother's pride wagon , was 1000kg! Since the old mill we moved was heavy, we used a pallet truck and the mill was bolted to it, just skimming the ground...and wedged so no lateral movement. Since the Tail lift was low rated we used the engine hoist in conjunction with the tail lift IE pulling the tail lift up then the , power the lift catching up.!bit by bit.. Then when level it's the pull in , which is where a which would be a big help...

I would check you can lift your mill carcase high enough, due to the slings sag ect, if you go the lift high route, if you have long ramps or wood beams ( preferably bolted and spaced) could you not winch (mounted in the dolly,) it up the incline on to the hire dolly? Sheet metal underneath would loose the friction on the beams...whatever you do, good luck!

Vic

Ok then with that variable speed head I don't have any experience with them. I do know your not supposed to make any speed changes with the motor running so be careful of that Carl. Obviously there has to be a way to replace the belts on the variable speed models. I just don't know how time consuming or complex that might be.

How did you get on with the move? This caught my eye because I bought a Warco as a bridge wouldn't fit down the side of the house but couldn't get on with it, especially after it was pointed out to me that a bridge would fit if head and turret were removed and table so that's what I did with a crane lift from Durley to work then jcb loader to my house, pallet truck and engine hoist.

my B/P on a frame/chassis so that I can move it around carefully with a pallet truck........

allong with all my other machines......

my wood saw weigh\s 2 tons and thats stays wherever it's put.....lol...

no idea now on how to post a photo anymore.......it's been a while....

Pete

Belt change on the varispeed Bridgeport and clone heads is basically motor off, top cover off, change belt and re-assemble. Not that difficult if you have the book to follow and the head at a convenient height to work on.

Which is where the R8, or collet grippable size, post on the table and a support frame for the motor end make life so much easier. Even with the table right down I found the Bridgeport motor was high enough that standing on a hop-up, or equivalent portable step, made the lift'n tilt a bit movements needed to remove it much easier. When it comes to hefty stuff I'm a great fan of working at "cuddleble" heights if you see what I mean.

On a Bridgeport you need to know the method for compressing the spring on the motor end of the varispeed so the pulleys can be separated leaving room to shift the motor. The right way is easy and safe. The unorthodox alternatives not so much. On the Bridgeport it's important to verify that the screws holding the key in place are properly tight. They can work loose and fall out leading to seriously expensive sounding noises.

Clive

It went well.

Thank god I had a very handy mate with me.

It's in my garage in pieces now and the hire van has been returned. I'll post more details tomorrow, it's been a long day!

Thanks for the details about how the belt / motor comes off on the variable speed machines Clive. Overall it sounds not much more involved that what my belt change model is. And that "cuddeble" mode is how I get my head on or off the table. Heavy but manageable if you wrap your arms around it and get the weight in close to your own center of gravity.

Little vid showing the machine in pieces and all the tooling and stuff that I picked up with it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EACbTmvLdnQ

Edited By Carl Farrington on 24/09/2023 17:12:55

well done, moving all that stuff looks a hard day's work from all the stuff in your youtube vid. But well worth it for the price you got it for.

Thanks very much!

Do they all have centrifugal slipper-clutch type handles on the table? I thought they were broken at first.

Knee is back on. Managed it ok by myself with engine hoist and load-leveller. Feeling positive.