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Transporting a Beaver Model A mill

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MAC31/01/2012 20:40:16
68 forum posts
Hello all.
 
I'll soon be moving a mill (Beaver Model A) - which weighs in around 500kg.
 
When I got my lathe I hired a luton van with a tail lift - apart from it being horribly underpowered on the motorway, it drank fuel like it was going out of fashion. I'll be doing a 700+ mile round trip, so fuel it a consideration.....as is safety.
 
I was just wondering if anyone is familiar with this mill - and if so, is it possible to readily break the machine down into components that could be easily lifted into a typical van (ie. SWB Transit or similar....or possibly even a smaller van).
 
Regards,
 
Mike.
John Stevenson31/01/2012 20:45:43
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mIKE,
I HAVE MOVED ABOUT 9 BRIDGEPORTS NOW, Tthis was before I got a new keyboard,
 
All except two were moved on my own, all were stripped with a standard machine mart 1 tonne folding crane and the 6 big lumps transported in a Peugeot boxer van, same size as a transit.
 
Never moved a Beaver model A but they are all of the same ilk.
 
John S.
David Clark 131/01/2012 20:57:19
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3357 forum posts
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Hi John
What on earth has a keyboard got to do with moving machines?
regards David
 
Steve Garnett31/01/2012 21:38:19
837 forum posts
27 photos
It looks from the pictures of it that the head on a Model A would be relatively easy to detach if you needed to. It's the later Beavers that are the same size as a Bridgeport - the A is a smaller (and by the looks of it altogether more desirable in a home workshop) machine.
 
You have to be careful with the larger Beavers - definitely take the heads off before moving them at all. We moved one across a workshop on rollers a couple of years ago, and it really seemed quite unstable when we shifted it.
Springbok31/01/2012 23:36:53
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879 forum posts
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David,
That is what I thought what on earth has a keyboard got to do with moveing a large lump of machinery, I used grandsons, sons, and a prospective future husband of my granddaughter. It was/is a Chester 626 and it was stripped to as many bits as we could do. Also gave me the opportunity to give it a very good clean (was long overdue)
 
Bob
John Stevenson31/01/2012 23:45:27
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5068 forum posts
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Anything that goes wrong on this computer or in the workshop gets blamed on that hight tensile licorice POS called a Bridgeport.
 
Bloody American mill / drill.
 
John S.
Gray6231/01/2012 23:52:18
1058 forum posts
16 photos
Moved my Ajax AJT4 without dismantling, 2 men 1 trailer, 1 4x4 pickup a winch and some Egyptian rollers - oh and a couple of bum puckering moments, but with a little care it can be done. In hindsight, I would probably remove the head and turret to make it a little less top heavy.
John Olsen01/02/2012 06:23:09
1294 forum posts
108 photos
1 articles
Well John, looks like you need another new keyboard, the caps lock is sticking
 
Mills want watching, being tall with a relatively small base they love to fall over. I saw a cautionary tale on the web once about two guys trying to get one off a trailer. They were sliding it down a couple of boards since they had no hoist or anything to hang one from. The handles were off to avoid damage to them. Naturally the mill fell off the ramp, and one of the spindles went through the calf of one of the guys, pinning him to the ground. So the other guy rushes madly around trying to get the machine up and off his mate...result, it slips again, resulting in another hole through his calf.
 
So there is quite a lot to be said for partially dismantling machines, especially if you can get them down to manageable components. Another idea is to construct a very solid base from heavy timbers and bolt the machine to it, so that you have a stable base that is smooth enough underneath to move the whole thing on rollers.
 
Be very wary of the dudes with forklifts, they have exagerated ideas of what they can do and will cheerfully bend the leadscrew of your lathe. You can do a lot of damage with a forklift very quickly. Getting machines on and off a trailer or truck usually requires some sort of hoist. Moving them about in the workshop is often best acheived in a very low tech way with steel rollers made from either good solid pipe or better, solid bar, which only needs to be about 1 to 2 inches diameter. For some machines you will need the above mentioned base, for others you may be able to just roll it all on the machines base....this works well with the bigger shapers. Since the machine is only an inch or two above the floor, there is not very far for it to fall.
 
Be very careful, crush injuries are very nasty. You don't want loads of people, they will just get in the way, but don't be alone either. Make sure everyone is very clear about what is to be attempted, and don't ever let anyone get under a suspended load
 
An engine hoist that will manage 1 tonne is quite cheap these days, and most of the machines we are likely to want to move either fall within this capacity, or can be taken down into sections that do.
 
regards
John
 
 
David Clark 101/02/2012 08:18:01
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3357 forum posts
112 photos
10 articles
Hi Springbok
I too stripped down a Chester 626.
This was brand new as it arrived on the pavement outside my house.
I had no other ay of moving it.
I managed to get it apart myself but my son had to help me carry the main column into the shed.
It was 6 months before I put it back together.
When we moved, I sold it so someone else could take it apart and put it back together.
regards David
Niloch01/02/2012 13:15:41
371 forum posts
Posted by John Olsen on 01/02/2012 06:23:09: Another idea is to construct a very solid base from heavy timbers and bolt the machine to it, so that you have a stable base that is smooth enough underneath to move the whole thing on rollers.
 
Hello Mac,
 
My solution was not unlike John Olsen's suggestion above. My machine was a Centec 2B, for all I know it might be a lot smaller than your Beaver Model A but the 'A' doesn't look that much bigger on Tony Griffiths' site.
 
The vendor agreed to have it put on a substantial pallet which he additionally surfaced with 18mm thick ply but more importantly also agreed to secure the 2B to the pallet using steel banding and bolts through the mounting points of the machine's cabinet. A pallet-line service brought it to my garage, (not to the pavement outside!), for the grand sum of £50 (can't remember whether that was inclusive of VAT). The journey was from Burton-upon-Trent to Hampshire.
 
For a few silly moments I contemplated making two trips to collect, getting there very early on the first day to dismantle. The fuel would have cost me more than the pallet-line type service.
 
I suppose it would be wise though to check on the typical lifting capacity of a tail-lift.
MAC01/02/2012 20:32:58
68 forum posts
Hi all - thanks for replies.........very helpful.

I'll let you know how I get on! I can also see a 3 phase inverter query coming along .
 
Regards,
 
Mike.
 
PS: Thanks - I often use Palletline, but I would be worried about it tipping up enroute......and also I want to go in person really to make sure I get everything I bought. But yes, for £50 it's a fantastic service and the drivers are always good blokes.

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