Getting the new knee mill off the pallet

PCMaker, in your original post you noted "they'll wheel the crate" into your garage. How? Will they use a pallet jack? If so, you'll almost definitely need to buzz off the top of the crate. I would think doing that will buy you at least three or four inches. Likely not necessary, but you may want to have a ratchet strap handy to gird around the crate after you remove the top. As Barncat suggested, hopefully the driver will be kind enough to wait and let you do that. The upside of him using a pallet jack would be (if he's willing), he can transport it to as close as possible to its final resting place (assuming that's in your garage).

In a perfect world, driveways have a slight downward slope and/or a lip away from the garage to direct rain water. That may operate against you if he's using a pallet jack (maybe not). But if he backs up to the garage and unloads straight from the liftgate, that may operate in your favor (again, maybe not).

Challenges, challenges.

Regards
 
@Pcmaker I've taken mills off of pallets a bunch of times, using a variety of equipment. My biggest mill (3800lbs) came on 2 stacked pallets!

By far the safest and least complicated method is to buy a 2 ton gantry crane and lift it vertically. You need to be careful about your lifting points. Please do NOT lift your mill by the ram: the dovetails and the X clamp are not sized to take the entire mill weight - even if some people get away with it.

The way I get mills off of pallets is a tedious process (that is very cheap) by using a pry bar, blocking, and eventually steel bars to lift it off of the pallet. If you choose to do this, be aware that the mill is very top-heavy, and can tip if you get it off vertical by too much...

Keep safe, and always have an exit path, even when using commercial lifting equipment! (boy do I sound like a safety troll!)
you might be interested in my moving machines thread:
www.hobby-machinist.com

Moving big equipment out of a basement...

Last year I bought most of the machines from a guy's basement machine shop. I also agreed to clear his basement of all machines, by taking them up the stairs. I thought I'd post a few highlights of that move, and answer questions about moving heavy equipment... These are the machines I moved...
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com
 
Can you move gantry cranes once loaded or are they supposed to stay stationary once they are loaded.
 
ddickey said:
Can you move gantry cranes once loaded or are they supposed to stay stationary once they are loaded.
Click to expand...

great question! Most of the time, on most gantry cranes, no. Especially on this type of gantry crane, absolutely not:

cheap-gantry.jpg

the above type is just too fragile to cope with a swinging load. AND it will tip over. I've seen it done!

however with an A frame gantry, rated well above the load size, with the load almost touching the ground, it can be done safely. I've done it with this crane several times with 900-1000 lb loads. the crane is rated at 5 tons.

ModifiedGantryCrane-tiny.JPG
 
ddickey said:
Can you move gantry cranes once loaded or are they supposed to stay stationary once they are loaded.
Click to expand...
Most aren't meant to be moved. I have, but only if the load has been lowered to just a hair above the ground.
 
Ah yes, big difference there.
 
I too have to lift a 3200 lb mill off a pallet sometime before the first of the year.
 
Contact the commander of your local National Guard "Combat Engineer Unit", or alternately "Heavy Engineer Unit" (face to face is the best). Offer a Pizza party for a Company Sized Element upon completion of the "training exercise". Those guys have the lift equipment, as well as the know how to move really big and heavy stuff. My old Combat Engineer unit (in Oklahoma), would build custom gantries from timber, hoist and move "Humvees" just for ****s and giggles. Light the fuse, stand back, and watch their smoke. They have equipment which looks similar to a fork lift (tractor wheeled SEE), which is actually more capable than a fork lift. The 878th out of Georgia comes to mind, those guys like to play hard.
 
I emailed PM and asked them if they could maybe make the crate a little bit shorter.

Also, maybe I'm better off hiring a rigger to do the job. I don't know how much they usually charge, but hopefully it's cheaper than buying all this ptactically one-time use equipment just to unpack the mill.
 
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