Have a chance to purchase Lathe - need advice

[jareese]

I have a chance to purchase a PM1440BV +DRO with a Bison 4 jaw chuck, original 3&4 jaw chuck, supposedly purchased in 2016, asking price is 9k.
New machine, not counting shipping or any other options other than the 4 jaw chuck, they are around 8300. Add 500 shipping, lift gate, inside garage delivery your up to about 9k right there, with a 1 year warranty.

How many of you think, if this is what you're looking for, that this is an OK deal if everything checks out with runout, Ways looking good, overall machine health is good, etc. Seller (not here) states it hasn't been run hard, and newer good quality spindle bearings added a couple years ago....

What say the masses? Should I spend a bit more for a new machine or go get this one?

I HAVE been looking at this lathe new from PM...

 

[matthewsx]

Negotiate….

Warranty means something. So does sales tax.

Get a serial number and check it out with PM. Why is the seller selling it? Might be more to the story, or it might be totally legit.

John

 

[davidpbest]

That lathe is manufactured in Mainland China, and if you're looking for high quality and precision, I would encourage you to think more seriously about a lathe made in Taiwan. Personal preference for sure. You might also look at a 1440E from Eisen for comparison. $9K sounds ~15-20% high to me for a lightly used 1440BV.

 

[Larry$]

I would go for a new one from Quality tools (PM) for the warrantee. For a 2016 machine take $2K off the new price and you will be close to what that machine cost him new. Don't give more! I bought my PM1440HD new in 2016 it came with stuff as standard that is now optional on similar lathes. And the prices are now about $2500 higher for a similar machine. Does it have the steady & travel rests, drill chuck, dead & live centers, MT spindle bushing, tool holders., face plate, operator and parts manuals, optional taper attachment?
A Taiwan machine is worth more $ also.

 

[jareese]

I would go for a new one from Quality tools (PM) for the warrantee. For a 2016 machine take $2K off the new price and you will be close to what that machine cost him new. Don't give more! I bought my PM1440HD new in 2016 it came with stuff as standard that is now optional on similar lathes. And the prices are now about $2500 higher for a similar machine. Does it have the steady & travel rests, drill chuck, dead & live centers, MT spindle bushing, tool holders., face plate, operator and parts manuals, optional taper attachment?
A Taiwan machine is worth more $ also.

Here is the ad:

Excellent condition Precision Matthews PM 1440BV lathe with 2" spindle bore , DRO and 220v VFD drive.
Main spindle bearings were upgraded to a set of $700 FAG bearings about 2 years ago.
Includes a $1k Bison 4 jaw chuck as well as the factory new 4 jaw and 3 jaw chucks.
I don't ever remember using the steady or follow rests nor the micro carriage stop either.
I've never used a knurling tool on this machine nor have I parted off any steel, just aluminum for custom pillars for bedding.
The factory brake and sump/coolant system were removed but they are included and can be user reinstalled if you want to.
Machine is currently still being used and under power.
Machine was purchased new in 2016.

 

[Winegrower]

I can’t understand why a lathe made in 2016 would need new spindle bearings 4 years later. This to me condemns the whole idea of buying either the new or used version.

 

[jareese]

I can’t understand why a lathe made in 2016 would need new spindle bearings 4 years later. This to me condemns the whole idea of buying either the new or used version.

Yeah, I was wondering the same... I don't know much about lathes, but I've done my fair share of auto repair and replacing bearings in short periods typically means rough treatment or bad components.

 

[jareese]

Ok, so I asked the guy and was told that he replaced the spindle bearings because he didn't like the Runout of the original bearings. He has 2 other lathes, one of which is a 1440GT.

He has also sweetened the pot a bit with some extra components that would cost me close to 1200 new. So I'm planning on driving down and taking a look at it in person.

Thanks everyone.

 

[ivel03]

The spindle bearing replacement could be a red herring - a read many forum posts saying that the spindle bearings that come with the lathe are junk and should be replaced immediately. Maybe they were and it was just out of warranty? Did it help with the run out?

Overall if it was me i'd go look at it and if interested offer a bit lower or get a bit more thrown in. There's a lot to like about this situation - you can run it and test it out as it's powered up, he has some other lathes so he likely has some idea how to run one and has tools to verify the run out, etc. Why is he selling this one and keeping the others? If this is your first lathe get some tooling thrown in as that will add up quickly!

With the shortages of most goods people are asking big money for things as you can't get new plus inflation pricing. Does PM actually have any in stock? The delivery times are still dated summer 2022....

Good luck - and post some pics if you end up with it.

 

[jareese]

The spindle bearing replacement could be a red herring - a read many forum posts saying that the spindle bearings that come with the lathe are junk and should be replaced immediately. Maybe they were and it was just out of warranty? Did it help with the run out?

Overall if it was me i'd go look at it and if interested offer a bit lower or get a bit more thrown in. There's a lot to like about this situation - you can run it and test it out as it's powered up, he has some other lathes so he likely has some idea how to run one and has tools to verify the run out, etc. Why is he selling this one and keeping the others? If this is your first lathe get some tooling thrown in as that will add up quickly!

With the shortages of most goods people are asking big money for things as you can't get new plus inflation pricing. Does PM actually have any in stock? The delivery times are still dated summer 2022....

Good luck - and post some pics if you end up with it.

He "says" the runout is ~0.0003 with the new bearings, replaced because he didn't like the OEM bearing runout. He has 3 lathes, a PM1440GT, this one and another, he only needs/wants 2 so he's selling the less expensive of the 3. Makes sense.
He has thrown in some things that would increase my new parts purchase cost to ~$1200 just for these items.

I'll be heading down next week to see it.
The space I have for it is nowhere near ready, so it will be sitting in storage oiled heavily and covered with an old sheet or two.

*Edited to correct measurements.