Move 3800-Pound Lathe in Penske Truck?

The lathe is home, along with the mill and compressor. I probably saved over $20,000 compared to giving up and buying new machines, so I will try to focus on that incredible bargain instead of thinking of the new surface grinder or European vacation I could have spent the money on.

I got a genius tip from one of the riggers. Loading and unloading are very expensive. Even if you rent a forklift, you will pay close to a grand for a job like this, and riggers will charge nearly $4K. You can avoid this by buying a trailer mounted on air bags. They are not cheap, but then look what I paid.

These things have platforms that drop down so low they're a little over an inch higher than the ground. You can put a lathe on skates and push it onto the platform. Forget about the forklift.

Trailer Video
 
glad you got it done safely. Sounds like you went with the recommendation of a drop deck trailer which a bunch of people recommended at the start of the thread.
 
I'd sell the lathe and buy another one when I got moved in if I had to pay 7k.
What is your lathe worth? If it's old you sold it for only 2k-4k (They move it), you could buy (New?) and have delivered a 9k-11k lathe on the other end.
 
Well, the new lathe would cost $15K plus shipping, and the mill would be over $10K with shipping.
 
Chips O'Toole said:
Well, the new lathe would cost $15K plus shipping, and the mill would be over $10K with shipping.
Click to expand...
Don't know how it happened, but I posted way out of turn. I'm a buck short and a few posts too late. lol
 
I feel pretty blessed when I look at what these tools cost now. I bought mine new in 2009 and 2012 for $5100 and $12000. Can't touch them for that now.
 
So you took the drop trailer advice , best way ever to move machinery . I moved a full size Bridgeport in my 3/4 ton 4x4 in 1976 . By myself it can be done safely if you use your head. Good straps or chains n binders . Even lumber to block movement screwed together and to the deck if wood. Glad your done , why I wrote I just felt your frustration. Now you can move anything .
 
Just a 'late-to-the-party' note here.
United Van Lines moved me down here from Northern IL back in 2000, I let the coordinator in HR know, I made sure that the UVL company (Franchise?) know that I had over 20,000lbs worth of shop equipment + a '73 Mustang.
They bumbled it all up. Quite a bit of damage by the time the equipment was in my new place.
The first crew they sent out were a Husband/Wife team... er, um, not right.
The contract was for a complete move. I was not available to pack & box anything. It was suppose to be door to door - everything.
Second crew was two trucks and a crew of six guys. Had my father overseeing the move.
They loaded everything 'loose', by that I mean they loaded in the trailer and tossed furniture pads on stuff and then wedged with those adjustable poles.
Nothing strapped down.
Then it went to their storage facility down here for a month while I was waiting for the house.
Then they delivered. Same thing. Nothing strapped down when they arrived.
Had a crew that did not know a piece a machinery from their arses.
Heck even the semi they had come out couldn't make it up the grade to the subdivision. Highway truck for 'In-Town' service.
When I inspected it on the truck and took pictures (which made them uncomfortable) there was already damage.
Then they messed up even further moving equipment down the hill into the basement. No fork truck - all muscle.
I wish I could find the pictures of that fiasco.
They mangled all the controls on the mill. Lathe handles broken, jigsaw mangled, boxes of tooling broken open, etc.
So a double thumbs-down for UVL out of the Tri-Cites in East TN.
No one ever owned up to the damage and I just didn't have the time to fight it while working 60-70hrs per week on a new project.
That being said, a fellow engineer coming from the West Coast was moved by UVL as well.
His shop was all crated up and handled by fork truck.
Even his tool chests and work benches were in crates. -perfect. Guess it depends on the 'branch'.

*GADS* moving is such a PITA.
 
Dabbler, don't put the eyebolts through the side of the container. They will probably pull through. Drill through the floor at a cross-member or use the anchor points already in the container.

I've been selling containers for over ten years. I very familiar with them.
 
@vocatexas I'm familiar. new anchor points need significant reinforcement. (I'd buy the container so I can modify it) Inside and outside plates. My experience with the internal tie downs is not positive. The ones I've seen were rated at 500 lbs each. not adequate.

In detail, straddle 3 pillars with 8" X 8" 1/4" plates on both sides with filler blocks in the wider troughs and a 5/8 forged eye through the centre. Oh and four 1/2" corner bolts to finish the sandwich. My calcs show 1800 lbs tensile strength at 90 degrees. This is needed as the load has to be able to sustain a 20 degree inclination for loading and unloading. I would need 4 of these: Two for each of the big machines.

Dale Derry braced the bases of his machines by screwing wood around all the bases, which is a nice precaution.
 
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