# Bought a lathe, any ideas on unloading from pickup bed ?



## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

Went out and bought a lathe, rented a truck.

The seller dropped it while moving with his hoist, and I don’t want to do the same. He ended up loading it with a tractor.

Now I need to figure out how to unload with only a HF engine hoist. And I’ve got a steep driveway.


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## John O (Jun 14, 2021)

Back truck into garage, lift lathe engine hoist from rear of truck, drive truck out, slowly lower lathe to ground


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## ttabbal (Jun 14, 2021)

And lift SLOWLY. Be ready to put it down and adjust the lift point, which will probably be very close to the headstock for balance. It might help to push the tailstock to the end of the bed and lock it to help balance it. I found lifting a couple of inches and pushing on both ends to test the balance helped make sure there are no surprises. I also found it helped to secure it so the straps and such can't move. Once it starts tipping, gravity tends to make the lift strap slide around. 

Having the arm on the hoist at the lower positions helps with control, but probably won't give you enough height to get it off the truck, but it's worth mentioning. 

I think your mill is missing a couple of parts there... might want to look into it.


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## Packard V8 (Jun 14, 2021)

John O said:


> Back truck into garage, lift lathe engine hoist from rear of truck, drive truck out, slowly lower lathe to ground


BTDT and trying to use that type hoist, when the boom was extended full length, it no longer had the lift capacity to pick my lathe.  That hoist is also unstable when the boom is extended to the max.  Your results may vary.

jack vines


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

Packard V8 said:


> BTDT and trying to use that type hoist, when the boom was extended full length, it no longer had the lift capacity to pick my lathe.  That hoist is also unstable when the boom is extended to the max.  Your results may vary.
> 
> jack vines


I agree, that hoist is OK for most of the stuff I work on (vintage Datsuns and VWs), but is unstable AF moving machine tools. 

I'm not sure if I should try to pull the tailgate or not. This new Chevy is just plain stupid, because there does not seem to be any easy way to pull the tailgate, it's got a dumb electronic lock, and no quick-disconnect for the electrics. My old 1979 Chevy, all you had to do is lift the tailgate half-way, flip the latches, and pops off in 30 seconds.


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## Lo-Fi (Jun 14, 2021)

Lift it with the hoist and drive the truck out from underneath it, then let the hoist down. 
A neat trick with the hoist on gradients is to lift the machine just off the floor, push it uphill as far as the straps will permit (longer straps help here), let it down, reposition and chock the hoist, raise, rinse and repeat. It's slow, but far safer than trying to roll it on the hoist.


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## FOMOGO (Jun 14, 2021)

Tie off to something in the garage with a chain or strap at the appropriate height, back truck in, attach strap to lathe and slowly pull the truck forward pulling the lathe to the edge of the tailgate to get good position for the crane. That's a fairly small lathe should be pretty straight forward. Mike


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## mickri (Jun 14, 2021)

Take the lathe apart.  That's what I did when I got my lathe.  I took everything off of the lathe until I was down to the head stock and bed.  All of the parts I took off went into the bed first.  Then the bed and head stock.  Last in was the stand.   When I got home I backed into my garage.  The stand came out first.  Then came the bed and head stock which I slid onto the stand.  The height of the stand was close enough to the height of the bed of my truck that I was able to move everything by hand.  Moved the stand with the bed and head stock into position in the garage with a HF furniture dolly.  Used a floor jack to lift the stand off of the dolly  Then reassembled the all the stuff I took off.


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## MikeInOr (Jun 14, 2021)

It looks like that lathe is going to be VERY top heavy so it is going to want to roll over when you have it in the air.  I would use the cherry picker on one end then man handle the tail end by hand.  Rig the straps around the head of the lathe to keep it from rolling over.  You really need 2 points of lifting to keep everything under control with a top heavy load.  Do you have any help?  Even if it is just to operate the cherry picker or drive the truck out from under the lathe?

Remove the tail stock to reduce the weight.  The carriage can be moved back and forth on the ways to help balance the load... but you really need to control the roll with the lifting straps.  With the carriage moved to the head of the lathe the cherry picker lifting the head of the lathe will lift the majority of the weight of the carriage and the tail of the lathe should be pretty lite.







Was there any damage when the lathe was dropped while loading?  Did the lathe roll when it was being lifted by the cherry picker while it was being loaded?


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

Lo-Fi said:


> Lift it with the hoist and drive the truck out from underneath it, then let the hoist down.
> A neat trick with the hoist on gradients is to lift the machine just off the floor, push it uphill as far as the straps will permit (longer straps help here), let it down, reposition and chock the hoist, raise, rinse and repeat. It's slow, but far safer than trying to roll it on the hoist.


That’s a great idea. Your idea just inspired a variation of it, where you can put the item on the ground, looses up the straps, push hoist uphill, wedge the hoist and lift, this should inch and drag the item uphill.


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## C-Bag (Jun 14, 2021)

FOMOGO said:


> Tie off to something in the garage with a chain or strap at the appropriate height, back truck in, attach strap to lathe and slowly pull the truck forward pulling the lathe to the edge of the tailgate to get good position for the crane. That's a fairly small lathe should be pretty straight forward. Mike


I would use this idea but with my come along so I can see directly what’s happening and have more control. Those bed liners can be tricky as things can break loose and slip faster than expected.  I don’t know about that truck but I ran into clearance problems with the front wheels of the cherry picker hitting the third member housing. So going slow and working the lathe close over the tailgate is what I’ve done.


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## ericc (Jun 14, 2021)

My friend helped me unload my lathe from a pickup truck with an engine hoist.  It was very simple.  Just lift the lathe a tiny bit and drive away.  The problem is that the lathe might try to spin if anything shifts.  I got my arm caught somehow between the lathe and the hoist when he asked me to give the straps a tug.  I screamed, and he yelled back at me, "Cmon, it's only 400 pounds, not 4000 pounds. Just get in there and muscle it."  Good moving practice is never to rely on muscle for anything over a few hundred pounds.  You should look like you are pushing a feather.  Do not body slam loaded engine cranes.  Do not yank backwards on the crane to get it to roll over a crack in the driveway.  If it doesn't roll, use a come-along or a winch.  Even better, use one on both ends, since if you are only pulling with one, it can take a nasty hop once it clears the obstruction or once the wheel caster suddenly straightens up.


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## matthewsx (Jun 14, 2021)

I pulled a similar lathe out of my truck last week. I was able to remove the tailgate but it’s still a bear. Cribbing helps as does smaller floor jacksand extra straps to control movement.

Best advice is to remember you can’t move these things with muscle, you have to move them with your brain.

John


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

I Have to do this solo, my only friends in town either have a bad back or aren’t available.

what I’m trying to do is add a small amount of tension in the head stock to lighten it, and reduce friction so I can get a 2x4 in front of it, and inch it backwards


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## SLK001 (Jun 14, 2021)

Where is your lathe?  All I see is some Central Machinery (Harbor Freight) stuff in the back of your truck.

(JK!!)

Pull the lathe slightly off the end of the tailgate and reattach the first leg (you might have to pile on some weight on the TS end to keep it from tipping).  Once attached, continue inching it off until the back end is off the truck, then bolt on the second leg.  It does look like it will pinwheel from the weight of the headstock.  See if you can easily remove the headstock.


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

Inched it back far enough with nudges from wood, now it just about where I can put the load leveler on it, vertical lift and drive out the truck


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## SLK001 (Jun 14, 2021)

DON'T LIFT LIKE THAT!  YOUR STRAP IS PRESSING ON ONE OF YOUR DRIVE SHAFTS!  THAT MUCH FORCE CAN BEND THEM!

Rout your strap between the webbing of the bed.


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

SLK001 said:


> DON'T LIFT LIKE THAT!  YOUR STRAP IS PRESSING ON ONE OF YOUR DRIVE SHAFTS!  THAT MUCH FORCE CAN BEND THEM!
> 
> Rout your strap between the webbing of the bed.


It’s between the bed and screws, not even touching the lead screw. All the load is entirely on the bed


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## matthewsx (Jun 14, 2021)

A couple of short pieces of conduit will let it roll rather than dragging.


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## matthewsx (Jun 14, 2021)

Slow and steady.


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## Ken226 (Jun 14, 2021)

I've used the same hoist to lift the same size lathe out of truck beds many times.   

I suspect you'll have no trouble at all.  I never did.


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## RJSakowski (Jun 14, 2021)

Do not attempt to lift the lathe with that setting of the hoist.  In that setting it is rated for 500 lbs  and the weight of the lathe will exceed that rating. Even if the hoist doesn't fail, it is not very stable in that position.

I would use the innermost position and use the hoist to drag the lathe off the truck bed until I got to a point where I was lifting vertically.  I would also shorten the strap as much as possible.


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

Load leveler attached. Chain looped and bolted securely. Going to move the tailstock in just to make sure this won’t slip.

yes, the straps are between the lead screws and bed, so there is virtually zero contact between the straps and screws.


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## rabler (Jun 14, 2021)

Your balance point is probably awfully close to the headstock strap.  You may want to move the carriage toward the tailstock


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

It’s down!

worked the load leveler to ensure lathe was level, lifted straight up, had the wife drive the truck out and lowered it onto the cabinet.

Now I just need to take and pressure wash the oil tray, and put it between the lathe and cabinet.

I do need to come up with some sort of adjusting shims or something to make sure bed is level.


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## rabler (Jun 14, 2021)

Congrats on the having the new acquisition safely out of the truck and in your garage.


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

RJSakowski said:


> Do not attempt to lift the lathe with that setting of the hoist.  In that setting it is rated for 500 lbs  and the weight of the lathe will exceed that rating. Even if the hoist doesn't fail, it is not very stable in that position.
> 
> I would use the innermost position and use the hoist to drag the lathe off the truck bed until I got to a point where I was lifting vertically.  I would also shorten the strap as much as possible.


I ton is 2000 lbs, 1/2 ton is 1000 lbs and lathe is 960 lbs.

I agree it’s more stable at shorter lengths. Now that it’s down, I can get closer without hitting the tailgate and use a shorter boom.


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## RJSakowski (Jun 14, 2021)

AndySomogyi said:


> I ton is 2000 lbs, 1/2 ton is 1000 lbs and lathe is 960 lbs.
> 
> I agree it’s more stable at shorter lengths. Now that it’s down, I can get closer without hitting the tailgate and use a shorter boom.


My bad.  I was thinking of the 1 ton hoist.  I have the same hoist as yours.  Personally, I wouldn't trust Harbor Freight's safety margin in their ratings though.

Anyway, I'm glad that you were able to get the lathe off the truck without incident.


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## matthewsx (Jun 14, 2021)

I have the same hoist and have used it about 5 times now without incident, glad to hear you have the machine out of your truck....


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 14, 2021)

RJSakowski said:


> My bad.  I was thinking of the 1 ton hoist.  I have the same hoist as yours.  Personally, I wouldn't trust Harbor Freight's safety margin in their ratings though.
> 
> Anyway, I'm glad that you were able to get the lathe off the truck without incident.


I borrowed my friends 2-ton, and it’s WAY better than the crappy 1-ton version I have, way more stable.  I do need to upgrade to the 2-ton.


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## hman (Jun 15, 2021)

Congratulations on getting your lathe unloaded safely!  I'm sure the pressure of the truck rental cost was NOT helpful in making your plans and working slowly and carefully.  Good on ya!


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## Steve-F (Jun 15, 2021)

Great job!! Now tell me about the 911 in the back round  911SC, 2-912's and a 914 in our stable among others


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 15, 2021)

Steve-F said:


> Great job!! Now tell me about the 911 in the back round  911SC, 2-912's and a 914 in our stable among others


That’s my 912 project. It’s a 76 912 which is a weird car, it’s a 911 “parts bin special”, the factory used a leftover VW bus engine, bus brakes and older 911 shocks. Prev owner blew the engine and swapped in another VW engine.

My plan is to build a period correct Subaru swap, and I want it to look and feel like it could have been a factory prototype. So I’m going with a light normally aspirated SOHC Subaru 2.5, with STi bottom end and block, custom cams, forged pistons, all that. I’m an electrical engineer at my day job, so custom ECU. Currently making stealth radiators that are completely tucked under the headlights. Basically stealing the Porsche 996 radiator design. I’m doing goofy stuff to make it look factory like using a modified 914 2.0 air filter box, and wiring loom with the 1970’s German gray plastic covering.

I currently have a 964 bumper mocked up, was planning on malign some chrome grills in place of the fog lights as air intakes, but I’m not sure, maybe I should go with an RuF styled lower valence and use the impact bumper, not sure.


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## brino (Jun 15, 2021)

matthewsx said:


> Best advice is to remember you can’t move these things with muscle, you have to move them with your brain.



Lathe-a-kinesis?

Andy, I am very glad you had a non-exciting and successful move of that lathe from truck bed to stand.
It shows that you did follow John's (@matthewsx ) advice and use your brain.

Nice car!

-brino


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## Steve-F (Jun 16, 2021)

AndySomogyi said:


> That’s my 912 project. It’s a 76 912 which is a weird car, it’s a 911 “parts bin special”, the factory used a leftover VW bus engine, bus brakes and older 911 shocks. Prev owner blew the engine and swapped in another VW engine.
> 
> My plan is to build a period correct Subaru swap, and I want it to look and feel like it could have been a factory prototype. So I’m going with a light normally aspirated SOHC Subaru 2.5, with STi bottom end and block, custom cams, forged pistons, all that. I’m an electrical engineer at my day job, so custom ECU. Currently making stealth radiators that are completely tucked under the headlights. Basically stealing the Porsche 996 radiator design. I’m doing goofy stuff to make it look factory like using a modified 914 2.0 air filter box, and wiring loom with the 1970’s German gray plastic covering.
> 
> I currently have a 964 bumper mocked up, was planning on malign some chrome grills in place of the fog lights as air intakes, but I’m not sure, maybe I should go with an RuF styled lower valence and use the impact bumper, not sure.


Very Nice!! You are fortunate , as where I live you would have to have it smog legal Looking forward to more as you go!


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 16, 2021)

Steve-F said:


> Very Nice!! You are fortunate , as where I live you would have to have it smog legal Looking forward to more as you go!


California right? 1975 and newer, it’s hard to do much there. The real irony is that swapping to a modern water cooled engine with modern ECU and wide band O2 like I’m doing is many many times cleaner than that crappy old L-jetronic air-cooled engine.

I’ve got a build thread on FB here, but might move it to a more open site: 

https://facebook.com/ArrowBlau 

I’ve been busy rebuilding my mill so haven’t worked in the car for a while.


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## Steve-F (Jun 16, 2021)

Yes, Calif. 1976 and on are doomed to the smog curse:<( There is a rumor of a possible change up 1981, but I'm not holding my breath


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## rabler (Jun 16, 2021)

Andy,
The Porsche work is impressive, as have your scraping efforts.  I think you're the closest person on here that I've noticed, hello from SW Indiana. Good luck getting your lathe working, hopefully it doesn't turn into as much of a project as the mill!


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 17, 2021)

rabler said:


> Andy,
> The Porsche work is impressive, as have your scraping efforts.  I think you're the closest person on here that I've noticed, hello from SW Indiana. Good luck getting your lathe working, hopefully it doesn't turn into as much of a project as the mill!


Thanks. At least with automotive engineering, that's what I know about, and didn't have have to learn it as I went along like scraping the mill. 

Checked out the lathe, and it's in good shape, about all I've got to do is change the oil, level it, and maybe fix a seal. I was blown away with the spindle runout: literally under 50 millionths! Turns out the Central Machinery version of this lathe uses angular contact instead of rollers, maybe that's why. I've got a few upgrades planned though: 3-phase with VFD, DRO, and electronic lead screw. 

That D-4 cam lock is pretty impressive, centered a pin in the 4-jaw, and repeats within a tenth taking the chuck on and off. 

Sure seems like a more rigid lathe than my Clausing 5428, as pushing on the bed or headstock would move the tenths indicator between the spindle and saddle on the Clausing, but this one doesn't budge.


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## AndySomogyi (Jun 17, 2021)

Steve-F said:


> Yes, Calif. 1976 and on are doomed to the smog curse:<( There is a rumor of a possible change up 1981, but I'm not holding my breath


Calif smog laws are so stupid with classic cars, just plain idiotic that you're not allowed to upgrade a crappy old polluting, inefficient 1970's engine with a modern, efficient one. Frankly, I think it should just be a tailpipe test, where you should be able to do any mod, as long as it doesn't increase the pollution specs of that model year. That's how Colorado does it, simple, easy tailpipe test.


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## Ken226 (Jun 17, 2021)

AndySomogyi said:


> Thanks. At least with automotive engineering, that's what I know about, and didn't have have to learn it as I went along like scraping the mill.
> 
> Checked out the lathe, and it's in good shape, about all I've got to do is change the oil, level it, and maybe fix a seal. I was blown away with the spindle runout: literally under 50 millionths! Turns out the Central Machinery version of this lathe uses angular contact instead of rollers, maybe that's why. I've got a few upgrades planned though: 3-phase with VFD, DRO, and electronic lead screw.
> 
> ...



The stock bearings in these are quite good.  You'll likely never need to replace them, but if you do

I've replaced the headstock bearings in several of these, including the Central Machinery, Grizzly and Enco versions.   Most use a 30212 front.    The rear can be a 30210 or 30211, depending on the version.   Even the Grizzly version, who's manual shows angular contact bearings actually had tapered rollers.


All of the bearings I've removed from these were of Chinese origin, but quite good nonetheless.  They always came with P5 front and P6 rated rear bearings.

I put a set of Timken P5 bearings in mine, both front and back, for about 100$ per bearing.  I had to order them from Europe.  Runout is under a ten thousandth.

FAG sells 30212 p5 rated x-life bearings in the US for about 80$.  It's a fairly new line, but has a stellar reputation so far.  Anyone needing new spindle bearings would probably be quite happy with these.







						30212-XL-P5 FAG Tapered Roller Bearing 60,00x110,00x23,75mm: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
					

30212-XL-P5 FAG Tapered Roller Bearing 60,00x110,00x23,75mm: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific



					www.amazon.com
				






ZKL makes a 30210 p5,  also on amazon.


			Amazon.com
		


The 30211 is a little harder to find in p5, but it's doable


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## matthewsx (Jun 17, 2021)

AndySomogyi said:


> Calif smog laws are so stupid with classic cars, just plain idiotic that you're not allowed to upgrade a crappy old polluting, inefficient 1970's engine with a modern, efficient one. Frankly, I think it should just be a tailpipe test, where you should be able to do any mod, as long as it doesn't increase the pollution specs of that model year. That's how Colorado does it, simple, easy tailpipe test.


Totally agree with meeting tailpipe specs but we all know how that would work our [Volkswagen]....

Just in case people haven't seen this solution 









						This Electric-Powered Porsche 911 RSR Was the Coolest Pikes Peak Racer This Year
					

Anything shaped like an old Porsche is bound to grab my attention, but when it’s powered by electricity I’m cutting a bee line to go see it. This all electric 911 Pikes Peak racer really grabbed my attention ahead of the event, but it absolutely blew my mind when I first laid eyes on it during...




					jalopnik.com
				




John


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