Brand new machine arrives in used condition.

[f350ca]

Larger machines need to be tied down to the trailer so they can't be crated. Summit Machine Tools would not release my lathe unless the truck was a flat bed where it could be tied from the top of the machine, said they had them fall over in vans.

Greg

 

[Superburban]

Also, there's the simple fact that there are not any mentors showing them how to do it properly, and some don't want to learn.

One of my main pieces of advice to all the new officers, and even the old NCO's reporting for duty, was that the only thing you cannot do, is make someone care. Search for and mentor those that do care. Teach them why things are done, and they will carry the ball the rest of the way. Those that don't care, teach them everything in the book, and hope they do the right thing at the right time. Give me 1/2 a company of untrained soldiers that care, and I will accomplish more then any other unit.

 

[Firestopper]

I think some of the blame for this fiasco is Acra the machine should have been is plywood box to reduce possible damage. I find it hard to believe that this unit was shipped overseas without being in a dedicated enclosure

Aliva,
Like Greg stated, larger machines do not come crated and only shipped via flatbed. Acra shipped a mill to my location that arrived in pristine condition with it only wrapped in shrink wrap, but the trucker was squared away using the correct tarp and he cared. Sure you could crate the lathe and leave the bottom open for strapping down, but it's just not feasible or cost effective. What can be done is use heavy cardboard on all flats and corners between wraps of shrink wrap providing protection. I'm sure Acra has had past issues and will continue to have issues if they don't add a little protection. Like someone else mentioned earlier, It easy file a claim with the carriers insurance, but an ounce prevention goes a long long way in customer satisfaction.That said, yeah Acra is culpable to a degree.

One of my main pieces of advice to all the new officers, and even the old NCO's reporting for duty, was that the only thing you cannot do, is make someone care. Search for and mentor those that do care. Teach them why things are done, and they will carry the ball the rest of the way. Those that don't care, teach them everything in the book, and hope they do the right thing at the right time. Give me 1/2 a company of untrained soldiers that care, and I will accomplish more then any other unit.

Well said! a team of caring folks can not only be trained, but improve with time and experience.


Paco

 

[Firestopper]

Heading out tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning. Two spare trailer tires and two spare tow rigs tires. Hoping for smooth sailing. God willing, the next time I post should be of a new lathe sitting in the shop bay.




Night fellas.

Paco

 

[mattthemuppet2]

fingers'n'toes crossed. Have a safe trip Paco!

 

[middle.road]

I'm not quite sure, but it looks to me that this time around on it's return to CA, it IS properly covered and protected - just saying...

 

[Silverbullet]

No ethics or respect taught anymore, it's the I don't give a crap mindset . They all want big pay without earning it. And being a delivery driver his butt should be fired and fined . Have a safe trip , good luck with your new lathe , they're great machines usually.

 

[Firestopper]

Well, WE made it home unscathed. We meaning the lathe, truck/trailer and myself. I ran that truck a little hard as some of those passes are steep. The EGT temps where kissing 12- 1,300 requiring down shifting to increase the RPM's and dropping the temps. Man those CA drivers are d**k's. Once into Indio I-10 opens up into multiple lanes and turn these idiots into Nascar wanna bees. I gave the rig a break and hid between two 18 wheelers trying to survive the traffic. I encountered three nasty crashes on my return.
Acra is a giant tilt-up concrete construction warehouse of over 1MSF. A skeleton crew of thee warehouse folks one secretary and Tom the big cheese operate this business. One of the three warehouse guys is the machine mechanic that test runs and builds custom orders like direct drive mills, power feed and such on milling machines. I spent a limited amount of time wondering the floor, but saw claim sheets on several machines for Sterling Machinery among other machine venders found on the web who offer the ACRA brand. Clearly ACRA is the hub for distribution. Tom is busier than a two peckered billygoat, a thin Asian man who talks fast and walks faster than I do!, and I've been told to slow down my pace by much taller friends.
As promised, they had another 1640TE ready upon my arrival and provided a young lad to help me ready the machine for transport. At first, Tom only offered to reimburse me my $500 plus $250 ($750) for returning the damaged machine and was set to send me a check next week. I did eyeball a few machines with taper attachments installed and tried to work a trade deal for the $750 but no go. As I was washing up and heading out the door, I pulled out my checkbook and said "if I leave you a check for $500 can I leave with a taper attachment"?, he said "OK,OK,OK" in rapid fire!
In the end, I got paid the $500 to deliver the machine back to him and now have a taper attachment. They sell for $1,500.

I left at 2am and returned home at 10:40 pm, only stopping for fuel and Autozone for a replacement fuel cap. Yeah, I left it on a pump that was giving me grief . Thank goodness for smart phones, I found a Auto zone 1.5 miles from I-10 in Indio. I took shower and went to bed around 11:30 and up at 05:30. I slept in and the ruffians let me know their displeasure as they like to eat no later than 5. I have a long day today unloading all the stuff I didn't need but look forward to unwrapping, cleaning the new machine.

A couple of inside Acra:
This is the readying an test area.

Someone's getting a big lathe.

Trip stats:

Actual driving time.

Fuel burned. Average if 14.5 MPG pulling a heavy load.

I'll get some shots of the machine later.
Thanks for the well wishes guys, Its nice to know you all care.

Paco

 

[f350ca]

Glad to hear you and your new baby made it home safe.
Good score on the taper attachment.
I drove through LA in the mid 80's, have to agree back then the drivers were d**k's. Was back again about 2000 with a crew cab one ton pulling a 30 foot travel trailer, forgot about the time zone coming from Arizona and hit the city about 5:30 heading for a camp ground on Anaheim Blvd. The drivers were incredible, if I put on a signal they'd make room for me to change lanes every time. Maybe they were afraid to cut off a crazy Canadian,

Greg

 

[mhagadorn]

As much of a pain in the tail this experience was, you will be looking at a nice machine for years to come and the memory of the shipping fiasco will fade. Wise move swapping it out. My wife always complains about me insisting I do stuff myself. This is why. Congrats.