Lift 1440GT via Bed's Crossmember? Update - It Can Work!

[Howard70]

(Edit Note - This can work, see end of thread)

Well, it's been just over 4 years since I last posted here when we took delivery of our PM machines, including a 1440GT.... Wish I could say there'd been a lot of chips produced since then but no, just a variety of "life" away from the shop.

Anyway I'm looking to lift the 1440GT and have reviewed quite a few posts here, including Mark's plates/bolt/lifting ring set up. However, I'm curious about using a lifting strap choked (girth hitched) around one of the bed casting's crossmembers as the primary lift point. The strap I have is rated for 5,000 lbs WLL in choker configuration. This seems so simple that I'm assuming I must be missing some obvious problem you all have thought of long ago?

Here's a couple images of what I have in mind (realizing the chuck would be removed and there would be jack straps in place for balance, etc.

Thanks in advance,

Howard

 

[NCjeeper]

It is going to want to tip hard towards the head stock seeing that is where most of the weight is. I would choke around the bed using blocks of wood to keep the strap off of the lead screw and feed rod. That is how I lift my 13x40. when I move it.

 

[IamNotImportant]

and the chances of it trying to "roll" on you are high

 

[7milesup]

It won't even be close to balancing at that cross member. When I placed my Eisen 1440, I had the eye almost all the way to the chuck and the tailstock slid to the lifting eye.

Edit: Pictures did not load initially.

 

[Z2V]

Here’s how I picked mine. I agree with the others, you would be way out of balance picking it there.

 

[Dhal22]

I used 2 chain hoists to lift my 1440.

 

[Howard70]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I should have mentioned initially that our 1440GT has the base installed. That provides a bit of lower mass which may reduce rolling. I’ll report back with where we eventually attach to lift. The pull will come from a 3 ton chain hoist on a 5 ton gantry so that part is well covered.

Howard

 

[B2]

@Howard70

Sorry to see you did not get to use your lathe. I understand life changes!

As I live in Pittsburgh, my 1440GT was moved for me by PM guys into my, nearly a, walk out basement. The PM folks have always been very helpful to me. At the PM facility they move these lathes around all of the time. Mostly on the pallets, but if the pallet has been removed, they put the two forklift tines under the lathe bed and just lift. By the way, if you are going to remount it on a pallet, there are bolt holes in the stand feet just for bolting it to the pallet. These are separate from the holes for the lathe feet for leveling. Do not mess with the leveling feet holes as they have a hard to get old English thread. Only the leveling feet screw fit these leveling holes. The pallet bolt holes are NOT threaded.

They strapped the lathe pretty much as the other folks have mentioned above, with blocks on the bottom of the lathe bed, to hold the straps away from the lead screw and power feed bar. The DRO was already installed so the blocking was also use to ensure the strap did not touch it. You can always put a second strap on or double wrap them to prevent slippage along the lathe bed. I cannot recall for sure, but I think I may have put a very large C-clamp, that I have, on the lathe bed to keep the strap from sliding on the bed. The strap was placed more or less at the center of gravity, which means closer to the head stock as it is much heavier than the tail stock. The head stock stand is also bigger than that of the tail stock. There is a reason that there are 4 feet at the head stock stand and only 2 at the tail stock! It also had the stands attached, as well as the back chip shield. We used the tail stock and apron to help balance the head weight and it did not tip. They used a tine extension on a fork lift to move it from my drive way into a basement door. There were about three steps to over come. I built some simple ramps to add it the process and had already installed casters on the lathe stands so that once in the basement I could just roll it into place in a cramped back room. To get through those a inside smaller door we wound up removing the chip guard.

It all went well.

Just so you know the stand does come off via the simple lathe bed bolts into the stand. However, you have the foot brake etc to content with as well as all of the electronic connections as they are installed in the back of the head stock stand. Likewise, the coolant systems on the other end. I did not disconnect them, but Matt (PM) told me I could have just loosened the bolts at the lathe bed feet and twisted the stands a bit to have gotten the two stands more parallel to the lathe. This was an issue when I was installing the casters.

Good Luck,

Dave L.

 

[Howard70]

Update - I called Precision Matthews yesterday to confirm the crossmember was structurally able to support the mass of the lathe & stand. They said it was. So I removed the chuck and outside gear cover; moved the tailstock, carriage and steady rest as far from the headstock as possible & locked them in place. I then carefully lifted lathe, stand & attached pallet a few inches & confirmed a moderate tilt down on the headstock end as @NCjeeper predicted. I was able to level everything with about 50 - 60 lbs of "guesstimated" force lifting up on the headstock end, convincing myself that a ratchet strap from the headstock to the lifting hook would level the load & provide some protection from the lathe falling over (although it was surprising stable to lateral movement with just the lifting strap).

Added that ratchet strap & confirmed the lift was level & stable, lowered & removed the pallet & then did the final lift without a hitch - images below. I wouldn't claim this is any better than other methods explained throughout this forum, but for my case & using a chain hoist from a gantry it was relatively simple and quick.

Details of primary & leveling lift points

Success!

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Howard

 

[davidpbest]

You did better than I did.