Millrite Moving Methods?

[pontiac428]

If your imported vehicle is older than 20 years, the DOT road safety equipment is exempt from compliance. Your JDM lights are legal. Oddly, they made that requirement 5 years shorter than the EPA's emissions exemption.

The scematic on the page you linked is exactly what I had in mind. It would be cheap to build. It would be even cheaper if you nipped over to the pull-it-yo'self yard and filled your pockets with high-quality underhood electric relays found in Japanese and German cars (because Nippon Denso and Bosch beats USDM lowest bidder). Those are severe duty relays that can live outside forever. Or you can buy a 12/24v relay board on amazon for $5, it will be fine as long as you install it in the vehicle's interior.

Calling it a "logic circuit" as they are on that ih8mud page is overshooting the hoop by quite a bit. It's a bang-the-rocks-together simple relay isolation circuit. I suppose one could call it a Turing engine, since it reacts to voltage on one circuit and controls another, without affecting the original data message, but that's also a stretch.

 

[Dave Bonzo]

I never did understand why they made those requirements based on two different years...and I guess that I should clarify: the police don't really hassle me about anything. Rather, they just don't know what they're seeing; part of that is the RHD, and part is just the vehicle itself. You don't see many 70's on the road; most of the people that I know that have them think I'm nuts for daily-driving mine. I had more curious law enforcement on the East Coast than I do in the West, now.

I figured that Denso relays would be the way to go; you can find those basically anywhere, and they're very good quality, as you say. I like Bosch as well, but everyone knows that bad things happen when you get Germany and Japan on board together.

I got a bit more info from the seller; they're not in a hurry to relocate anything, so I don't have to be in a rush to do anything, either. They pulled the items I want from the list and have them earmarked for me, and my gut feeling is that these are the kind of people that consider a verbal agreement to be as binding as an oath taken in front of the Supreme Court, Jesus and Mr. T. So I have some time; they're saying that June is good for them, so I should have plenty of time to arrange transport.

Theoretically, at least.

 

[pontiac428]

I like how this is turning out for you, with the addition of the South Bend heavy 10. Twofer the effort of one.

I'm curious if you masked out the reflectors on your headlights in order not to blind oncoming traffic. LHD headlights flood the shoulder of the road with light, RHD on US roads flood the oncoming lane. There is a template that is used in Europe and Japan for making the mask out of electrical tape, is about the size of a postage stamp, and blocks off the sectors of the lens that cast light to the driver's left.

There are a few JDM Maximas and some kei/bongo vans in town, and those kids haven't figured it out yet. I have zero doubts that their insurance company will figure it out for them post-incident if there's money to be saved.

 

[Dave Bonzo]

I like how this is turning out for you, with the addition of the South Bend heavy 10. Twofer the effort of one.

Yeah, I think it's a decent deal. It has some... oddities...but it's a Heavy 10, all the same.

I'm curious if you masked out the reflectors on your headlights in order not to blind oncoming traffic. LHD headlights flood the shoulder of the road with light, RHD on US roads flood the oncoming lane.

I did not...and yes, they certainly do.

There is a template that is used in Europe and Japan for making the mask out of electrical tape, is about the size of a postage stamp, and blocks off the sectors of the lens that cast light to the driver's left.

...or, one could simply order the correct LHD housings from Koito and swap them directly into place. Not very expensive if you know where to look, and it's 100% factory.

 

[gard]

Just to throw out another option I have not seen mentioned yet. Have you looked into a flatbed tow truck? Around here you can find one that will go just about anywhere and pick up anything they can winch up onto it. You can ride with him if you want.
Personally I have moved heavier lathes with engine hoists and trailers, it felt safe, of course it always does until it doesn't.

 

[matthewsx]

I am absolutely positive that I am overthinking the entire thing. A smarter and more practical man would have bought a local Bridgeport and muscled it home on a wagon by now, and already be making fun stuff in the garage.



First off: that'll work. Two objections, though:

1) General advice on this platform is to do exactly not-that: single-battery pulls to get 12v from a 24v Toyota have a long history of killing the 12v-supplying battery. I've had it happen. Twice. The PO installed an aftermarket stereo and pulled 12v to supply the amp and head unit; it killed that battery. He replaced it, and it killed the battery on me two times before I looked into it and then ripped all of that s*** out. Plus, the separate-signals-into-one-lamp isn't suggested. I'm admittedly going off of what the JDM wiring gurus are telling me, here, but my anecdotal evidence supports it.

2) If I rework the trailer for 24v, I can't use it with anything else...and eventually, I'll be able to move my truck out here, which already has literally everything I need to pull and tow stuff. That's what makes this entire thing especially ironic: I'm jumping through hoops to create a tow vehicle that I already own...and which is on the wrong side of the continent.

So, are you planning on bringing the other truck out?

When?

Why not go get it and be over this?

Okay, things are rarely so simple. But sometimes they are.....

I've driven my F250 across the country several times, sure there's the fuel but the truck is paid for. I also bought a trailer in Michigan, drove it out to California and sold it for more than I paid. If you have other stuff to move then get your trailer back where the truck is and haul it all across at once.

Just a thought.

John

 

[rodm1]

I always put the machine on a 4x4 pallet that is larger then the base to prevent tipping. Do that the first thing before moving it to transport.

 

[pontiac428]

The flat bed tow truck is a good idea. If you can build a pallet under the lathe, they can drag it right up on the deck.

 

[Ischgl99]

What do flatbeds run out west? I used one a couple years ago to get my lathe in the basement and it was $125/hr. A pick up a few hours away could get really expensive paying for both directions.

 

[Dave Bonzo]

Just to throw out another option I have not seen mentioned yet. Have you looked into a flatbed tow truck?

Do you mean a rollback? If so, I did think about that, but I'm used to rollback rates being about the same as enclosed transport...so I thought I might as well get the weather protection out of the deal for the same price.

Around here you can find one that will go just about anywhere and pick up anything they can winch up onto it. You can ride with him if you want.
Personally I have moved heavier lathes with engine hoists and trailers, it felt safe, of course it always does until it doesn't.

I've winched an entire Willys pickup with non-moving, flat and dry-rotted tires onto a rollback; the winch on that thing didn't even flinch. And again: wish I still had access to my buddy back East. The same guy that does the tractor work has a rollback that he uses in his spare time.

So, are you planning on bringing the other truck out?

When?

Why not go get it and be over this?

In order: yes, I'm not sure, and Because Scheduling.

Okay, things are rarely so simple. But sometimes they are.....

I've driven my F250 across the country several times, sure there's the fuel but the truck is paid for. I also bought a trailer in Michigan, drove it out to California and sold it for more than I paid. If you have other stuff to move then get your trailer back where the truck is and haul it all across at once.

Correct; things are rarely so simple. Right now, that truck is getting prepped to be painted. I know it's probably not worth it in the long run to paint a 2003 half-ton Ford, but that truck doesn't have a ton of miles on it and I actually kind of like the thing. It also has a manual transfer case shifter in it, which is kind of rare, so I can flat-tow it if I ever have to...but regardless, it's not ready to be here. Also, the cross-country trip itself is only about five or six days, but I also have to:
- fly back, which is another day of travel,
- pack up all of our remaining things from storage and get them loaded into a trailer or a box truck, which will be another five days, conservatively,
- visit with the family for a day or so,
- pick up my truck from the shop and get settled up with them, which will hopefully not take much time at all, and then
- drive back across the country, which is realistically six days instead of five, unless I want my back to hurt.

That's roughly a two-week trip...and that's not counting anything else I do, such as picking up something on the East Coast and bringing it out West. I also have equipment to sell and relocate while I'm back East, so that could be even more time. Two-plus weeks is a hard trip for us to plan, right now. An overnight in Spokane to pick up stuff and then back the next day...no problemo. 14-ish days is another matter entirely.

Now, if I can somehow delay the mill/lathe pickup until after the middle of July, when the household schedule clears up...that's another matter entirely...but if it comes to that, I have someone that might be able to handle the entire thing for me, for a reasonable cost. But I don't think I can delay it that long; I'm pretty sure the seller wants the stuff moved within the next four weeks.