Moving big equipment out of a basement...

[Dabbler]

The concern with sliding glass doors here is the cold climate. When it is -20 or worse -30, the inside is always frosted. when it melts, you get water damage. So it is a negatuive here. I've seen 2 houses with them, and the realtors were super apologetic about them. I'd replace them with a single window of triple glazed, low E window, and an regular door with no glass.

 

[Larry$]

I suspect the general feeling in Canada was that a walk-in basement risked freezing under the footings?

Walkout basements are common in Nebraska if the terrain fits. Our freeze depth is 36" so all footings go at least that far down. Only cheap builder's specials are built W/O basements here. Part of it might be we live in tornado alley.

 

[C-Bag]

Part of it might be we live in tornado alley.

So many of these details make sense when put into context but it still does seem to be regional as you point out with the walk in your area.

 

[lkldpl]

I came across this website while googling and decided to join as I am administraror of an estate that has a machine shop in the basement. I need to have a Carole Jamieson lathe and a Bridgeport mill removed from the basement and am seeking advice on how to safely do this. A friend suggested using a gantry I-beam and trolley system (see attached sketch). This seems similar to the system Dabbler used. Was wondering, did you build the gantry crane and joist crane system you used yourself, or can such systems/equipment be rented? Thanks for any advice that can be offered.

 

[woodchucker]

I came across this website while googling and decided to join as I am administraror of an estate that has a machine shop in the basement. I need to have a Carole Jamieson lathe and a Bridgeport mill removed from the basement and am seeking advice on how to safely do this. A friend suggested using a gantry I-beam and trolley system (see attached sketch). This seems similar to the system Dabbler used. Was wondering, did you build the gantry crane and joist crane system you used yourself, or can such systems/equipment be rented? Thanks for any advice that can be offered.

if you hire riggers they can do the job for you. And they will be responsible for damage if you hire the right riggers.
They can also move the equip to a place of your choosing.

Unless of course you have capabilities yourself. Then it's a matter of making or buying a gantry.
Dabbler made his, but they are avail as regular gantry's. The question is your head room. If too low, you would need to modify one to meet your needs, or just make it from scratch. In either case, if you have too little headroom, then a gantry might not be the best option. since a trolley, and chain fall both need about 15 inches together on their own. Then the beam thickness.

 

[matthewsx]

I came across this website while googling and decided to join as I am administraror of an estate that has a machine shop in the basement. I need to have a Carole Jamieson lathe and a Bridgeport mill removed from the basement and am seeking advice on how to safely do this. A friend suggested using a gantry I-beam and trolley system (see attached sketch). This seems similar to the system Dabbler used. Was wondering, did you build the gantry crane and joist crane system you used yourself, or can such systems/equipment be rented? Thanks for any advice that can be offered.

Hello and welcome, I'm sure you'll get plenty of good advice here.

Also, sorry for your loss. It's lots of work to settle an estate but hopefully moving things along to those who will use them will be some solace.

I'd suggest posting some pictures of the actual machines and basement as soon as you can, that'll give folks a better idea of what exactly you're dealing with. Depending on the equipment and prices being offered it may be possible to sell everything as a lot and let the buyer deal with moving it. Many on here are experienced, and doing this kind of work is generally best with assistance from others who know what they're doing.

John

 

[C-Bag]

I came across this website while googling and decided to join as I am administraror of an estate that has a machine shop in the basement. I need to have a Carole Jamieson lathe and a Bridgeport mill removed from the basement and am seeking advice on how to safely do this. A friend suggested using a gantry I-beam and trolley system (see attached sketch). This seems similar to the system Dabbler used. Was wondering, did you build the gantry crane and joist crane system you used yourself, or can such systems/equipment be rented? Thanks for any advice that can be offered.

Curious if you’ve tried to use the machine shop as a selling point? Recently that has become a thing.

 

[matthewsx]

Curious if you’ve tried to use the machine shop as a selling point? Recently that has become a thing.

When we sold our previous house in Michigan I was pretty sure I'd have to sell off the shop I had there piece by piece. To my surprise the seller expressed interest and I sold it complete (minus the things I wanted to keep).

Since it's just the basement you can always show the house with the shop intact and negotiate a price with, or without the machines. If nothing else it will show potential buyers that the basement is dry and usable.

john

 

[lkldpl]

Hello and welcome, I'm sure you'll get plenty of good advice here.

Also, sorry for your loss. It's lots of work to settle an estate but hopefully moving things along to those who will use them will be some solace.

I'd suggest posting some pictures of the actual machines and basement as soon as you can, that'll give folks a better idea of what exactly you're dealing with. Depending on the equipment and prices being offered it may be possible to sell everything as a lot and let the buyer deal with moving it. Many on here are experienced, and doing this kind of work is generally best with assistance from others who know what they're doing.

John

Thank you John. It is a lot of work and we have been able to find buyers for many things who find the machines and machinist tools useful. We have already sold 2 drill presses and a screw press to one person who had the expertise and necessary equipment to move them. The lathe and mill are sold to another person. However, I'm not comfortable with the method he and his helper wanted to use to remove the lathe. I think they are trying to take shortcuts, such as not removing the bed but mounting the legs on skis and sliding the assembled lathe up the stairs. I have attached pictures of the lathe and. The person who bought them had begun dismantling them, which is evident in the pictures. You can see the stairs in the background of 2 of the pictures. They are old wooden stairs not structurally sound to support these machines which I estimate the weights may range from 0.5 to 1 ton. I agree with you that assistance from experienced people is most important to move such heavy machinery.

 

[lkldpl]

if you hire riggers they can do the job for you. And they will be responsible for damage if you hire the right riggers.
They can also move the equip to a place of your choosing.

Unless of course you have capabilities yourself. Then it's a matter of making or buying a gantry.
Dabbler made his, but they are avail as regular gantry's. The question is your head room. If too low, you would need to modify one to meet your needs, or just make it from scratch. In either case, if you have too little headroom, then a gantry might not be the best option. since a trolley, and chain fall both need about 15 inches together on their own. Then the beam thickness.

Thank you for your suggestions woodchucker. I will look into hiring a rigger. I did measure headroom. The shortest is 6 ft 10 inches below the furnace ductwork. There is 7 ft 6 inches below the double header at the basement stairway.