PM728VT meets 72 David Brown Tractor

[woodchucker]

I just received the long awaited email from PM
"We are happy to say that the PM728 Milling Machine that you have been waiting on has arrived ..."

That was such a relief after seeing all those thousands of containers stuck in ports on the news. I was worried that the PM728 was in one of those containers.

it was... but it was your ships turn.

Good luck.

 

[addertooth]

Congratulation in the impending birth of your new child. Children and mills have something in common. The REAL work doesn't start until after they are in your arms. I have a PM728, and have really liked it. Like you, it was ordered without a base and Digital Read Out (DRO), so a bit of work had to happen before the first chips were produced. I checked my cupboard, but due to a shortage of tractor transmissions, I welded up a long steel table to support the Mill, and act as a stout work-space. For some reason, I was paranoid of a narrow pedestal base; it just seemed potentially "tippy".

 

[MikeInOr]

The cavity will provide space for shelves. I will add some levelling feet on it and probably a 3/4 or 1 inch metal plate on top about the size of the mill's tray.

It is a bit narrow from front to back, so I will probably have to add 1x2 or 1X3 steel tubing a couple of feet long to make it more stable.
Another option is to bolt it to the wall. I could bolt some angle to the back of the gear box and attach it to the wall. Not sure this is a good idea. I guess that I should also mention that I can't bolt it to the floor because I have pipes in the floor for radiant heating.

You could put some 1x3 box tubing vertically in front of the engine block to make is a bit deeper, bigger shelves and more stable? Use the stud holes in the block to bolt these additional tubing pieces to the block? This, in addition to the 1x3 steel sled underneath. You might consider filling the 1x3 with concrete or epoxy/sand mix to add weight and reduce any vibrations.

What ever you decide on I like the idea. Everyone has a boring base for their mill, do something to set yours apart!

 

[RetiredRich]

The PM728VT found its way to my workshop on Wednesday Nov. 10. (ordered on June 2nd). I enjoy looking at other peoples pictures so here are a few for interested people.
1. The mill still in the crate. That is a lot of saran wrap!

2. Two of the bolts on the left had come off and you can see that the mill was moving around in the crate. No damage.

3. Feet for leveling and added stability.

The stabilizing feet were made from material I had on hand and from my brother. 2" square tubing and 3/4" threaded rod. The round parts are from 2-1/2" pins from a replaced pin on my excavator. It adds an extra 4" to the overall height. I just had to buy a mig.

4. The mill on the tractor's casing.

I bolted a 1/2 metal plate to the casting and then bolted the mill to the plate. The bolts that were used for the shipping turned out to be the perfect length.
I will 3d print some plastic caps to put on the 2X2 tubing to stop metal chips to fall in there. That is really stable. I cannot tip this and there is no wobbling.

Next on the list.
I installed the DRO to the left of the mill. I don't particularly like how it hides behind the control box. I will modify the holding bracket.

I'm in the process of installing the X power feed. I'm struggling to understand how this is suppose to be done. If anybody has some pics of the X power feed installed on a PM728VT, I would appreciate a helping hand. I've seed a couple of pictures but it doesn't make sense to me.

That is one sweet looking mill. I've very happy with the base. I like the idea of being able to recycle.
Rich

 

[Choiliefan]

Is that the same David Brown of Aston Martin fame?

 

[addertooth]

Retiredrich,

I will post some pictures of the X feed later today.

 

[RetiredRich]

Is that the same David Brown of Aston Martin fame?

I had to do some googling to understand your question. I had a little history lesson on the relationship between David Brown tractors and Aston Martin. It turns out that Sir David Brown owned a company that created the David Brown tractors and then purchased Aston Martin car company. His initials DB were then used in naming some famous sports car models. So I guess this is a yes to your question. Interesting.

 

[Weldingrod1]

OMG! I loooove that base! A wonderful air of mysterious function ;-)

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[Cletus]

That base actually came out VERY damned cool!

 

[jwmelvin]

I agree; that looks fabulous.