how to move glass lathe

[Aaron Slater]

hello all,

I'm working out a deal for a litton HSA lathe and trying to figure out how I should move it. I have a little experience with lathes and never moved one this big. Anyone have any experince with this? It is listed as 450 pounds so I figured I could do it with three strong friends. Are there any parts I could or should remove before moving?

I have access to a pickup trick (a large one), pallet jack, pallets.

any advice from experienced lathers would be appreciated.

-Aaron

[kage]

i've only moved a lathe once. remove the chucks for transport, use ratchet straps. tractor with a bucket got it in the truck, bobcat bulldozer got it out.

[styles1 torchlife]

An engine cherry picker can do 450lbs pretty easy if you get an extension bar for height.

Eventually put the lathe on casters it has made a huge difference for me in the last 5 years I've had mine.

Also if you have a trucking company ship it make them put it towards the cab end of the trailer, then put up a temporary ply wood wall with the steel retaining bars. They should be able to do this pretty easily.

[Greymatter Glass]

chucks off might help, they don't weigh much tho.

Bungie cord the tail stock in place at the end. if it slides and crashes in transit the lathe can be damaged beyond easy repair. Better yet cut a 2x4 and wedge it in place between the head and tail stock.

make sure everyone knows the spline shaft (drive shaft) is _NOT_ a hand hold.

if it's on legs, take it off the legs.

4 people minimum to lift, and one to spot it.

Use 2x4's under the bed for easier lifting... like a medic cot type of thing. use the spotter to keep it upright.

Straps and blocks to keep it from moving in the truck bed.

... other than that just common sense and precaution.

Good luck.

also, I would not use a cherry picker unless you know how to sling a load properly. The weight of the beds is enough to warp themselves if not properly supported. A forklift helps a lot.

[colonel4bin]

Make sure you have plenty of help, I'd get 2 on each end. Lathes are VERY top-heavy and tend top want to flip over, especially bench models like an HSA. Remove the chucks and the bench if it's attached to one and move it that way. NEVER pick it up or lean on the head or tailstock....I just moved an HSA and it wasn't too bad, it's such a big investment I wouldn't take any chances if your unsure!

If you freight ship make sure it's tied down carefully, and wedge a board between the head and tailstock so they don't slide around and make sure you don't want to crank down on a strap too hard and mess with the alignment. If you get it in a pick-up you can slide it down from the bed on boards with a few friends.....I only use/buy HSA and HSJ lathes because they are easiest to transport, other floor models are more trouble than they are worth if you ever need to move/fix it and there aren't any advantages of having a K or EE really, it's overkill IMO unless you do crazy quartz or scientific work.

[Forche]

2 ton floor jacks - and get heavy duty casters with the "spike" in the middle cause ur legs should have holes on the bottom side in the corners

[zippetmonster]

i used a box truck with a liftgate and things worked out fine. it was a little expensive to rent but worth it to provide a stress free move.

[innervision]

Hi Aaron,
I'm in....Give me a call and I can help.
I have a 2.5 ton car jack and one heavy duty 4 wheel dolly.
--Jeff

[MPGB]

How far are you moving it?

[MPGB]

If your not too far from a warehouse company (tiles, concrete....) they have a flat bed with a fork lift that sits in the back. Here in Miami they deliver heavy loads for about 1 bill within 25 miles.

[Aaron Slater]

thanks to everyone for their help!

I'm going to look into another moving company, the place where it's located quoted me $800. If it was $100 I wouldn't hesitate.

Jeff- I'll call, you gotta come check the thing out when it's set up at least!

thanks again!

[daveabr]

fork lift is the way to go. but, not always an option.

another option is to have the guy shipping it, put it on a skid. get a lift gate for the delivery, and use a pallet jack/hand truck (can rent for a day at a tool rental for very cheap, 10-20 bucks)


just be careful if you carry it. they are often very end or top heavy. not the most awesome thing to carry by hand. done it many times, but never a comforting thing to do.

[Riley]

doug is spot on.

dave also makes a great point for those without forklifts.

a pallet jack with pallets on it to build up the height/range the jack can lift.

also car/truck dollies/casters.

[B.C. Creations]

get a trailer that sits lower to the ground. we moved a litton ee lathe last year out of a basement and off a loading dock onto a car hauler. was quite the feat. the loading dock was 5 ft higher than the trailer so we made a make shift ramp and inched it down to the trailer. 4 guys. it was harder to take off the trailer and get into the shop. we luckily had a fork lift to move it from the old shop to the new shop. made life alot easier. either way good luck and take pics. youll wanna remember it.

[B.C. Creations]

heres a couple pics of us getn into the old shop