Opinions on pricing for HLVH i would like to sell

[Link240]

Hello all. I've just inherited this lathe and i'm looking to get opinions on what you think its worth/what info i can collect to give to potential buyers.
I am selling even though I enjoy machining but i have no need for such a precise machine.
It's disassembled into large components for transportation but it runs however i have never personally used it.
It looks to be in decent shape. If you were a buyer, what questions would you want answered?

Thanks

 

[Milland]

Dissembled, some surface rust, unknown if it works - I'd guess you'd do well to get $1000 for it. Might find the right person who offers more if you're willing to wait...

 

[L Vanice]

Location is an important key to finding a buyer. A local person would pay more than someone who needed to arrange packing and shipping thousands of miles. The pictures were taken in a large and well-equipped machine shop that probably has the means to load the parts onto a truck. The largest part of the lathe weighs around 800 pounds, pretty tough to lift without proper equipment. But is that where it is now? A buyer would want the serial number, stamped on the back of the bed near the tailstock end. Many buyers would not want to deal with a 440 V motor.

Larry

 

[Link240]

Dissembled, some surface rust, unknown if it works - I'd guess you'd do well to get $1000 for it. Might find the right person who offers more if you're willing to wait...

Ah perhaps i should put it back together and maybe someone will be interested in taking a look at it. Unfortunately the person who took it apart passed shortly after so i would have to figure it out.

Location is an important key to finding a buyer. A local person would pay more than someone who needed to arrange packing and shipping thousands of miles. The pictures were taken in a large and well-equipped machine shop that probably has the means to load the parts onto a truck. The largest part of the lathe weighs around 800 pounds, pretty tough to lift without proper equipment. But is that where it is now? A buyer would want the serial number, stamped on the back of the bed near the tailstock end. Many buyers would not want to deal with a 440 V motor.

Larry

Ah thank you, i took these today and it is still in the shop. I have moved it around with an engine hoist. Is the box only compatible with 440? I have a spare 3hp motor thats either 110 or 220 around i was going to attempt to use with it.

 

[L Vanice]

Location?

That lathe was shipped with a very special and expensive two-speed motor, so it would hurt the value and usefulness to try to put some cheap single speed single phase motor in it and then try to figure out how to run the other two motors. The lathe plate says 440 V, which is only the main motor voltage. Your picture of the main motor is not clear enough to verify the motor voltage. Few shops have 440 V service, so it makes the lathe less desirable to many potential buyers.

Larry

 

[sfriedberg]

Where are you, Link240? Rather, where is the machine? Is it 3000 miles away from me, or just 30 minutes away?

There used to be a requirement to put your location in your profile precisely so people would not have to ask this question for every item offered for sale or trade.

 

[Milland]

Does the forum still have that issue where there's two places you need to input your location? OP's "About" says he's in New Jersey.

 

[Jim Caudill]

As a functioning lathe, its value is very hard to pin down. Without being able to hear the spindle bearings, determine the carriage backlash, hear the carriage feed motor and see how the drive control works - it would just be a crapshoot. As a parts machine, it very definitely has decent value. I would probably consider paying close to $2,000 for it as an organ donor. I sold a similar vintage one last year for $6,000 after I had disassembled it, painted it, installed new rack and pinion gear for the carriage feed, new belts, a few bearings here and there, equipped it with a 3-jaw chuck and an Aloris AXA tool post. I think it took me almost 4 months to make the sale. I have had about 6 of these lathes and have a project that has been languishing in a shed for about 20 years. I need to fix it or part-it-out. Here's a picture of the one I sold last year. It is serial # 727.

 

[moonlight machine]

I very much doubt it was taken apart for transport, a little lathe like that is easy to move when it is in one piece. So was someone starting a rebuild / restoration? If so what were its issues? How much is missing? I would pay 500.00-1000.00 max for it only because of the stupid value of these things.

 

[Link240]

Where are you, Link240? Rather, where is the machine? Is it 3000 miles away from me, or just 30 minutes away?

There used to be a requirement to put your location in your profile precisely so people would not have to ask this question for every item offered for sale or trade.

It made me put my location so i thought it was available to be seen. Im in north jersey.

Btw this isnt a "for sale" post because i dont know enough about it to ask for any certain amount. Its just me trying to figure out what people want to know so i can gather that info.

Location?

That lathe was shipped with a very special and expensive two-speed motor, so it would hurt the value and usefulness to try to put some cheap single speed single phase motor in it and then try to figure out how to run the other two motors. The lathe plate says 440 V, which is only the main motor voltage. Your picture of the main motor is not clear enough to verify the motor voltage. Few shops have 440 V service, so it makes the lathe less desirable to many potential buyers.

Larry

Ah i see. Perhaps i can try to find a lower voltage original motor for it. Im sure theres a couple out there. I had a picture of the plate but could only attach 10 pics, it is 440.

I very much doubt it was taken apart for transport, a little lathe like that is easy to move when it is in one piece. So was someone starting a rebuild / restoration? If so what were its issues? How much is missing? I would pay 500.00-1000.00 max for it only because of the stupid value of these things.

Not sure why youre questioning me, do i need to explain the exact details of what happened? The company i work for decided it wants to get rid of 2 bridgeports and 2 hardinge lathes in order to make room for a 20-36 blanchard. We got a quote for the 4 machines that was basically giving them away for free, so my coworker convinced them to give one to him instead. He lived in an apartment in nyc so he didnt have a place to put a whole lathe. He took it apart to clean it up and move it piece by piece but he died in a car accident shortly after, and his father gave the lathe to me.

I didnt want to sell it initially but i dont have a place for it that isnt at my job.

As a functioning lathe, its value is very hard to pin down. Without being able to hear the spindle bearings, determine the carriage backlash, hear the carriage feed motor and see how the drive control works - it would just be a crapshoot. As a parts machine, it very definitely has decent value. I would probably consider paying close to $2,000 for it as an organ donor. I sold a similar vintage one last year for $6,000 after I had disassembled it, painted it, installed new rack and pinion gear for the carriage feed, new belts, a few bearings here and there, equipped it with a 3-jaw chuck and an Aloris AXA tool post. I think it took me almost 4 months to make the sale. I have had about 6 of these lathes and have a project that has been languishing in a shed for about 20 years. I need to fix it or part-it-out. Here's a picture of the one I sold last year. It is serial # 727.

I see. I got the serial from mine. 805

 

[Jim Caudill]

Don't try to change the voltage of the machine - there's just too much involved. When the voltage gets reduced to half, all of the current will double. Fuses, contactors, control voltage transformer, etc will all have to be matched to the new voltage and current. It is a lot more than just trying to swap the motor. Just use a transformer backward to double the voltage from 220 to 440 after coming from a rotary phase converter or using true 3-phase power (I don't know what you have available).

 

[Link240]

Don't try to change the voltage of the machine - there's just too much involved. When the voltage gets reduced to half, all of the current will double. Fuses, contactors, control voltage transformer, etc will all have to be matched to the new voltage and current. It is a lot more than just trying to swap the motor. Just use a transformer backward to double the voltage from 220 to 440 after coming from a rotary phase converter or using true 3-phase power (I don't know what you have available).

Thanks for your info. At my job we have 220 single/three phase and 440 three phase. I could just set it up and run it because we made a little space for it, but if i ever wanted to take it to a new location i would have to change the voltage. I am not opposed to changing out the contents of the control box, as i could figure it out pretty easily and probably have some spare parts around that i could salvage.

I guess i wanted to just avoid all the hassle and just sell it, but if it's not gonna get me more than lets say, 2000, ill probably keep it.

 

[majohnson]

There is just so much electrical on the lathe and not knowing the condition of everything and if it does work. As mentioned previously the original motor, it not just as simple as tossing a different motor. It might almost be cheaper to have it rebuilt then trying to put it together.

 

[dkmc]

It's worth $1000-2000 to someone that really thinks they need/ want/ gotta have one and is willing to take on the project of sorting it out and putting it back together. If the OP spends all the hours and effort to put it back into running condition, it 'could' be worth $3000-4000, so basically $10/hr for time spent getting it into running condition.
If someone sent it to Babbin for a refurbish/ rebuild, he MIGHT knock off some money due to not having to disassemble it. Then there's the unknowns and possible missing parts/ pieces that could easily more than make up for any $$ he knocked off.
Tough one.
it sounds like the direction this is headed is, the OP will find a place to store it, and it will linger another decade or several.

 

[AdamC]

PM sent

 

[jim rozen]

For the record, what is the zip code where this machine is stored. I'm probably local to it at 10566.

 

[Link240]

For the record, what is the zip code where this machine is stored. I'm probably local to it at 10566.

Northeast most corner of NJ

 

[Link240]

It's worth $1000-2000 to someone that really thinks they need/ want/ gotta have one and is willing to take on the project of sorting it out and putting it back together. If the OP spends all the hours and effort to put it back into running condition, it 'could' be worth $3000-4000, so basically $10/hr for time spent getting it into running condition.
If someone sent it to Babbin for a refurbish/ rebuild, he MIGHT knock off some money due to not having to disassemble it. Then there's the unknowns and possible missing parts/ pieces that could easily more than make up for any $$ he knocked off.
Tough one.
it sounds like the direction this is headed is, the OP will find a place to store it, and it will linger another decade or several.

Its only been lingering since november, it was running before that. I could have it back together in 1 weekend, and if that will increase the price someone would pay, then i'll do that. And i dont think there are many, if any missing parts. Maybe some things im not aware of. I could take pics of everything.

 

[dkmc]

Its only been lingering since november, it was running before that. I could have it back together in 1 weekend, and if that will increase the price someone would pay, then i'll do that. And i dont think there are many, if any missing parts. Maybe some things im not aware of. I could take pics of everything.

Getting it back in one piece greatly increases your buyer demographic. The 440 aspect shrinks it some. A boost transformer to take 220 3ph to 440 3ph is the simplest and most common sense approach to that problem. If one weekend gets it from current condition to 'one piece and running' that's a no-brainer as far as time invested VS value added.

 

[jim rozen]

Rockleigh then. If you decide you want to sell give me a shout. Or if you want a consult. I'm by there on the way to closter every weekend.