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Newb that needs to move a mill...

A

AEnemaBay

Plastic
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Location
Jefferson City, MO
Hey everyone, let me preface this by saying that I have absolutely zero knowledge when it comes to moving machinery. Hell, up until moving to Missouri I never even had a garage.

Just yesterday, I bought a Excello 602 mill on Craigslist for a song. It's not the prettiest thing, but it's complete and it works. The only issue now is how do I get it from Kansas to my garage in Jefferson City, MO (3 hours/185 mi one way)? The mill is currently un-palletized and the current owner doesn't have a forklift. Pretty much it's up to me to get it out of there and into my garage. From my research the mill weighs in at 3,000 pounds.

I, unfortunately, don't have a truck currently and being fairly new to the area don't know anyone with the equipment to assist me. I'm sure that this situation would be a no brainer for the majority of you, but alas it's a pain for me. Any and all help would be much appreciated.
 
Contact a rigger to move it for you. It will cost you, but they are insured and will make you feel stupid with how easily they can do it. The rigger we use lets a couple of their employees do work on weekends for cash, so sometimes you get a really good deal if they don't need much equipment.
 
Perhaps ask around a few local shops... Chances are they know some. I know in our area there a few people that will do small moves, but do not really advertise... And, yes, they are insured.. They work a lot cheaper, and are more flexible than the big rigging outfits.
 
Since you got the mill for a bargain, you might consider hiring the job out as suggested above. Absent that solution, I would check the rental companies for a hydraulic lift trailer that lowers the bed to floor level, and put short pieces of steel pipe under the mill and crowd it with a pry bar (large). A winch or come-along will be a great help. Move slowly and think out every move before you make it. Use sufficient chains/straps to secure the load on the trailer. Regards, Clark
 
There are a hundred ways to do it.
First you need to get it moving, J-bars and a handful of black pipes work.
Anything you or a buddy owns with a trailer hitch that will haul this weight?
Rented drop drown trailers and a pallet jack work well.
A rental truck with a drop gate that will handle this load is also nice.
Within the range of a good sized pickup truck with springs to match.

The biggest oh-poop is that there is no way to load it onto something like a car hauler.
You need a lift on both ends.
This means two forklift rentals, around here that would be $200-$300 bucks on each end.
You can take it apart and use a "cherry pick.....".opps, engine hoist to load the parts.
This trick works well, smaller chunks are easier to deal with.
Two normal pickups carrying the parts?

I'm gonna go with a rigger which will kill your nice price tag for the machine.
I like doing this stuff myself but often wonder if my time was worth the money.
On the flip side last time I moved my shop I paid 9k+ to the highly recommended local riggers and I was not happy with their treatment of the grinders.

Above all if doing it yourself, stay away from falling machines and know that they are not worth losing your leg or hand.
You have to drop a 60k CMM on it's back in the parking lot and learn to laugh at it.

You seem to be in the spend not much money, do it myself end.......
I will scream these words...... BE SAFE and run like hell if it goes even somewhat wrong..
Bob
 
Since you stated the distance and travel time, I inferred that you planned on doing the move yourself. You'll find that you will often get alternative suggestions on PM (as above).

If there is access at the current location, you might consider hiring a roll back car hauler to drag it onto the roll back and then you winch (drag) it onto a trailer (U-Haul if you don't have otherwise).
U-Haul is probably cheaper if you rent in Jefferson City and drag it empty to Kansas rather than one way rental from Kansas. Check it out.
You'll need 10 or 12 2" ratchet straps to secure it on the trailer.
To lower the center of gravity, turn the head of the mill upside down (motor down) and lower the knee all the way.
 
sealark37 said:
Since you got the mill for a bargain, you might consider hiring the job out as suggested above. Absent that solution, I would check the rental companies for a hydraulic lift trailer that lowers the bed to floor level, and put short pieces of steel pipe under the mill and crowd it with a pry bar (large). A winch or come-along will be a great help. Move slowly and think out every move before you make it. Use sufficient chains/straps to secure the load on the trailer. Regards, Clark
Click to expand...

You can move a machine like this by yourself and it is not hard to do but you need to understand that you could tip it over very easily if you don't pay attention to where it is supported by the rollers. I would suggest a truck and forklift rental with someone that can load it for you. Riggers charge a lot of money, they usually have corporate pockets that pay them. If you want to keep it low cost get someone that has their own truck and forklift and wants to make some money on the weekend. Even a towtruck driver with a wheel lift can do this.
 
Don't be number 636272 person in this forum that drops a perfectly good mill and f***s it. It will cost you more to fix and never be the same. Just hire a professional
And sleep soundly a night with zero stress. I pay good money to minimise stress!
 
Yes, please get pros to move it.

My son and I helped a friend unload a big Van Norman mill in the driveway of the new house they bought.

Lift gate rental truck.

None of us knew at the time about the risks w/ lift gates, fortunately hydraulics did not fail and drop the gate w/ the mill on it.

But the gate did sag and twist under the weight. Fortunately, there was something to catch it as we watched the mill tilt over.

There is a "footprint" of a part of the top section of the Van Norman now indented into the facia just above the garage door opening......
 
If you haven't been around machinery and have no experience moving stuff like this, the very first thing you need to understand is that most of this stuff is surprisingly top heavy. If you are smart and careful you can do it, but if you have any doubt about what you are doing or how you are going to do it you should hire someone.

As another option to what other members have suggested, see if there is an independent heavy equipment repair service that does field service work around. Independent field service guys that work on heavy equipment almost always have a service truck with a crane more than big enough to handle the mill. They also have a lot of experience with rigging, lifting and moving heavy stuff. If such a guy is around and they have enough slack time you can likely hire them to help you. I have moved a lot of machinery with my field trucks. Get the machine out of the garage or shop, pick it up with the truck crane and set it in the bed. Strap it down and haul it home. If the ceiling in the building where the mill is now is high enough you wont even have to drag it outside. It is worth looking into.

Tilt bed wreckers are also a good option for you to look into.

Others have already said it in various ways, but I'll say it again. You can't be too careful. Stuff can get away from you pretty fast and there is enough weight involved that it can be ugly. Make doing it safely the first thing on your list.
 
Thanks for the info, everyone. I contacted a rigger and was quoted $2,000. Luckily, I contacted a few local wreckers and found one that also has a lot of experience moving heavy machinery. They quoted me at $600 to pick it up and deliver it to my garage with mileage included, which would still make the total less than what a mill costs around here typically. That's the route I'll go. Thanks again!
 
That's likely a good choice you've made. $600 for pickup/delivery/200 miles sounds like a good deal, at least relative to a real rigging crew. Smaller machines like this can be moved fairly easily, with a good deal less risk than a 13,000 lb VMC.

If you want to continue thinking about it, search this site for "moving Bridgeport" or similar search terms to get a rundown on experiences and techniques, good, bad, and disastrous. Lathes are even more trouble, generally speaking.
 
AEnemaBay said:
Thanks for the info, everyone. I contacted a rigger and was quoted $2,000. Luckily, I contacted a few local wreckers and found one that also has a lot of experience moving heavy machinery. They quoted me at $600 to pick it up and deliver it to my garage with mileage included, which would still make the total less than what a mill costs around here typically. That's the route I'll go. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

That's a bargain. An old pro will make short work of getting it to its new home. A very wise choice.
 
Another option is to move it in pieces. Makes a lot of sense if you plan to paint it, or have to move it into a difficult area, such as a basement. You'll learn about the machine as you do it, and may uncover some parts that need replacing. Take lots of pictures and notes.

If you do take it apart, be careful of the pieces. You'll likely be able to lay them down in a truck bed so that they won't be as apt to tip, but you'll still want to block them in and chain or strap them.

With a long enough lever, Archimedes stated that he could move the Earth. With a comealong, levers, blocks, rollers, chains and planks - and some common sense and patience - a milling machine is easy. Think about every step first, and if you have any doubts think some more.

John
 
AEnemaBay said:
Thanks for the info, everyone. I contacted a rigger and was quoted $2,000. Luckily, I contacted a few local wreckers and found one that also has a lot of experience moving heavy machinery. They quoted me at $600 to pick it up and deliver it to my garage with mileage included, which would still make the total less than what a mill costs around here typically. That's the route I'll go. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Are you going to be present at the loading? Take a camera. Good luck.
 
To go that distance in a rented truck and needing to buy a hoist to lift it into the rented trailer you probably saved money to pay someone to move it for you. Hope it all works well for you.
Bill D.
 
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