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Need some urgent advice on transporting an Abene mill

Spud

Diamond
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Location
Brookfield, Wisconsin
I was thinking of transporting this in the bed of my pickup truck. What do you all think, would you do it?
Or does it look too top heavy for a pickup? Item is 300 miles from me.


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My truck's specs:
2013 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 Diesel , short-bed (6' 6") , 4x4 , Z71 offroad package , LT trim


I believe the 2500HD is in-between a 2500 and a 3500 , I think it is called a light 1 ton.

Gross combined vehicle weight : 10,000 lbs
Gross Axle weight rating (Front) : 5,200lbs
Gross Axle weight rating (Rear) : 6,200 lbs

Getting the actual Curb weight of my truck is difficult. The GM website says 7,294 lbs. But Google searches say 6,500 for the gas V8. And Chevy customer service says 4300 lbs. Obviously Chevy is wrong.

From ground to floor of pickup bed is 38"
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The Abene weighs 4,300 lbs per the Manufacturer.

Assuming my truck weights 6,500 lbs or 7000lbs, I have a payload capacity of 3000 - 3500lbs.

These trucks are overbuilt so was wondering if hauling 4300lbs is an issue?

In 2018 I had a Cinncinnati #2 grinder that weighed 2400lbs in the bed , but the rear did not lower in ride height .

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I was going to make a custom wood skid that is the width of the bed and bolt the machine to it . Then run four to six 3000lb ratchet straps over the casting.


Abene in Sweden said to move the sliding casting all the way back and move the horizontal ram all the way forward. Lower the knee almost to the bottom and rest it on a wood block.
 
I wouldn't consider hauling that mill 300 miles in the bed of that truck. It would be a sketchy move at 5 miles. To much weight and top heavy for the load capacity and anchor points available.
 
Rent a trailer, buy some chains and binders or some heavy duty ratchet straps and thank me later.

I've towed upwards of 14,000lbs plus a 3000lb trailer with one of my trucks without knowing the weight until after the fact and had no issues.

Check tire pressure around, fresh brake pads.

FYI we have the same truck.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
Seeing as how it is a chevy I can easily understand why everyone says to trailer the mill. ;) My '78 F-250 has carried that weight for that distance without issue, but it has a flatbed with real tie down points.
 
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I vote for trailer. I rented a lift deck from sunbelt for about $100 to move my deckel fp2 and it worked out great. Not only was the trailer very heavy duty it made it very easy to unload since the trailer drops to the ground at a pretty shallow angle.
 
Without going into great detail, No. Rent a trailer. You'll be 1000 lbs over where that truck will be as full as it wants to be, and that last 1000 lbs makes a HUGE difference, plus it's top heavy weight. The limits of your rear tires alone are enough to veto it. BTDT with a heavier truck, and I'm not one to come down on the cautious side.

Nice acquisition though, congrats.
 
Back when I use to have a home shop I moves an Abene mill several times. All of those moves were with a trailer rated for the job. Trailers are the only way to go unless you have a proper truck for the Job. Even if your bed could take the weight the tie down points in modern pickups suck. I would never trust factory tie down points with any kind of heavy load.
Be safe for yourself and others, Trailer all the way
For a fairly decent size mill the Abenes are very compact and have a relatively low center of gravity.

Andy
 
I have a 2019 Duramax 3500. My payload capacity is right at 4000 pounds. Keep in mind that includes all passengers and cargo. Don't risk it. Tow it.
 
I own a one ton GM truck, and have had several in the past. The tie downs in these trucks are no where good enough for hauling machinery!

I have made my own tie down points for my truck and have hauled a 4000 lb. machine with no problem!

A steel plate or sheet of plywood in the bed will help spread the load over a wider area and keep from damaging the bottom of the bed, the pallet will work as well but it raises the center of gravity, so keep that in mind!

If you just have the stock tie downs, rent a trailer!

BTW, Nice looking machine!

Kevin
 
Great looking mill and you got the quill. How did it look up close and in person?

Andy


Haven't seen it in person yet. Going tomorrow to check it out.


Ok all. I have scrapped the idea of hauling it in my truck after reading the replies.


Now about what trailer to rent? How do I secure machine to flat deck trailers ? Unfortunately I can't bolt the base of the machine down to the deck.



Which would you all choose ? Price is not a concern, since the most expensive one is $120 a day and I only need it for one day.

This dual axle Flat Deck 10,000lbs
Hydraulic Ground Level Equipment Trailer, 6 ft. by 14 ft., Tandem Axle for Rent - United Rentals

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Or This Dual 5000lb axle utility trailer with guard rail
Utility Trailer, 10 ft.-14 ft., Tandem Axle for Rent - United Rentals

guard-rail-dual-axle-utility-trailer.jpg



Or This metal deck
Equipment Tilt Bed Trailer 6'x15' - Area Rental & Sales

trailer.jpg



Or this Triple- L drop deck
Hydraulic Drop Deck Trailer 10,000lb - Area Rental & Sales

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Or what about an Enterprise Stakebed truck or Box truck?
Moving Trucks, Commercial Box Trucks and Vans - Enterprise Truck Rental

Enterprise-trucks.png
 
One more thing : Do I need electric brakes ?

My truck does have the trailer towing package but I got a dashboard warning message saying "Service Trailer Brake system" .

It seems to be a common problem . Some owners said replace the trailer brake fuses and Trailer brake relay, which I did , but that didn't fix it.


Would you all rely on Surge brakes alone?
 
How you load and unload the trailer has an impact on what trailer design you get. Dropdeck all you need is a pallet jack, the wood deck flatbed if forklift etc. Wood deck will not let the load slide as easy.
Surge brakes will be fine.
 
How you load and unload the trailer has an impact on what trailer design you get. Dropdeck all you need is a pallet jack, the wood deck flatbed if forklift etc. Wood deck will not let the load slide as easy.
Surge brakes will be fine.


I assume you mean I would need a motorised pallet jack, if using the drop-deck?

I tried moving my 2400lb Cincinnati grinder with a manual pallet jack, and it wouldn't budge, though the ground was a bit bumpy too. Still I highly doubt I could move this machine with a manual pallet jack even if ground is smooth.


My usual method of unloading is a tow-truck with a boom. My regular tow-truck guy says his boom can easily lift 5000lbs.
 
I had a tow truck (roll off deck) transport my abene and he almost flipped it over trying to pull the mill up the ramp during the transition from ground to ramp. He was using the winch with a sling around the mill as low as possible but we found it to be a bit top heavy which is contrary to what others wrote above.
Probably useless info but regardless, think smart, plan and be careful and you'll be fine.
 
I assume you mean I would need a motorised pallet jack, if using the drop-deck?

I tried moving my 2400lb Cincinnati grinder with a manual pallet jack, and it wouldn't budge, though the ground was a bit bumpy too. Still I highly doubt I could move this machine with a manual pallet jack even if ground is smooth.


My usual method of unloading is a tow-truck with a boom. My regular tow-truck guy says his boom can easily lift 5000lbs.

I use a pallet jack all the time to move my 4000 lb ironworker around on smooth concrete. To get your mill up on the drop deck just pull it with a come a long. (pull the pallet jack, not the mill)
You can also bar up the mill onto pipe rollers and the pipe rollers should get the base up enough to slide it into the trailer.

How close can you get the trailer to the final resting place of the machine? It would be nice to just roll/slide it off the trailer right to its new spot.
 
We use this tilt deck trailer all the time to move equipment. This is that super heavy load I picked up. Was told 4000lbs total and I get there and realize it's 3x that.

Chevy towed it just fine.
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Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
With the machine being 4.300lbs , could I use several 3,000lb load rating Nylon ratchet straps ? I was thinking of using 6 or more?

Or does each strap need to have a load rating over the weight of the machine?
 








 
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