What's new
What's new

Bridgeport J-Head Lifting Eye Question

Leaky88

Plastic
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Location
IL
I opted to move my own Bridgeport instead of letting the movers do it.
My neighbor loaded it on my open trailer with his Back-Hoe using approved lifting Straps. No problem.

998 miles later:

I now have a Bridgeport Series 1 J-Head sitting on a Trailer. BUT, there is no Farmer with a Back-Hoe.

My plan is to roll the Bridgeport to end of the Trailer, and use a HD 2 TON Engine Hoist to lift machine enough to drive the Trailer out, and
lower it onto a pallet. I can then jockey it around with a Pallet Jack.

As I understand, the threaded LIFTING EYE eye can be used to pick-up the Mill. (I've been told that eye was used to move it during it's production.)
However, several people have told me the eye is 5/8".
The one on my Bridgeport is only 1/2"

Question 1: Does anyone have a 1/2" lifting eye and if so, have
you picked the machine up with it?

Question 2: I have a new looking 4x4 pallet I intend to lower this 2K# machine onto for movement with Pallet Jack. Does anyone see an issue with this?

Thanks.

Leaky
 
I have seen plenty of pictures of broken pallets with machines on their sides. It would not hurt to deck the pallet with 3/4 ply.
If you are worried about the eye, use could wrap a sling around the ram.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
IME, a BP doesn't balance worth a darn with the eyebolt. The front is heavy, then you end up moving the ram forward to get it to balance better. That doesn't help much because it moves the heavy head as well. A strap around the ram between the column and the head is a better balance. Use a ratchet chain fall between the end of the ram and the hook to get it perfect.

I agree with putting plywood on your pallet if its a good pallet. You may be better off making your own.

And there is almost always a farmer with a backhoe or a loader. You just haven't met him yet.
 
The last Bridgeport I bought came with a handy moving cart deal the seller fabbed up.

using some 2" angle he made a cradle for the base. The front and rear angle he welded so the lip was on top, facing away from the machine so you could use it to lift the machine.

On the sides he welded 4 3/4" or 1" pins and to those he slid on 4 foam filled tires from harbor freight which pinned in place (crossholes).

I rolled it out of his backyard shed, across his lawn, around his house and winched it onto my trailer on that super handy little cart.

When I got home I unloaded with my forklift and sold that cart on Craigslist for $400.

That rolling cart was brilliant for a guy without a forklift. I was able to easily pull the tires off and set the mill on the floor/trailer deck by myself with a block of wood and a 3' prybar.

No pallet. No forklift. No cherry picker.

BTW, seen a lot of "HD" cherry pickers and unless they say OTC or were made in WWII they aren't lifting over 1000 pounds.
 
FYI: that eyebolt hole got bigger over the years I assume they decided 1/2" was not enough. I do not know if it went to 3/4 or not? Flip the head to lower the center of gravity.
A bridgeport breaks down into a lot of 200 pound pieces. The main column is 600 pounds.
Bill D
 
yesterday I saw a video of removing a pallet under a big bandsaw. They built two kinda step ladders one on each side. Then they laid a plank beam across under the upper arm. placed a floor jack on top of the beam and under the arm and lifted it that way.
heavier duty then a step ladder but you get the idea. It only weighed 600-900 pounds.
Bil lD
 
I have no idea how the threads in the arm will respond to a 90 degree side load. They are designed around a straight up lifting force and it was determined that 1/2 was not enough safety margin by later experience. I am talking about the threads in the casting not the force on the bolt which is another concern. Use one of those official lifting rings with a swivel and a ballbearing.
Jergens is one make
Bil lD.

Hoist Ring Traditional Center Pull | Jergens Inc
 
Just a couple of notes: The older BPs had 1/2-13 tapped holes for lifting eye, maybe pre-mid-70's. The newer ones are 5/8. I have one of each in my shop.

I have lifted and moved my older machine (J-head w/36" table, about 1900 lbs) a few feet with a Harbor Freight shop crane, with the special high-tensile orange paint, and I would never trust that situation at the (apparently) RATED capacity at the designated boom extension. Be aware as well that the leg extensions in front of the crane can really get in the way of putting the machine down in the floor. If you are working in a confined space (like my shop), this becomes a logistics nightmare in many ways. If you have plenty of maneuvering room, not such an issue.

On edit: I never used the lifting eyes for moving the entire machine, only nylon straps for lifting the machine or large parts of it.
 
Last edited:
My machine is 1968. So that might explain 1/2” - 13 eye on my Mill.
I have an older US made engine hoist with a 5K rated hydraulic jack I “was” planning to use.
I have a 6ft 1” Diameter Spud Bar for leverage. What diameter,material, length of pipe and # of pieces should I have on hand for moving it across the cement floor?
 
I do not think I have ever use the eyebolt in question here for moving a machine,
I just sling it on the ram, wood blocks and forklift under the ram or pick it up by the bottom.
Always saw that bolt hole there as for removing the head/ram assembly to put in a spacer or take the top off for easier cg when moving on a truck.
Bob
 
I wouldn’t trust a eyebolt that small. Generally to hoist you would use 50% of rated load. In this case 5000 eyebolts straps and hoist. A wood pallet would break way too easily. A method I’ve used would be to bolt your Bridgeport to two 16’ 4x8s while on the trailer. Then move it forward with pipe rollers come along and pallet jack. One machine I picked up the rental company delivered a extenda boom forklift fo $75, and two hour rental. Worked great and didn’t scratch the machine.

Kelly
 
A number of these have been moved with the 5/8" eyelet. Since yours is only 1/2", why not drill it out with a 17/32 and tap it to 5/8"-11? If you're like me you'll have this same issue in another 5-10 years, so you might as well fix it now. If you have the height, sturdy straps under the ram would be my next bet. If not, an appropriate steel bar with a 5/8" or larger eyelet strapped to the top of the ram would save space.

The first time I moved mine I lifted it off the trailer, head upside down, backed the trailer under a gantry, lifted, pulled the trailer out, and put it down. I don't remember it being particularly poorly balanced, but I had the table all the way back and mine has a huge electrical box on the back with the EZTrak controls.

The second time I lagged it to 4x4 so that it would have a longer footprint then with 1" pipes paid a tilt bed tow truck to roll it on, then roll it back off where I wanted it. Once there a pry-bar and some 2x4 chunks can slowly step it back of the 4x4s to ground level.
 
I don’t know about the lifting eye, but be careful with the engine hoist.

I used my “2 ton” engine hoist to move my bridgeport. The front wheels broke. Luckily I didn’t have it lifted very high. When I replaced them I learned that size of swivel wheel is only good for a few hundred pounds. The only hoists that will actually lift over 1000 lbs safely are the ones with integral non-swivel front wheels.
 
I agree about the eye bolt. McMaster rating is likely for a flanged eye bolt screwed in all the way to the flange which then takes any side loading off the threads. Very likely the hole won't be deep enough and/or filled with paint and chips. Not having the eye bolt all the way in risks having it fracture through the threads if there is any side loading at all which there will be if it's dangling from a flimsy engine hoist. Use a 5000 pound rated strap to choke the ram between the column and the head.

If you have good smooth pavement where you are unloading (maybe unload inside) skip the pallet and land it on three lengths of one inch water pipe. Bridgeports are easy to roll on pipe and much easier to get on the floor than from a pallet.
Dennis
 
Lift the machine with the eye and the engine hoist. drive the trailer away. lower the BP on to 4x4s so you can get under it with a pallet jack. get right under the BP base with the pallet jack. roll it into place with the pallet jack. to get the jack out- cut about 20 pieces of 3/4" pine or plywood or mdf about 4" sq. Stack them up 5 high and place the stacks on the inside of the forks. slowly lower the pallet jack and let the BP rest on the stacks.remove the pallet jack . make sure you have some helpers to keep everything steady. then use a pry bar to lift the machine and remove one layer of the stack at a time front to back. dont go side to side because it could tip. front to back. 3/4" at a time until its on the floor. you will probably be able to slide the machine little if the slab is smooth to get it in exact location.
 








 
Back
Top