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Interesting trailer tie down for Bridgeport style mill... (pic)

Milacron

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I sold this last week and was surprised at the elaborate blocking the buyer did... :scratchchin:

IMG_9029.jpg
 
What's odd, is those 2x4's front and back.

In an impact or just hard braking, if the straps yield (even a small amount) you'll have toothpicks.
 
A couple chains across the base would result in more strength than all of that nonsense. I never cease to be amazed by the amount of "little big riggers" out there trying to reinvent the wheel.
 
Not all of that can be tight at once Two tension members against each other ok. Two compression against each other ok. One tension against one compression ok. Both tension and compression membebrs on both sides, something will be loose. And get looser with each bump.

I am also unimpressed that the load is right over the axles, meaning that none of the machine weight is available as tongue weight to improve traction of the tow vehicle.

Hope he made it home alright.
 
I am also unimpressed that the load is right over the axles, meaning that none of the machine weight is available as tongue weight to improve traction of the tow vehicle.

Hope he made it home alright.
Looks to me that the mill is centered over the front axle.
 
Don't know what the 2x4 would do.


When I moved my Abene (4,400 lbs) last fall, I bolted it down to a very heavy duty pallet (about 150lbs pallet weight).

Then ran Three 3300lb (10,000 lb breakout strength) straps over the base casting. Ran another strap over the top of the knee and another strap from the headache rack to the back of the sliding ram.

I always make a custom skid/pallet or in this case used a heavy duty pallet I had. Prefer bolting / blocking machines to a skid/pallet as that gives it a much larger footprint and less chances of tipping over, or sliding if you only use blocks.








 
I always put one G70 chain around the machine and attach to the back of the trailer. Not needed to be banjo tight. But, I want to take as few chances as possible that a XXXX pound piece of iron is going to hit me in the back of the head if things get squirrelly up front.

I like to use the 5/8-11 tapped hole that usually comes in the ram of that style of milling machine as a fixed tie down point.

Also I recommend the use of cordura sleeves or other sling-softeners to protect those web straps from fatal chafing. A sleeve is nice because it won't blow away :)
 
And not one strap over the top of the machine or knee where it would do what 2-3 of those other straps are trying to do! But, I did observe a couple of guys put a BP in the back of a 10 wheel dump truck at an auction one time. That poor machine had so many chains wrapped around it. . . . had to turn away.
 
I would have rotated the head down. Can't tell if the motor will clear the table. I suppose you could swing the ram 180 so the head is behind the column and then swing head all the way down.
 
I always put one G70 chain around the machine and attach to the back of the trailer. Not needed to be banjo tight. But, I want to take as few chances as possible that a XXXX pound piece of iron is going to hit me in the back of the head if things get squirrelly up front.

I like to use the 5/8-11 tapped hole that usually comes in the ram of that style of milling machine as a fixed tie down point.

Also I recommend the use of cordura sleeves or other sling-softeners to protect those web straps from fatal chafing. A sleeve is nice because it won't blow away :)

I bought a roll of used fire hose, cut it into several different lengths to protect my straps, works great!

Kevin
 
That looks like it would take an hour or more to construct, at least he strapped it down. I sold a large kiln to a guy about a month ago that weighed around 800 lbs, I loaded it into his camper van through the side doors and he just shut em and took off. I hope nobody pulled out in front of him. This looks like a mess but I bet he made it home ok.
 
I use the wood blocks around the base of machines when I move stuff. Not for holding position in case of an "Oh shit!" situation but rather to keep the machine nicely aligned and in place through all the bumps and bounces and vibration. The "oh shit"uations should be handled by a strap or chain around the base to the rear like already mentioned several times.

That photo is quite an eye-opener, heh. I have never seen that many contrivances used to tie down such a little machine. I'm especially not feeling that 2"x4" diagonally up to the underside of the head... That doesn't look very good for the machine at all. I may be oversensitive to that though, having seen an apprentice rip the head right off a Bridgeport with an overhead crane. The casting gave way right in that region.
 
It doesn’t look like he has any straps going side to side, everything fore and aft. I assume the 2x4 is just toe nailed into the deck, that’s going to fail long before you have toothpicks!
 
I am also unimpressed that the load is right over the axles, meaning that none of the machine weight is available as tongue weight to improve traction of the tow vehicle.

Optical illusion.... the mill was placed more forward than it appears in that photo...was fine in the tongue weight aspect.

As an aside I'm a little surprised no one seems to have mentioned the problem with properly tieing down a machine on a "deck under" trailer where the wheels/fenders are in the way of the best tie down positions*. Thus the "fore and aft" straps as opposed to more ideal tie down points. With that type of trailer I've always been tempted to weld a bar where fenders meet trailer deck, the length of the fenders for better tie down positions but never got around to it. Alternatively, weld 3 for 4 heavy eye bolts or D rings (per side) in that area.

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*mostly a problem when hauling one machine.... two or more machines the weight distribution/machine positions on trailer, often works out such that they are clear of the fenders for better tie down points.
 
That looks like it would take an hour or more to construct, at least he strapped it down. I sold a large kiln to a guy about a month ago that weighed around 800 lbs, I loaded it into his camper van through the side doors and he just shut em and took off. I hope nobody pulled out in front of him. This looks like a mess but I bet he made it home ok.

I agree. It certainly looks like an amateur job but at least a lot better than just using a pair of 1 inch straps or lightweight rope. For an amateur better too many tie downs than too few.
 








 
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