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Moving a lathe in a pickup truck

crossthread

Titanium
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Location
Richmond,VA,USA
Good evening. I picked up a Monarch EE for my son for Christmas and I was hoping someone could tell me if it would be safe to move it in the back of my Ford F-250. It's only a 30" lathe but I don't know exactly how much it weighs. I have hauled a whole pallet of Quickrete and nothing broke so I think it will be okay but I would like a second opinion. Thanks very much.
 
We did the same thing with a 14". We just used 2" ratchet type ty-downs. I remember joking that the guy behind us will never know what hit him.
 
I just moved a LeBlond Regal 15x30 and I would say the biggest hassle would be getting it lifted into and out of the truck. If you have the equipment available to lift it and the heavy end is up close to the cab then go for it. Other wise I would try and find a trailer with a very sturdy ramp, pallet jack, some type of winch or come-along, and a dolly for the light end with plenty of cribbing, pry bars, and a iron digger.lathe.jpglathe.jpglathe.jpg
 
I am pretty sure mine weighed 3500 pounds. Do make sure you bolt it to at least 4X4 sleepers as wide as will fit into your truck bed as this lathe, like most, is very top heavy. Toppling it and breaking hard to replace wheels and levers (or worse) would make for a bad day. There are two hoist point threaded sockets in the bed near the head stock intended for lifting eyes. They may be covered over with paint. Sliding the tailstock to and fro can tune the lift balance.

That is a pretty nice Christmas present!

Denis
 
Then there is the easy way to move a lathe. Hire a car carrier. They can slant their bed any way they want and they have a winch. The guy will set it right were you want it for a reasonable price. Beats you fucking up your back and then some.3500 to 4500 pounds of steel can screw you up good if it gets away from you. This is now how we move all our equipment these days. Bob L
 
That's a lot of focused weight in a 3/4 ton. If it was 10 miles away it might be do-able, but 150 miles away I would rent a trailer. And I'd still prob try to rent a trailer if I could easily find one.
 
Ignorant me moved a ancient Hendey maybe 30 years back in a light Chevy (whatever the little four banger pickups were called). Probably about 1000 lbs of tall iron

Flipped over and out on a slow turn, and then we were dragging it along upside down nestled up against the poor embarrassed Chevy

It was a real educational event

The buyer had to come along with his strapping young brothers to take care of the mess - they all thought it was perfectly normal
 
IIRC, the 3500 lb weight mentioned above is correct. An F-250 has a rated payload of about that much:
What Is the Maximum Payload of a Ford F-250? | Reference.com

Definitely a strong pallet or sleeper arrangment, with all the cautions about top heavy.

The one think I'd worry about, whether in the bed or on a trailer, is getting the thing into oscillations. Nearly did that with a small (12" delta) wood lathe. Well, it was small for a 1960 Delta, probably 1500 lbs. So go very slow, and even slower when you turn.

The truck weighs about 5800 lbs, and the lathe about 3500. And you're putting the CG of the lathe about 5 foot higher than the axle. Which is why a lot of folks would prefer the trailer approach.
 
Dear Crossthread,
Will you adopt me?
A Schaublin 70 with the dividing head and milling setup would make a great stocking stuffer.
 
IIRC the EE weighs the better part of 3000 pounds.

The issue is tipping sideways, vaulting out of the bed and onto the volkswagen beside you


Have it bolted to a pallet the better part of the width of the bed, securely.


Strap it down till you are afraid for the truck


I borrowed my friends 73 chevy half ton to bring home a short table short knee bridgeport[1500 pounds] I don't recall it being on a pallet and we used some real industrial ratchet straps to hold it down. All was fine, going up my steep rocky driveway elicited some butt puckeringly ominous thunk thunks, but it stayed in the truck. That was 35 years ago, and I don't think I would do that again.

A pair of 4 foot 4x4 and some large lags, and more than 4+ real ratchet straps and I would probably be confident
 
Secure the upper parts of the lathe securely to each side of your trailer. Each strap should attach to the lathe separately. In the photos above, the top of the lathe is NOT secured. There is a strap going over it, but nothing to prevent the lathe from sliding under the strap and tipping over. I would use 4 straps and secure them to the spindle, headstock, tail stock, or bed individually. Be sure to angle the straps toward the front and rear to prevent fore/aft movement.

Drive slow, take lightly traveled routes, watch for potholes!
 
I moved my South bend Nordic in the back of my 97’ Chevy 3500 with a service body. No issues.
Moved a 4 foot 2500lbs press brake in the back of my padres 08’ Chevy 2500 from Chicago to Milwaukee. No issues.
I did have a issue moving my Cincinnati tool and cutter grinder in my truck. It broke the pallet and ended up leaning on the compartment. I highly advise against a pallet. I always keep some cribbing around for moving equipment. I would bolt some 4x4’s or 2x4’s to it and lay a few sheets of plywood in the box to save the tin truck box floor. I have a stack of plywood sheets I save for that reason. Even use it on trailers so I don’t tear up the decks if I have to slide a machine across.
 
A friend asked me to help him pick up and deliver to his shop an older lathe he got cheap. I asked him about the lathe and all he knew that it was running and all parts were in good shape. We drive over in my F-150 and I asked him if he was nuts. The lathe was an American Pace Maker, probably weighed 8000/9000 lbs. I told him to hire a rigging outfit. The owner looked at my truck and said " you ain't loading the lathe on that toy truck sonny.
The seller delivered the lathe for a $1000.00, lathe probably was worth it if my friend knew how to run it. I was not there when it was delivered but am told it went smoothly.
 








 
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