Moving a small cnc lathe - what is best practice for securing it on a flatbed?

I am looking into purchasing an old Mori Seiki SL-1 CNC lathe that is a few states away. I've been looking into getting a freight company to deliver it, but I may have to go get it myself with a flatbed trailer.




What is the best way to secure this style lathe to a trailer? My trailer has six large D-rings and I've moved bridgeports and larger engine lathes before, but it doesn't appear there are great places to attach chains / straps to this machine...what would be the best way to secure it?

The turret is blocked to the tailstock and I'm not too worried about the electronics as the machine will be retrofitted with a Centroid control.

I'd beware having this machine go through a freight terminal. I swear those guys have the market cornered on inventing new ways how to break some sh!t.

You want at least two tied downs. Heavy duty ratchet straps or chains with ratchet binders are best. Typically one over the headstock and one near or over the tailstock. Remove whatever sheet metal you need to get clean fairleads to you tiedowns and use corner protectors where there are edges. Best practice says tarp it to the deck once it's tied down. Loading it on the trailer you want the weight over the axle or slightly ahead. Make sure your tiedown points are solid.

SL series are kind of a bitch to tie down because of the sheet metal design and the control cabinets that run along the entire back side of the machine. If you rig it your self, block it on 4 sides on your trailer deck and run wide straps over the top of the machine, but not on the door. Beware you can bend the enclosure sheet metal if you get carried away with strap tension. Another alternative would be cable loops hooked over the top side of the leveling screws. Remove the tailstock end Sheetmetal door and there is access to the leveling screw inside the base. Looks like a nice clean machine- it it runs now, it will run forever with that control- just run it as is.

Thanks for the info...I appreciated it!

I recently picked a lathe up 10 hours away, and since I have one here like it already, I knew what I was dealing with, and like this one - there aint Jack to tie down to. So what I did was:

I have a bunch of 6x6's around here from a shed that I had tossed up in the yard some years ago, so;

A) I cut one of them to the width of the machine
B) I have one @ full width of trailer
C) I had two that are a little longer than the machine

1) Once the machine was set on the deck, I put (A) up agginst the machine on the fwd side
2) Then (B) goes in front of that
3) Then (C)'s go on either side of the machine, and up agginst (B)

So (A) ends up keeping the 6x's on the sides at the proper width up front.
Chain and binder went over (B) just like tieing down a bulkhead (b/c that's exactly what it is)
Another chain and binder went over the fwd ends of the sides (C) and (A)
This holds the front end of the side boards in place, doesn't really doo much for fwd motion at all, other than the chain is there to catch it (the machine) if it should move.
Then another chain and binder went over the rear ends of the two (C) boards.
This gave me a blocked up land on 3 sides of the machine, and I am skilled enough driver to not lose the machine out the back door, but if I did side-step the clutch too hard, there is a chain back there that should catch it.

Then I have some 4" ratchet straps that I tossed over the machine in 3 places, and only snugged them down.

I did tarp it to keep the wind off of it mostly.

10 hours and what had to be 100 bridge abutments on I80 west through Pennsylvania later, and while I personally may have not been in too good'a shape by the time I got back, the machine hadn't moved at all.


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

id start pulling those access panels in an attempt to expose routes through the bed

wippin' boy said:

id start pulling those access panels in an attempt to expose routes through the bed

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Boy - there's a name not seen in a coons age!


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

Dan from Oakland said:

Looks like a nice clean machine- it it runs now, it will run forever with that control- just run it as is.

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Way cleaner than my 1981 SL1-H!! I would be embarrassed to post a picture of my rusty hulk. However, it still hits the numbers every time! As long as it starts up each time, I stay away from the cabinet.

I would not let a freight company anywhere near it. I had mine brought in on a rollback. Granted, I only needed to go about 30 or so miles and I was there to help load.

There is a small panel at the lower right corner on the front. Remove that and you can get a hook on it. I don't remember what we did on the other side.

Bill

I think Ox has the right idea

THE sleepers keep the thing situated in the event of the most dramatic traffic incident. That is what it is about, some other idiot makes you throw out the anchor on the highway, and the trailer comes around, what happens then?

I think you've seen too much Walker Texas Ranger....


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

Ox said:

I think you've seen too much Walker Texas Ranger....


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

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Or not enough to know what that means............

Ox said:

Boy - there's a name not seen in a coons age!


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

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changed jobs
took this long to put this mess together
just in time too
3-10-21 is the last straw


'less they piss me off

Then what?
Fishin'?
Or a small shingle of your own?


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

I have a later 80's SL2H.

Access cover removes low on headstock end. Heavy castings down there you can chain and pull on. To tie down I ran straps through the door and out the back by the chip conveyor. a few straps over the top snugged gentle.

Why not buy a newer one ready to go to work?

I bought my SL2 in really nice shape for about a tenth of what fuel will cost you to drive a few states and back. Retrofit is a hard way to win with old CNC's.

Perfect shape or not that machines value is determined by it's weight.

Ox said:

Then what?
Fishin'?
Or a small shingle of your own?


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

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little fishin
lotta golf
and rat rod bikes!

You wunna drop a fat block in that?


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

Ox said:

You wunna drop a fat block in that?


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

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48 volt hub and enough lithium to cure the cookoos nest maybe

E-Go weedwhacker batts should git'chew going.


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

Shitcan your SL-1 retrofit bullshit plan and go get this:

Miyano BNC-34S - CNC Lathe - $4000.00