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Unloading a palletized Bridgeport copy(2500lb) from a flatbed wrecker ?

geardoc

Cast Iron
Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Location
So Far West In NC I might just be in TN or GA
My tractor is still down, I had it back up, and the engine began to smoke from the injector pump being too rough, as well as a liner issue. The liner issue turned out not be my problem- the mfg of the sleeves has agreed to pay for a resleaving the two suspect units and partially payment a spliting the tractor again.

I could not find a reasonably priced 4BT injector pump, so I redid the 4FC1.

I had my forklift attachment be stolen during the teardown. The forklift attachment uses the 3pt hitch, a support bar system that ties to the axle, a lower hydraulic cylinder that attaches to the drawbar mount, as well as another one that runs at the toplink position.

The problem is that next week I need to pick up my milling machine. It is on a pallet that is 5 foot wide and 6 foot long.

Is a 2500 lb Bridgeport going to be too top heavy to safely allow a flat bed wrecker to lower and angle the bed, and then use straps and chain hook to the machine and pallet so that the flat bed wrecker can then drive out from under it ?

Thanks. Had some medical issues and I don't feel comfortable towing. I contacted one place about using a truck and forklift and they want $922 and me do the work with their equipment. Don't need the liability- they wouldn't operate their forklift on my property. Had some health problems as well, and I don't feel comfortable trailering right now.
 
I would not tilt bed it, maybe others have with success....

If it is a towing company perhaps they can also free up an oversized hook truck that can pick it off the bed, probably less than 900 bucks.

No straight up forklift rentals around?

Friendly with a lumberyard?


A regular rigger is not less than 900 bucks?
 
Can't you hire a light wagon with a Hiab arm! Round here Banger Racing is popular and many have their own small truck with Hiab for getting the bangers to and from the track. I've collared one racer a couple of times and he was most helpful and made a bit of pock out of it.
 
We have done the tilt bed thing a number of times. while it is flat, take it OFF the skid (before it even gets on the flatbed, if possible). re strap it down. If not already done, invert the head to lower the center of gravity. strap (no chain) around the base, between the Knee screw and the column. then have the FB operator run his cabled hook to the straps, and take up some tension. Tilt away. once tilted and extended, take of the straps that held it in place and LEAVE the cabled hook. If you have a johnny bar have the operator let out cable (NOT IN NEUTRAL ) while you work the machine down the bed. you will be fine. Others may not like it, but I have done it many times, just me and the FB guy. when you get to the end of the bed, bump up the bed an inch or two, and install 2, 1 1/2" (or so) by 3 foot long steel rollers under it and put it where you want it. Best of luck, Chris
 
I have tilt bed machines with attaching a hand winch high on the machine, then with letting a slack pinch the machine 3 inches and slack again. Good if attempting this to jack stand the trailer so change in ballane wont let it make any sudden move.
Have a hydraulic jack handy to make and slow careful changes. and tires blocked in

Often you can rent a tractor / we have guys around town with lift trucks, I don't see why a wrecker could lift and set a Bridgeport.
 
Now ya got me rethinking my plans. I have a real nice 4 wheel 12 ft hydraulic drop deck trailer. I am spruceing it up to sell it. They are the handiest trailers in the world. It sounds like you are up against hard times.If you were in Missouri ,I would help you out,if you would buy me lunch. See if you can rent one.Mine is a Jlg brand.I also have a smaller one that raises and lowers manually.It is a Biljacs brand.You can see them on you tube.They DONT TILT. They go flat on the ground and are about 2 inches thick with a 1 ft very small angle ramp.If your Bridgeport was on a pallet,you could load and unload it with a pallet jack. Good luck Edwin Dirnbeck
 
I've used a rented drop bed trailer to move my BP alone, I've also hired a roll back wrecker to move a 5,000 lb. jig bore to my new location. The pallet may/may not make things easier, it will all depend upon how robust the pallet is. The cross boards that may support the flat distributed weight of the BP may break when tilted and the weight is focused on one corner. I use machine skates, toe-jacks, and any other devices I can bring into play when moving machinery. I work real slow, in small increments, and use straps to limit movements. As a suggestion for hiring a roll back (flat bed) try to find the one the hot rod guys in the area use, they're accustomed to working carefully with expensive pieces. Take a photo (even off the internet) and show them what it is. The last guy I used shoe-horned the jog bore right onto the apron of the garage even after I discovered that I left the skates at the previous location. Are you picking up in Chattanooga?
 
Now ya got me rethinking my plans. I have a real nice 4 wheel 12 ft hydraulic drop deck trailer. I am spruceing it up to sell it. They are the handiest trailers in the world. It sounds like you are up against hard times.If you were in Missouri ,I would help you out,if you would buy me lunch. See if you can rent one.Mine is a Jlg brand.I also have a smaller one that raises and lowers manually.It is a Biljacs brand.You can see them on you tube.They DONT TILT. They go flat on the ground and are about 2 inches thick with a 1 ft very small angle ramp.If your Bridgeport was on a pallet,you could load and unload it with a pallet jack. Good luck Edwin Dirnbeck

PM me your trailer price, please. Pre-fix-up price is best...
 
I also recommend the drop deck trailer. You can rent them, though around here they want a 3/4 ton pickup truck or larger. They work great. But the metal decks tend to be a be a bit slippery so bring extra wood so you can temporarily put bracing around the pallet so it cannot move around during transit. Then unload it with a pallet jack and a friend helping.
 
"Health issues" - mentioned twice. "Not comfortable with.." ,etc.

KISS method:

Schedule a boom-wrecker - small one as used for passenger cars is fine, you don't need the big "turret" rigs for recoveing Peterblts rolled down an embankment - to meet the incoming flatbed or roll-back.

Sling for overhead pickup. Clear the deck by several inches. The rest is obvious. Doesn't HAVE to fit all inside a confined driveway area, either. It can be carried up or down the street a ways.

Soon done, krew paid-off.

The extra boom callout should come in at around a hundred bucks, but the payback is that it can also place the tiny BirdPort right at the shop door atop wooden grillage already leveled for sliding it in, railway-style.

Doesn't even need skates or rollers if one is patient, plans ahead a tad. Grease & sheet metal, wise pry-bar use work fine and don't try to get away from one-man control and go the wrong places as rollers can do.

Not theory. That's part of how my 5500 lbs Quartet mill, 3300 lb HBX-360 lathe, 4400 lb drillpress found their way indoors. Mill & DP had to be laid-over to clear the door, too, but it was still a one-man task.

My skates & rollers need several inches of extra space, vertically, too.

Lubed galvanized sheet steel, OTOH? Less than 40 thousandths rise!
 
Tow truck or a picker equipped truck. Pay the man, boom, done and gone, no dicking around.

I moved a 4000 pound mill a couple years back, walked up to a construction site, talked to the owner/operator of an all terrain forklift, arranged for him to load. Easy money for him, he rolled around the corner of my street exactly when he said he would be there, was loaded and he was gone in about 11 minutes.
Unloading was by a local guy with a tow truck, he extended his boom, lifted and placed the mill exactly where it was supposed to be, all done for around $75. I paid the guy a hundred bucks, and was really happy.

Oh yeah BP mills. Lower the table as far down as it will go, flip the head as low as it will go too, to keep the center of gravity down as well as to lower the max height needed.
 
I took my bridgeport apart to move it home back in 1995...used my engine hoist to pull the ram crosslide and knee(took head down by hand in pcs, that way i knew i could put back up same way- low clearance woulda made head difficult with cherry picker) - even laid the base on its side by myself and stood it back up at home- 10 foot 4x4 lever, rocked it over tipped it gently, slid it into place and reassembled...no wonder my back hurts these days LOL
 
I have used drop deck trailers for moving mills and lathes. I did use skates when moving the machine. I jacked up the machine and replaced the skates with 4x4s. A toe lift jack is really handy. I used a Harbor Freight 110 volt winch to drag the machine up the short ramp onto the trailer deck and to control it when unloading. I c-clamped an angle to the trailer cross-member and c-clamped the winch to the angle. I am 81, with one helper we moved 2 mills, 3 lathes, surface grinder and all my other junk. IMHO it would have been impossible without the drop deck. Had to do it myself because all the riggers in the area were booked up.
 








 
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