[Closed] Help on how to move a lathe

Farm type forklift with extending boom

Slope that steep is very risky for any manual handling of a lathe - they are so top heavy.
Does it split off the base ? - If so that has to be done to lower the centre of gravity - then cobination of engine crane and pallet truck + tirfor type winch.

or a HIAB

Where are you based?

get some round wooden fence posts and think "Stonehenge"

Block and tackle for the slope

Sometimes the old ways are the best!

Winch it down the slope on rollers. (Scaffolding poles). Then bar it on rollers. Keep everyone back. Make sure everything is staged and prepared.

The step up will be harder. Any photos?

Does removing the fence give you much more room?

When I had my CNC router dropped off I went through this. The slope was a bit less but much rougher surface. I fixed the machine to the pallet. Then jacked up the pallet using a bottle jack and screwed a castor to each corner. Made for quite a stable unit. Plan was to slowly tow it up the hill with the car (I had a bit more room) but in the end it actually pushed OK with a few bodies. Was a bit tricky across the gravel and grass but a few bits of timber sorted that. Did similar with my lathe and that was much easier but mine is quite a bit smaller

What model lathe is it ? Even strapping some lathes wrongly will make them at risk of tipping. the slope is the tricky bit - the step can be done with an engine crane , which is the normal diy tool for shifting these.

The slope is up hill unfortunately and not down. There isn't really anywhere to attach a winch so it really has to be lifted or pushed.

I agree that it is really top heavy but is bolted to the pallet. I have seen these things tip over bloody easily.

I have used the "Stonehenge" method a few times for moving things round the garden and it works really well.

I am just outside of Cheddar, Somerset.

I think a HIAB might be best as it seems some have a really long reach. Not sure a farm forklift with extending boom will be long enough but I may have a chat is one of the local farmers. I can get access to a normal tractor quite easily so maybe casters as nickjb suggests

Farmer may have a loadall/telehandler it may work . Tackling the slope with rollers and no winch/safety is a bad idea , nothing will stop that weight if
it decides to move. Several ground anchors in back garden ?

You're going to need a massive HIAB truck to do the whole 12m in one go. Would also need quite a wide road as the outriggers would be pretty long too, and if they wouldn't land on the slopey drive means an even longer reach.

A 5m lift to the top of the drive, then pallet truck to the workshop would be more reasonable. There are companies that specialise in workshop removals, but that'd probably be expensive.

I did something similar a couple of years ago with a 750kg lathe. HIAB will definitely be the easiest, safest and most expensive option. I used a combination of engine crane for the steps and block and tackle for moving it along with short scaffold tubes as rollers. Can you[url= http://www.screwfix.com/p/roughneck-spiral-post-hole-auger-6/56144 ] plant a 6" fence post[/url] 3' deep in the back garden as a ground anchor and winch off that? It's 'only' 500kg on a (guess) 30 degree slope, so not mega high forces.

You know this already, but never stand at the side of it, only at the ends. Two people is a good number to have, and one of those is in charge. Any more and I found it got complicated.

Hiab and block and tackle. Boards, scaffolding tube and planks.

Amazing what you can move and with control too.

Hire a Tirfor winch you can use the winch at the load end and take the steel rope around the house to the back garden to a suitable anchor there just protect the rope and corners of the walls with some timber

Obviously with the pallet on rollers, chocks etc

The hoist normally go up to over 3000kg + have 20m of rope

Do it proper

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ackling the slope with rollers and no winch/safety is a bad idea , nothing will stop that weight if it decides to move.

I'm waiting for a 'do I need a lintel' thread when the lathe ends up embedded in the front wall of the house...

I'm waiting for a 'do I need a lintel' thread when the lathe ends up embedded in the front wall of the house...

More like: 'do the neighbours opposite need a lintel?' As his drive is uphill

Could you hire something like this? http://www.sgs-engineering.com/ec2000-2-ton-folding-engine-crane?gclid=CPeBt8-ChtQCFZQK0wodXEgJQw
Would need strapping down to stop it swinging all over the place but enough bodies should be able to get that up the hill and down the alley. Will also get it over the step, put it down, then bring the hoist in and lift again to reposition.
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Does the lathe come apart? More to the point, will it go back together again?
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Or phone a piano delivery company. They are used to shifting large awkward things and I'm sure would be up for a challenge.

I have one of those SGS cranes, and the wheels aren't much good on anything slightly rough - they need a really smooth surface to roll easily. I'd suggest not having any bodies pushing directly on the lathe as it'll just tip over and squash them. Winch it up on rollers, with the rope connected quite low down.

1) Attach rope to desired position of lathe.
2) Attach other end to bar in chuck.
3) Turn on lathe.
4) ...
5) Profit? 😀

Nip down the local carwash place and ask if 4 or 5 blokes would like a bit of pocket money after hours.

Or have you got mates with drones?

https://www.hss.com/hire/p/15t-machine-moving-skatesset-4

https://www.hss.com/hire/p/6t-shifting-skate-set-nylon

Engage safety squints and find yourself a friendly Canadian that'll get 'er done?

Stoopid like a fox!

Farmer with Tele-handler should be able to drop it onto the flat next to the house, the I'd go with bolting it down onto a pallet and using rollers/scaffold tubes to move it along the side of the house.

I'd then lift either end using jacks/levers until you've built it up level with the step and pull it back onto the rollers at the next level up.

A big crow-bar will help.

We used the same method to shift a big Bridport Mill a couple of years ago - make sure you use strong tubes for the rollers, we crushed some steel tubes shifting the mill.

I'm waiting for the cyclist hit by lathe coming out of drive thread

Did this a couple of months ago for a mate, one of the hardest things I've ever helped move.

Strap lathe down securely in van, reverse van as far up the slope as possible, get two ramps up against the front wheels and roll van onto them to make the van level.

We managed to roll the lathe on the pallet to the back garden patio using an ordinary pallet truck. Getting the b@stard up the 2 steps was nearly impossible. Mate took a few days and stripped the lathe down as much as possible then 3 of us lifted the bed assembly up the the workshop suspended from a scaffold pole, we could barely lift it.

I'd suggest getting as many friends as you can round as it's really awkward and you need a lot of muscle power to do it safely, 3 of us wasn't really enough.

Crap job and I'll never do it again as the potential to lose fingers/toes/any body parts is high.

I got a 600kg stone trough lifted over a wall, moved to the new house and lifted over another wall using a flatbed truck with a High-Ab normally designed for picking up wrecked cars. I then "Stonehenged" it into place using rollers, pallets and a bit of brute force from Terrahawk of this parish.

Cost me £50 cash in hand.

Neighbour across the road asked me for advice on how strong concrete flags are - he'd built a ramp on his drive using brick piers with flags spanning between. This was to unload 400kg of lathe from the side door of his van. A few calculations on the flexural strength of reinforced concrete suggested that while it definately didn't meet any design codes, the slabs would probably span (and if they didn't, the load would sit on the bricks). I went over to talk the risks through but he and a mate already had the lathe half out of the van and were about to roll it down the ramp under gravity alone. I persuaded them to put a rope on it, anchored in the van, and we lowered it on solid steel rollers, 5cm at a time, with pinch bars to lever it back central, and ready to jump clear at any time. The flags held. I was glad I was there to help, but I hope never to have to do it again.

Yep, telehandler would be a very good start, and buy some proper straps.

[IMG] [/IMG]

Be sure to lift it correctly.

Do not do as I saw some eejits doing in Turkmenistan - bar in the chuck and through the steady. Lifted with the crane.

As I write this I am thinking a truck with an massive extending crane.

Pace out the distance from the road to where you need it dropped then phone around. I've had similar weight tools collected and dropped for about £150.

I'd doubt you'd get something with enough reach to get all the way to your workshop door - but you could get the dangerous bit of the job out of the way - getting it up the slope. From there leavers, blocks of wood and friends will get it the rest of the way

Do it proper

You seem to have put a picture of an Ainscough crane there.

Strap lathe down securely in van,

Hire vans - especially lutons - will often have pretty much bob-all to strap to. Only trust any load-anchor bolted into the floor - the tie bars on the side (if they have them at all) are only held on with pop rivets.

I've moved heavy stuff on pallets by putting a scaffold bar through the pallet so there's a foot sticking out either side, then with a mate use two levers to lever the bar forwards, dragging the pallet. Takes a while to inch it anywhere, but it works. Then when it's on the flat you can use a pallet truck or engine crane to shift it.

I am just outside of Cheddar, Somerset.

No shortage of farmers around then if you think a telehander would do it.

As above. Machine skates, tirfor, plenty of time, competent people to help and good weather (I've moved a few factories and a lot of
heavy machinery over the years) if you really [i]must[/i] have it at home but I'd seriously consider selling it and not bothering!

Thanks all, I was off the internet for a while yesterday. this has certainly given me food for through and looks like a telhabdler is the best way to go, unless I can find a machinery moving company, but I was assuming this would be £100s

Looking at the drive now I am thinking a vehicle recovery stuck with a HIAB should be able to do it.

There will certainly be lots of people and lots of straps for safety!!

I assume there is a corner to negotiate at the end of that path, I'd be considering how I'd be getting it around it. I'd also be looking at what I'd be using as a suitable surface for moving it down the path, those flags aren't central and a bit of ply won't cut it on those chuckies. Usual stuff would be plate steel which you would have to source.

And although 25cm doesn't sound a lot I know how hard it is to get a barrel of frf onto a similar height bund and that is a lot lighter and more stable than a lathe. Usual method is to take a good run at it but in your case that's no happening. I'd be seriously looking decent hoists that can straddle the step ( lowering and raising the lathe as required). It may seem overkill but the effort and potential grief saved would more than make up for it.

I'd make a proper lifting plan so you can think about exactly how you are going to achieve each manoeuvre otherwise you will end up wasting time on the day (potentially taking shortcuts and doing something stupid).

Gantry like this https://www.hss.com/hire/p/alluminium-gantry-3.9m-beam

Pricey but if space permits would make short work of it.

Gantry like this https://www.hss.com/hire/p/alluminium-gantry-3.9m-beam

Pricey but if space permits would make short work of it.

I have a chain block in Avonmouth which you can borrow if it helps

Van with tail lift up the drive slide / roll on tubes onto drive. Along path slide up tubes over step. Job jobbeb.
Ps I have managed to tip a lathe over on a flat workshop floor.

500kg on rollers should be doable, maybe with 'rails' to run on in the direction of travel to help with gaps and lumps. Any trees you can anchor a hoist / pulley to in the back garden? Or ground anchor like 3-2-1 arrangement? Step should be possible by lifting one side at a time (trolley jack) and adding thin sheet to build up to size of step. Have engine crane, chain hoist, trolley jack, even some big industrial casters if you want to borrow, only in sunny Malvern so not too far away.

I moved my Colchester Student by bolting it to a trolley with 4 swiveling castors. While it was most definitely top heavy it was very manoeuverable with care and sufficient bodies.
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Van with tail lift up the drive

Take the van up the drive and you'll be struggling against the same incline - just inside a van. You'll also have to turn the lathe side-on to that incline to get it out onto the tail-lift.

Having lots of friends to have is a bonus - but keep in mind theres real foot crushing opportunities to have with a tail lift, especially if theres heavy/difficult stuff being handled and needs to be kept steady as the lift moves. People's focus will be on the lathe and they won't be thinking about where their feet are.

Thats as much the case as the lift goes up as down - theres a nice guillotine action between the lift and the back of the van as the lift goes up.

Have to move machinery on a regular basis for machine shop I work for and have used all sorts of methods to do so.What type of lathe is it?
Going up that slope is hardest part but using skates would be a disaster on that.
My idea would be to take it off pallet use some bar either on a rolling method or skid method and winch it up drive if you can find suitable fixing point for said winch.Worst case where winch rope snapped it would only move a few feet at most.The step I would lift it up a bit at a time until level with where its going and then move it rather than a ramp.
The same round pathway but without winch and use pinch bar to inch it along.
May take a while but it will get there.
Or get a big crane to do it.

If you need some inspiration once you finally have it in position: