PM1440GT - Facilitate Pallet Jack Access

H

Howard70

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
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Mar 28, 2016
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Hello All:

Pretty new to HM - only a couple of posts scattered about. My wife & I received our PM trifecta a couple of weeks ago - 1440GT, 949TS, & 712G. Unloading & general placement in shop went well. Now working with Mark on VFD setups for the lathe & mill. You all have been great resources. Which leads to a specific question:

Our lathe will have a dedicated spot in the shop, but we'd like the option to move her occasionally. Easiest for us is using a pallet jack rather than a dediciated stand with casters, etc. I'd like to know what you think of our plan to facilitate access by the pallet jack.

1. Use lathe's 6 leveling bolts on 4" tall pieces of round (4" diameter?) aluminum stock. This gets the lathe a little higher (I'm 6') and allows our pallet jack to pass underneath (jack needs 3.25" clearance).

2. Span the 68" outer width of the bases with two pieces of 4x4x0.25" angle steel (we have a lot of this material) when we want to use the pallet jack. Bottom leg of these pieces of angle would be notched to slide by the leveling bolts (might use slightly longer bolts if necessary for clearance) and drilled to allow attachment to bases via 2nd holes already in bases next to threaded holes for leveling bolts. The rear piece of angle would probably stay in place while the front piece would be removed so that the foot brake can function easily. Vertical legs of both pieces of angle would be notched to allow access to heads of the leveling bolts and their locking nuts.

Any thoughts? We currently lack the ability to weld up a real sub frame stand for the lathe.

Thanks in advance!

Howard
 
Only thing I can think of is the balance of the machine. Pallets that are unbalanced will tip over, the only thing that prevents that is the construction of the pallet. In the case of a top heavy unbalanced load... not sure how that would fare. The roller base, with wheels that lock down might be an option also.

I've been looking at putting taller leveling feet on my lathe, in my case I only want to go up 2"-3", something along that line may be enough for you.
 
Hi Howard,

I agree with richl, using a pallet jack for either the mill or the lathe could be a dangerous proposition. My mill is on a rolling base with outrigger wheels and separate leveling feet, that was built for me by Firestopper (Paco). My 1340GT lathe I have only moved with an engine hoist, although I will also be building some bolt on removable wheeled outriggers (across the middle of the base of each cabinet and extending another 8-12" on either side similar to the mill below) if it needs to be moved in the future. The lathe is extremely top heavy, and doesn't take much tilt to go over (almost had this already happen).

Mark
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Hello Richl, Mark & Bamban:

Thanks for the cautions regarding the pallet jack & balance. These lathes are definitely top heavy - we had some tense moments unloading the 1440 from our trailer with a chain hoist & gantry. We've moved it with a pallet jack while still on the sub pallet & it felt stable. But once off that sub pallet it is a narrow base and the balance definitely won't improve. We have a good 2 ton engine hoist/crane which we'd planned to use but maneuvering the crane under the lathe's balance point with the crane's extended legs presents a real challenge - something everyone else here probably knows a lot better than me! I agree with Bamban - that base on Mark's mill is a piece of art.

Howard
 
Bamban said:
Mark,

That roller base for the mill looks really great. Paco can probably sell a few of them for Bridgeport size knee mills.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've seen that base in person and it's a fine piece. If I could afford it, I'd have him build one for my 935 as the one I have got dinged up pretty good by the movers. They even managed to destroy one of the levelers. Movers. :rolleyes:
 
I initially moved my PM-1440GT with a 1 ton engine hoist. The base is narrow enough for the hoist legs to straddle the base. I use a web tow strap through the bed and wrapped around a short piece of 2x4 the width of the bed. This put the strap at the spindle face close to the balance point and being through the bed the lathe cant tip over.

If I need to move it now I use a toe jack to lift and set it on machine skates to roll around.
 
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