van norman 22l

[david hale]

Hello all.

just bought a vn 22l from my neighbor for $250.00 (scrap steel price), and am wanting to move it to my shop. the mill did operate a few years ago before the owner passed away. I am new to machining and have not had a mill before. my delima is that i have to disassemble the mill into smaller peices in order to move it as i dont have a forklift and will be working with a cherry picker and a 60hp tractor with loader. was wondering if anyone could explain how to disassemble into major components. any help or advice would be GREATLY APPRECIATED

 

[Plum Creek]

David
Wow, just searched for pics for the 22l. Those are great big heavy machines, congrats!
Search online for a manual as soon as possible. you can sometimes find information on the center of gravity and lift points, actual weights etc. Your going to need one anyhow.
If by "cherry picker" you mean a engine hoist/rolling gantry? Ok for removing parts if your careful, not for lifting the machine. I did it with a much lighter mill, it worked, would NEVER do it again.
If this is the first mill you've moved do a search and read everything you can before you start.
h
http://www.machinistweb.com/manuals/

 

[Cal Haines]

...
just bought a vn 22l from my neighbor for $250.00 (scrap steel price), and am wanting to move it to my shop. the mill did operate a few years ago before the owner passed away. ... my delima is that i have to disassemble the mill into smaller peices in order to move it as i dont have a forklift and will be working with a cherry picker and a 60hp tractor with loader. was wondering if anyone could explain how to disassemble into major components. any help or advice would be GREATLY APPRECIATED

Hi David,

Congratulations on your purchase. A 22L is a very nice machine.

I have not had an opportunity to work on a No. 22 miller, but I've had a few No. 12s apart, and they are a much smaller machine. Even a two ton engine hoist is marginal for taking a No. 12 apart; I wouldn't attempt it on a No. 22.

I strongly suggest that you hire a wrecker--the type with the boom on back--and have them load/unload the mill from a trailer.

Another option, if you can find one, is to rent a Bil-Jax type hydraulic lowering trailer, like this:

The deck of the trailer drops down to about an inch of the ground. You can use pipes and a come-along to pull the mill on/off the trailer.

Send me an e-mail and I can send you a PDF of the No. 22 manual, which describes how to lift the machine using a sling under the knee and back of the ram.

Cal

 

[Plum Creek]

David
Did you get that Vn moved yet?

 

[Junkmaster]

If you are looking for the trailer that drops the bed down, Sunbelt rentals has them. $68/day. I've used them 3 times now and have never been disappointed.
Use a winch or come-a-long to pull the base of the machine up the 2" incline. Raising 2-3 thousand pounds up 2" is a lot harder than it looks.

 

[Jeff Michel]

If you still haven't moved it yet, I used to call a tow truck before I bought a fork truck. Works very slick.