Which mill should I get?

[Morgan RedHawk]

What worries me about getting the large knee mills is how I'm going to get it off the pallet it's sitting on and how to move it to a desired spot inside my 2 car garage.

Getting it off the pallet is not difficult. There are many ways, like the aforementioned HF engine crane. I did it with just a pallet jack (you can roll it on steel pipes if you dont have access to a pallet jack), toe jack, pry bar, and a couple of stacks of plywood. This thread shows how I did it:

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/theres-a-monster-in-my-garage.77884/

 

[Janderso]

You are gonna love the knee mill.
Welcome back pcmaker.
I would go 3 phase. It's not that much for a VFD and the smooth efficient power can't be beat.

 

[Pcmaker]

Getting it off the pallet is not difficult. There are many ways, like the aforementioned HF engine crane. I did it with just a pallet jack (you can roll it on steel pipes if you dont have access to a pallet jack), toe jack, pry bar, and a couple of stacks of plywood. This thread shows how I did it:

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/theres-a-monster-in-my-garage.77884/

I have a 1 ton HF engine crane, but I'll be getting a 2 ton one. Does the knee mill fit in between the crane's legs? Do you go in from the front or back? I guess there's an eye bolt on top of the knee mills that you can use to lift them up.

I'm looking into the PM949 which weights 2500 lbs.

You are gonna love the knee mill.
Welcome back pcmaker.
I would go 3 phase. It's not that much for a VFD and the smooth efficient power can't be beat.

Yeah, I'm going 3 phase. I hear it's easy to wire and it can convert single phase to 3 phase via the VFD.

 

[davidpbest]

I have a 1 ton HF engine crane, but I'll be getting a 2 ton one. Does the knee mill fit in between the crane's legs? Do you go in from the front or back? I guess there's an eye bolt on top of the knee mills that you can use to lift them up.

I'm looking into the PM949 which weights 2500 lbs.

You might find this interesting: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPTx5nS

 

[pontiac428]

I have a 1 ton HF engine crane, but I'll be getting a 2 ton one. Does the knee mill fit in between the crane's legs? Do you go in from the front or back? I guess there's an eye bolt on top of the knee mills that you can use to lift them up.

I'm looking into the PM949 which weights 2500 lbs.

It's a common practice, so someone will surely disagree with me, but I would urge you not to move a 2500 lb mill with an engine hoist. A sturdy toe jack and a bunch of cribbing material will allow you to pull the pallet out from under it. Engine hoists don't live up to their ratings. They hold the load under tension, instead of supporting the machine from underneath. An accident, like a tipover or hoist failure (and boy do they fail when overloaded) could have that new mill up for auction at your estate sale. At the very least you'll damage something.

I moved two lighter machines this morning with an engine hoist, so I'm not a total hater. Just save the hoist for things under 1000 lbs for best results.

 

[ttabbal]

I use the hoist mostly when working on parts. Like lifting the table or head/ram off the column. For moving the machine around, I used a pry bar to lift it just enough to get some pipes under it. Then just roll, move a pipe to the front, roll more.... At least 3 pipes so that you always have 2 under the machine, preventing it from wanting to get tippy.

I would have used it to get it off a pallet if it was on one. Lift it up, have a helper move the pallet.

Or maybe not, keeping it on there would make it easy to use a pallet jack to move it around. I would worry about the wood breaking down over time though.

Having at least 2 people helps a lot with moving it around.

 

[Morgan RedHawk]

I have a 1 ton HF engine crane, but I'll be getting a 2 ton one. Does the knee mill fit in between the crane's legs? Do you go in from the front or back? I guess there's an eye bolt on top of the knee mills that you can use to lift them up.

I'm looking into the PM949 which weights 2500 lbs.

I did not use a crane for moving mine. I used a toe jack for the 949. If you scroll further down that thread after the moving it section, it shows how. I believe the mill will fit between the hoist legs, but you would have to reinforce and then cut the pallet. I definitely would not try to move the mill with the hoist, only to lift it vertically and only as much as absolutely necessary. Pontiac428 is right about them being easy to tip. I raised my 600lb-ish 932 up on to the stand with the HF 2 ton, and believe me, I was sweating it.
I decided to move the 949 with the toe jack and plywood cribbage. This way, as Pontiac said, I never really had to depend on the strength of any device to hold the machine up. If the toe jack had failed suddenly at any time during the operation, the machine would have only dropped 3/8" (the thickness of one plywood layer)..enough to make you crap yourself, but not enough to damage anything or tip over. Whatever you decide to do, please be super careful..when I say it was easy, it was because I thoroughly thought out each step and worked carefully, always keeping out of harm's way should something bad happen.

Edited to add: Plus the toe jack and plywood was less expensive than the 2 ton hoist..and that jack is handy for lots of stuff.

 

[Weldingrod1]

Dont be afraid to take off parts to lighten it up!!! The head, ram, and column top are easy to.pull off with a hoist and will help the top heavy problem. The table can be pulled if.you've got something to slide it onto; use the knee to line it up with your table. Beefy table, of course!
Be aware that you CANNOT manhandle a Bridgeport! If it starts to tip, get the heck put of the way! Always know where your "out" is!

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[Pcmaker]

Just looked up toe jack sand they're a lot more expensive than I thought.

 

[Tim9]

Just on a side note. I’m not sure about your garage, but my garage is only 7’6” high. And I’m not sure about the height of the Bridgepor, but my Millrite is tight. There’s not a lot of distance between the top of my mill and bottomless of rafters. Just saying....you might want to check those small details

Dont be afraid to take off parts to lighten it up!!! The head, ram, and column top are easy to.pull off with a hoist and will help the top heavy problem. The table can be pulled if.you've got something to slide it onto; use the knee to line it up with your table. Beefy table, of course!
Be aware that you CANNOT manhandle a Bridgeport! If it starts to tip, get the heck put of the way! Always know where your "out" is!

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk