Buy in TX, trailer 1000 miles

J

JackBrush

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I've got an offer out that the sellers accepted although nothings been exchanged for a Harrison 330 s alpha with fanuc control. Dude got it from his CNC repair father so its not powered but none of them out here in texas are. I wanted something with a turret but I also need the bed length. Was going to use gang tooling for a bit but I've seen hydraulic 4 change tool posts used if I bought it. Other issue is its 480 which I'm not going to have so I'd have to rewire or replace the motor & starter heaters.

All of that is manageable but what I'm trying to figure out is if this is going to be worth buying down here and driving 30 hours north when I get out of this state coming up in a couple months. I liked this machine specifically because I've read it weighs 1200kg (although my source is slightly suspect) but there are other machines up there although much less of an inventory like 1 or 2 shows up every month. They're in the prohibitive weight range of 5 tons and above which I ain't gonna be able to move myself and I'll need a rigger and my experience with them so far has been garbage. Those machines start at 20 grand when my current deal is 6k.

I've done a lot of goofy moving by myself though. I've got a Bridgeport type machine I had little issue moving so far.

Plan was to get a 26 footer box truck which is rater for 8 tons but I feel like I'd be pushing it with my 1600lb mill, 1/4 ton lathe and 1 1/4 ton cnc lathe plus my house crap. I've got an oracle prediction of shredded tires in my future
 
That's a nice lathe, but dang- that's a lot of driving
Plus the electrical issue to contend with
 
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Its probably more miles than that. Its 30 hours

Edit

I lied its 1800 miles. 30 hours
 
I'd say it depends on your use.

If you're using it as a hobby machine and it'll save you $14k then probably worth it. I'd look into some way of hauling it besides inside the rental truck, maybe pull a trailer behind it?

If you're running a business then you have to decide if it makes more sense to buy it and retrofit vs. leasing vs. buying new on credit. More of an accounting decision than anything else.

John
 
Sure, I'm in the hobby phase with the thought of maybe doing this for work but not completely yet.
I think its viable but I've been thinking in a vacuum of just myself for a while. Wanted to make sure I wasn't being too stupid
 
JackBrush said:
All of that is manageable but what I'm trying to figure out is if this is going to be worth buying down here and driving 30 hours north when I get out of this state coming up in a couple months.
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Maybe you don't have to leave Texas; just get away from Austin!
 
David2011 said:
Maybe you don't have to leave Texas; just get away from Austin!
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Horrendous town, I agree. Im so friggin fat though its 80 degrees outside, I'm just looking at my car fuses and im dripping sweat. I miss the mountains too. The distance isn't ideal but I seem to do long distance moves every 4 years.
 
I used to use rental trucks often. Had a commercial account with Penske. There are things to consider: tolls are expensive, fuel costs, stops at all the weigh stations (don't get caught over weight!). Each state wants their share of the fuel taxes. Log book requirements..... Watch out for using U-Haul brand trucks, look @ them before you rent. They count the cab overhang as cargo length and the wheel bumps in the bed make big problems with bulky loads. Lift gates have low limits also.
 
Larry$ said:
I used to use rental trucks often. Had a commercial account with Penske. There are things to consider: tolls are expensive, fuel costs, stops at all the weigh stations (don't get caught over weight!). Each state wants their share of the fuel taxes. Log book requirements..... Watch out for using U-Haul brand trucks, look @ them before you rent. They count the cab overhang as cargo length and the wheel bumps in the bed make big problems with bulky loads. Lift gates have low limits also.
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Do weight stations apply to non-commerical use? It was explained to me to ignore them when I used a Penske to move before covid.
 
JackBrush said:
Do weight stations apply to non-commerical use? It was explained to me to ignore them when I used a Penske to move before covid.
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State by state but they do in California. Too many businesses used rentals to get around them when hauling overweight.
 
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