New Charter Oak 12Z on the way

Bummer, take your time and be safe lifting that mother.
 
Bummer, take your time and be safe lifting that mother.

Will do, thanks. I'm just glad I noticed the hoist was tweaked BEFORE I tried to lift the mill any higher. I looked up a portable 2T gantry, but those things are pricey! I'll make sure I pick Jon's brain a bit more about how he did his mill before I do this.
 
It also happens to me....no free time to work during the week. I would like to try my mill a bit higher but definitely need an engine hoist.....there is no way I can use the portable fork lift......not enough height. Not available for rent one around here, so I have been looking for a new one and found a couple.......no Internet purchases of such things in this part of the world. They are made in china and the difference between the 1T and 2T is only the hydraulic jack. Wonder if this is the way it works. I think will give it a try.
 
It would be a bit of extra work, but you could disassemble the mill. I think a few have indicated they figured the head at around 300#. Then you could also pick the base up from closer to the table. I ran straps corner to corner to those big bolts sticking out the sides of the base and picked up where they cross so I wouldn't put any strain on the column. I think one strap was an actual lifting sling, and then I used 2 ratchet tie down straps so I could adjust the load so it would sit level.
 
They are made in china and the difference between the 1T and 2T is only the hydraulic jack. Wonder if this is the way it works.
I looked at the 1T and 2T cranes at harbor freight side by side and the 1T has a shorter boom and base and subsequently less lift range. I think the 1T cylinders have the power to lift the machine, but the crane needs to be heavy duty enough to not have the material fail. My memory is that at full extension the 1T crane is only rated to 500#.
 
Thanks guys. When I spoke of lifting this thing with Paul the Ops Mgr at Charter Oak he said that lifting by the head is the safest way to do this. When I lifted the machine to get it off the pallet, I was around the round part of the head/column mount and another strap around that one and the column to keep it from shifting. With this, the front of the mill base was drooping a few inches. I'm thinking that when I attempt this again, I will lift more under the head itself to balance the machine better. Next week isn't going to get here soon enough... :(
 
Recommend your main lift strap is around the head/column as you proposed but then use secondary ratchet straps to level it. I do this frequently for heavy lifts for all sorts of things, my lathe for example. Just did this last week lifting an awkward 600 pound 5 foot wide rototiller for my tractor.
 
Well, the 2T hoist showed up today. Fortunately the thing showed up in two boxes, with the heaviest one weighing about 134 lbs. I was blowing pretty hard after carrying it only about 20' or so. I guess we all get old(er)... :(

I'll get the hoist assembled tonight. Not sure if I'll get the mill lifted onto it's stand tonight or not. Stay tuned. :)
 
Man, I'm starting to wonder what ELSE can go sideways on this effort. To summarize:

Started putting the hoist together when I noticed that the sliding portion of the boom is missing. So is the chain/hook. The heavy box showed up all wrapped in plastic and torn open on both ends from people dragging the thing instead of picking it up. Granted...I wouldn't want to carry this puppy very far, but hey, I'm 60 years old. I'll bet the guys dragging this thing were in their 20s or 30s.

So, I wrote the vendor and he asked for part names and numbers and will see if the manufacturer can replace these parts or if they have to ship me a new one. Cool, but this is gonna take time and I'm kinda getting impatient. Went back out to the garage and pulled the sliding part of the boom off my 1T (I guess it was a good thing I had it, or as my wife says "everything happens for a reason") and yup, it fits almost perfect in the 2Ts boom. Looks a little short though...

Finish putting the hoist together and start doing trial fits of the mill's stand over the hoist. Isn't going to work as the sliding boom doesn't extend far enough, and the stand can't get over the legs of the hoist. Whilst contemplating violence, i.e., shooting this puppy just to make myself feel better, I came up with an idea: take the wheels off the hoist and slide it around on it's frame. The stand will roll right over the legs and it looks like I can cock it just so and get it under the hook. Cool.

So I carefully hook up the mill and with fingers crossed (I'm the only one here, so if things go sideways...) I start lifting the mill off the floor. The front is still drooping several inches, but things are looking good so far. I take my time and gingerly raise the mill trying not to jostle it too much. I get the hoist at full extension, wait for it, and I'm not high enough. Damn...

Back on the floor and me sitting on a stool trying to think of something. I put the head all the way down to the table, and shorten the chain to the last link before the hook. Here we go again. Still not high enough. Double Damn...

Good thing my wife isn't hear to hear me swearing. All I needed was my old D.I. hat and I probably could have peeled paint off a battleship. I definitely could have had some boot privates wetting their trousers like the old days.

Then I had an idea. I was pretty close, so I decided to take the wheels off the mill's stand and get it as low on it's feet as possible. While the mill was hanging there I did a quick removal of the wheels and slid the stand under the mill with just front right corner of the mill touching the stand. I tweaked the last half inch out of the hoist and then proceeded to wrestle the chip tray between the stand and the mill. Won't go into details as I'm sure some people here would be screaming "unsafe!" but hey, I'm still here, everything is still attached, and I only bled a little. ;)

Once I had the mill and chip tray on the stand, I slid the hoist out from under it and then proceeded to jack the stand up with its feet and put the wheels back on. The mill is sitting where it's going to stay and I will level and go over it this weekend. 5 hours to get this far. I'm tired. :)

I apologize for the pics: They were taken with my phone not my camera, and my hands were shaking a bit. Like I said I'm tired.


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