Possible first v-mill?

Probably more than I would pay, but then I'm a real penny-pincher. Could be a good deal though. I'm in a semi-machine desert here as well. I sometimes wish I lived in the Northeast for the great selection of machines
 
I found one today.





It was 1.5 hours from home, the first even remotely that close that I've seen in years within my price range. The ways seem like they're in decent shape. The DRO and power feed both work. There's a lot of backlash on both x and y but I can deal with that. Came with all the end mills you see and some others as well as the massive vise. I'm not ecstatic about the brand name but given the alternatives I've been watching for years was not something I could turn down.

Blew a rear tire out on the way to get it and the other rear tire has a 5" bubble that developed on the way home. Got to love factory Firestones. That was probably one of the sketchiest rides home I've ever had. That top-heavy mill standing up in the bed of my truck for an hour and a half on I-10 running on a spare tire with the other tire shaking more and more violently the further I went. LOL.
 
HEPHAESTUS said:
Blew a rear tire out on the way to get it and the other rear tire has a 5" bubble that developed on the way home. Got to love factory Firestones. That was probably one of the sketchiest rides home I've ever had. That top-heavy mill standing up in the bed of my truck for an hour and a half on I-10 running on a spare tire with the other tire shaking more and more violently the further I went. LOL.
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a) did you put the tire pressure up to side-wall rated pressure? (around 50 PSI)

b) how fast had you been averaging in the 10 minutes before it went bang?
 
Mitch Alsup said:
a) did you put the tire pressure up to side-wall rated pressure? (around 50 PSI)

b) how fast had you been averaging in the 10 minutes before it went bang?
Click to expand...

It's a 3/4-ton truck with load range E tires. Sidewall psi is 80 and I keep it there because I only use the truck for towing. But last time I was towing my RV I felt the vibration start toward the end of the trip. I suspect this was the inevitable conclusion of that. The tongue weight of my 5th wheel is well within the payload capacity of the truck and tires so who knows why they blew. The first one blew when I was empty doing 80mph on I-10 heading to get the mill and the second one after I had unloaded the mill and was on my way home. (I felt it going so I only did 65mph home.) So I'm just glad neither went with either the mill in the bed or the RV hooked up. Definitely the sketchiest trip home I've ever had.
 
The thicker the ply, the harder they fail.
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Thoughts on VFD vs rotary? Basically, I hate listening to my rotary run. Are bearing concerns with VFD unfounded? Seems like many use them ...
 
VFDs are really popular here. They are affordable. I don't think there's any cause for bearing wear, especially since you can soft-on/soft-of with the push of a button on a VFD. If you can isolate the power mains for the motor you are driving, VFD would do the job well.

I like the rotary in my shop. A rotary is a 3-phase power source you just plug the machine into and go. If I want to run another 3-phase machine, swap plugs and go. My reason for going rotary is not wanting to cut apart the beautiful and complex wiring job inside my mill's panel box. I get to keep my ever-important 2-speed motor so my machine runs the full range as intended. You could work around that, but it is a workaround. I don't want workarounds. So I get the most straightforward use of my machines, and whoever gets them next (outta my cold, dead fingers) won't have to figure out what I did to the machine.

You could really go either way, but you already have a rotary setup. I'm sure others will have equally convincing ideas in favor of VFDs, probably forming the majority. A lot of VFD installs have been done by the members of this board.
 
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