PSA: Lifting Lathes With Straps

[Janderso]

I wish I had read this before I picked up my South Bend. That was an interesting experience, bent bars, cherry picker was too light, where do we strap it?
These things are heavy. Don't get me started on the Bridgeport.
Be careful guys!!

 

[Silverbullet]

I've always used the web between the ways myself. Common sense tells you the rods will bend , don't rush look at what your doing before and during lifts , if you have to use blocks to keep straps from getting tight on the feed rods and lead screw. Most everything I have ever moved were lifted from the base. Forklift and crane to bed of truck or trailer. From there it's pipe rollers and pry bars , Johnson bar would be super to have. They are the original machinery mover.

 

[pstemari]

... I used a single strap around the bed and threaded it behind the feed rods. I moved the carriage down the bed until it balanced perfectly.
View attachment 266424

The only headache with that is that if the lathe rocks, it could potentially slide through the strap and drop. Adding a couple of auxillary straps to the ends should prevent that.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Shootymacshootface]

I have had very good luck moving extremely heavy objects by pulling at the base. I just moved a 12×36 lathe by dragging it upright onto a trailer. Also I moved my 3hp knee mill by dragging it some 30 feet by the base and then backing a dump trailer up to it with the bed all the way up, then come a longing it onto a bed of tires 2 layers thick. Then lower the bed. A few blocks of wood and a bunch of rachet straps and you have a 3000lb mill laying down ready to go down the road.