I have a bridgeport type knee mill, it weighs about 1300 pounds. I need to move it from corvallis to woodburn oregon, about about 60 miles. I got it here in my 3/4 ton f250, and called bobs towing, and they brought out their crane boom truck, and lifted it out of my truck, and set it down, and only charged me $60, they unloaded my lathe (burmingham 12 36) for the same price also. I need to move it into a garage that has, i think a 7 foot clearance, I will measure it this weekend. I am building a 9.5 foot tall gantry crane, and I got a 1 ton harbur freight chain hoist to lift the machines into the f250.

The rafters in the garage are 9 feet tall, so I will put the gantry cross beam over the rafters, and bolt them onto the 9.5 foot legs, then back my truck under the gantry.

with the head not inverted on the mill it is 6 foot tall, with the head inverted it will be 5 foot tall.

so if the openining of the garage is only 7 foot tall, the mill will be a foot too tall in the back of the truck to back it into the garage.

there is a rental company that has a trailer that's only 1 foot off of the ground, and I was thinking of renting it, and loading my mill on it, and hauling it up to woodburn, but I am woried that if I am on a slanted road, the mill could flip the trailer on it's side.

I thought of pulling the trailer up there hauling my gantry on it, and my mill in the truck, then setting up my gantry in the cultisack, and lifting the mill onto the trailer, then securing it, and carefully backing the trailer up the driveway, and under the garage opening, and setting up the gantry under it, and lifting it off of the trailer.

I am terified of tipping the trailer over with my mill in it, of cource, I will be going very very slow, and snail speed when on a tilted road, but that doesnt ease my mind, and make me want to haul it all the way up there in the trailer.

You guys are all smart, and been there done that, what do you think? what would you do in my place?  if I did take the mill in the truck, I could haul the lathe on the trailer, and take the gantry also, and that would make it in one trip. that's 1300lbs (mill) in the truck, and 1100lbs (lathe) plus between 4 and 5 hundred pounds also on the trailer, or in the truck (gantry)

maybe that is a better plan, but I would have to set up the gantry 3 times, and take it down at least twice, as long as I just leave it set up in the garage when I'm done.

also theres setting it up once to load both machines, in corvallis, and take down, and load gantry for hauling.

also the trailer rental is $20 for 24 hours, I may not be able to get all this done in one day, 2 days would be easier.

hauling both machines once would save gas, but keeping the trailer for only one day, and moving the mill all by itself, would also save trailer rental, and I wouldnt have to set up, and take down the gantry so many times in one day.

If I could haul the mill on the trailer, and haul the lathe in the truck, then I could load both machines at once, and unload them at once, and only have to set up, and take down the gantry twice in one day, and if I left the gantry set up in the garage, then I would only have to take it down once, and put it up twice, but what if the trailer tips over? I am terified of that, the outer wheel base of the trailer is 6 feet, the mill is 6 foot, 5 w/the head inverted. the trailer looks pretty heavy, it has a heavy steel construction, and the floor is 2x6 wood planks, with steel bracing under them, it also tilts, but I wont be tilting it.

So that's my dilima, I can post pictures of the trailer, and gantry, and machines, and hauling vehicle, and pictures of my progress, is it possable for the trailer to tip over? is it likely that it could tip over?  It would be a wonderfull thing if I could just haul my mill all the way on the trailer, it would be a horable thing taking what's left of my mill to the scrap yard and looking like a retard.

I said before, I will be going very slow, never above 45mph, and mostly slower if I can get away with it, and if there is any tipping roads, I will avoid them at all costs, and if I cant get around one, I will creep at a walking speed over them.

What would you do??? please HELP!!!

Titaniumboy said:

player,

It sounds like you're getting excited about the move.  Boating is fun.

How certain are you of the 1300 pound weight for your knee mill?

 

Hey fellow tinkerer, your right, I'm extremely excited to move, I will have the river in my back yard, and I have a 3 year old son, and im 40 years old, and thrilled to poor everything I am into my son, and watch him grow up, fishing everyday if we can, sailing everyday if we could, machining all the time if we could, so much fun, so much to do, I am absolutely thrilled.