OT: Building in isolated location

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pete
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by pete »

Yep Bill as usual nailed it. Obviously not his first rodeo. :-) The equipment needs to be stabilized side to side and also for movement fore and aft. Tie it down for the worst case you can imagine happening on the hwy. It's impossible to drive defensively when there's fools on the road. Triple your usual following distance with anyone in front of you. And 1 strap too many is far better that being one short. Triple check EVERYTHING on the equipment that the slide locks etc are in fact well locked. Road vibration can do a lot of minor but very important damage to the ways and feed screws if the slides can move or get bounced around. Rotate the mill head so the spindle end is pointing at the sky, place a piece of heavy cloth on the table, a piece of 3/4" plywood on top of that, another layer of cloth, then run the knee up until it touches the motor to just take the weight of the head if you don't remove it. Then check that both the tilt and nod bolts are in fact tight. Once loaded stop and check your straps after the first couple of miles, they'll generally loosen a bit as everything settles in place, first rest stop or fuel stop and any stop after that check those straps and re-tighten as needed. Add clean old towels, blankets or rags under any strap that's touching the machines, that saves paint, but more importantly saves the straps from chafing on any surface it shouldn't due to those road vibrations.

If you tarp the equipment duct tape cloth or old blankets to the equipment where the tarp touches. Any strap that's out in the wind then put a half twist in it first on each side before tightening, that stops the straps from wind vibration. With tarps those wind vibrations will also wear on surfaces. As Ed mentioned and if it were me I'd probably remove the lathes chuck, tail stock and top slide just to be sure, remove the mills draw bar, vise etc. I had to pull my BP clone apart when I first bought it to get it into my shop, with that past experience then I'd agree with him about pulling the head, ram and table. If I did that I'd put heavy wood blocking under the knee and run it down on the blocking so it supports the knee weight, then set the knee locks. Removing those parts is optional, but it's still not a bad idea. If you can then lag bolt the mill base to the pallet it's on, I'd add nailed on 2" x 4" cleats fairly close and surrounding the mill base as extra insurance against movement. If the table isn't removed protect your way surfaces and run straps between the table and the column ways, they need to be pulling fore and aft as well. If the ram is still on the machine a couple of straps over it as well. With 4" wide straps it's really over kill, but I'd want a minimum of 3 straps on each machine on anything I had to pay to replace. If you do pull the mills table, treat and protect those X,Y axis feed screws like there a fine micrometer screw. Any way bearing surfaces on machine parts that are removed need to be well protected also.

11% unpaved with a heavy trailer is fairly steep. Better plan that trip with no rain in the forecast. Are you 100% sure your truck will pull that hill with a load? If your not positive better think about bolting or welding an adapter to your bob cat's bucket to take a hitch ball that fits the trailer. Doing so means backing up all the way while pulling the trailer, but better that than being spun out and jack knifed on that hill with your truck. With that road and grade in mind I think I'd load the trailer so there's at least 1/3rd of the load weight on your truck hitch. That will give you better traction. Just don't go overboard with doing so or your truck won't handle well for steering on the hwy.
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seal killer
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by seal killer »

ed and Bill and pete--

Invaluable advice! Thank you very much. There were many issues and tips I had not considered.

Pete, the truck will pull that hill with ease; the trailer and equipment weigh no more than 7,000lbs. I regularly pull almost 14k lbs up that grade when I've got the Komatsu skid steer or the tractor on it. And, I know all about stopping and checking the load because of hauling the aforementioned equipment around: KC to here (over 250 miles) and here to Springfield, MO (about 90 miles).

However, I haven't pulled a (valuable) load tied down with straps. So I'll stop and check more often. Plus, I'll have my good friend with me . . . he's invaluable. And, somewhere during his career as an LEO, he learned very good rigging techniques. He's always improving my rigging.

I'll take plenty of cribbing and lumber, plus my battery powered tools. I had already contemplated screwing blocks in around the bases of the pallets holding the machines. I'll do that for sure, now.

I can't remove the head from the mill. The machines are at the storage facility and I have no ability to do anything there. Let me ask for a little clarification . . .

The knee is already down as far as it will go. Should I raise it just a bit and put wood cribbing between it and the base, then lower the knee tight onto the cribbing, strap it and lock it down in that order?

I can only tilt the head 90*. (And it is in that position now.) Should I put more cribbing on the table (after protecting it with a shipping blanket) and tilt the head down onto the cribbing, then strap the head and the table together in such a manner that the knee stays tight to the base and the head is tight to the table?

Whatever I cannot remove from the lathe, I will brace with cribbing, strap it into place and lock it down. Sound like a plan?


Of course, I've paid attention to everyone's strapping advice. However, I'm not sure how to implement the backward strapping on the equipment. My trailer is 22' long. The lathe will go up near the front, the mill will be over the axles and the saws will be behind the mill. Hmmm. I can strap the lathe to the front of the trailer, no problem. I can run straps from either side of the mill, one in front of the lathe and the other behind the lathe, to the front of the trailer.

The problem is strapping to the back. I'm thinking of how to do that. I'll get back to y'all with my plan.

Thank you very much for the help.

--Bill
You are what you write.
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seal killer
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by seal killer »

All--

Duh on me. I can tie the equipment towards the back by strapping it diagonally to the sides; two straps, one on each side of the equipment.

--Bill
You are what you write.
Inspector
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by Inspector »

Bill if my memory serves you bought a Grizzly lathe. Lots of ratchet straps restraining the loads front, back and side along with the blocks on the deck will be more than enough. 1 1/2" or 2" are relatively cheap and even Asian import ones work just fine if you use lots. Removing the lathe's back scatter shield would let you put a couple 1" lifting straps or heavy rope through the headstock to attach side ratchet straps to. It won't tip and slide sideways under a strap that way. If your mill has a lifting eye straps or rope to it can serve as backup to the other straps but I wouldn't rely completely on it to hold for every direction. You're not a twit, so I expect your move to be uneventful.

Pete
pete
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by pete »

Knowing you can pull that grade simplifies things then Bill. I'd raise the knee an inch or so, block it, then lower the knee onto the blocks just to take some but not all of the weight. That also helps stabilize the machine a bit more as well. Then tie it down, then protect the table top, fit blocking almost up to the side of the head, then cut yourself some wooden wedges and use them opposing style to take a bit of the head weight and tap those in with a hammer. Tack the wedges in place so they can't vibrate out. All your trying to do is stiffen up the machine and not have any unsupported over hung weight that could damage the machine just running over a large pothole on the road. There not designed for those type of high speed shock loads. If you can run a strap through the lathe bed cast in webs at the tail stock end and tie that off to the rear or out to each rear side of the trailer. Again all straps need that half twist on each side so the wind doesn't cause them to vibrate. That's an old truckers trick. If the lathe ways are well protected (shipping blanket) use a 12" long piece of 2"x4" under the bottom side of the cross webbing of the bed and running longitudinal to the ways, run the strap through the webbing and around that 2"x4" then both ends of the strap back up and over the ways and running out to each side. As long as the straps are tight the wood can't move and it gives you an easy way to tie into the machine without twisting your straps 90 degrees onto the webs themselves. Once the lathes fully tied down don't forget to set the carriage lock good n tight and also the cross slide lock if it's got one. Lathes tip over far easier than most think they can. So anything you can do to prevent the machine from trying to roll side to side will help. The main thing to remember if any strap will touch a precision surface on the machines then it needs to be padded first. Usually I don't trust straps because they can easily get cut or wear through on a semi sharp edge and I'd pick chains and boomers for tying down anything really heavy. For moving what you are those straps are much better and everything is really light anyway.

The better job you do tying down the more relaxing the trip will be. I hauled a stack of 3 brand new 53' deck trailers from Montreal to Vancouver, I first tightened all the straps using a 3' snipe on the handle of the strap winches, I still had to re-tighten the straps every 2 hrs for the next 8 hrs before the load finally settled down and the straps would stay tight. Any of those straps will tend to stretch a bit under tension and that's why they need to be checked every so often. But your not going far so it should be an easy trip.
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BadDog
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by BadDog »

I didn't read everything, so may have been said, but if the deck is wood, I like to screw down some 2x4 sections to box in the base of machines just to make sure there is no sliding.
Russ
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seal killer
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by seal killer »

pete and Russ--

pete, a few more new ideas; removing the splash plate and tying off using the hollow in the cast on the tailstock end!

Russ, that has been said and it is among the few things that I had already figured out for myself! Please post if you think of anything else, especially if it is something obvious that I should know, but of course do not.

Thanks!

--Bill
You are what you write.
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seal killer
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by seal killer »

All--

Finally! The shop is ready for equipment. I will do a little more painting where the OSB meets the joists, but that's all.

We turned the 10' garage door into an 8'+ garage door because I had not left enough clearance for the rails and operator when I built the ceiling. No problem.

Take a look . . .

https://youtu.be/tZiB-f2UunA

--Bill
You are what you write.
pete
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by pete »

Nice and clean, well lit and just about right for room Bill. I'm envious. :-)
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neanderman
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by neanderman »

Congratulations, Bill. It's been a long road and thanks for sharing the journey!

Good luck with the move; I'm sure you're looking forward to getting everything in place.

And you're welcome for any comments I made that you found helpful. It's partly why we're all here.
Ed

LeBlond Dual Drive, 15x30
US-Burke Millrite MVI
Atlas 618
Files, snips and cold chisels

Proud denizen of the former "Machine Tool Capitol of the World"
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seal killer
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by seal killer »

pete--

The area is 17' 8" wide and 26' long with a 38" x ~9' bump-out where the sink sits. It's a few feet longer than the shop in the garage of the KC house we sold. But, I don't have to share it with two cars! So, it's enormous from my perspective.

--Bill
You are what you write.
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warmstrong1955
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Re: OT: Building in isolated location

Post by warmstrong1955 »

seal killer wrote: Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:05 pm pete--

The area is 17' 8" wide and 26' long with a 38" x ~9' bump-out where the sink sits. It's a few feet longer than the shop in the garage of the KC house we sold. But, I don't have to share it with two cars! So, it's enormous from my perspective.

--Bill
Will be much better than your Garage Mahal!

:) Other Bill
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
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