I have moved my machines several times. All of them. I did it with a single
pair of machinery skates designed like Bob Powell's (Toolbert). I got my
casters from cheapcasters.com but replaced the grease zerk fittings with
decent 6mm ones from McMaster-Carr. Here are my design parameters:

one guy can load a 3500 pound machine, then move it (flat assumed)
the machine never goes above 3/4" off the floor so it's less risky
the skates have to be narrow enough to go through a 30" door
the skates have to be wide enough to hold your biggest machine
the skates should be light enough so one guy can lift them
the skates should be corrosion resistant so they can be stored outside

Recently a guy brought over a 25 pound Little Giant power hammer in a pickup.
We picked it up and set it on the ground with an engine hoist. He looked at
the ten feet of driveway or so left before it went into my shop and groaned
and asked me if I had any pieces of pipe. I laughed at him and rolled out my
skates. Two minutes later the machine was in place and he was blown away at
how easy it was.

It's really easy to load up a Bridgeport mill. Roll up the front skate, put
your prybar under its middle and into the little floor slot in the front of
the BP base casting, lean on the prybar and nudge the skate under the front
lip, then set the machine down on it. Put a couple of wedges under the casters
so the machine can't roll away, then go roll in the back skate and lift up the
back of the mill by running a portapower between the floor and the back lug on
the ram. You only have to lift it a fraction of an inch, then roll in the
skate and set the mill down on it and take the portapower away. Then tie the
skates together and you can easily roll your mill around.

Or your lathe. Or your surface grinder. Or your hydraulic press. Or your
big bandsaw. Or your big welder. You get the idea.

I had mine hot-dip galvanized. They aren't shiny anymore, but they aren't
rusty either. They took about a day to make. I keep 'em out in the rain.

I can post pix if you need 'em - they're different from Bob's but basically
very similar. I used bigger casters so I can clear the lip going into and
out of my garage - the bigger the casters, the bigger the lip you can roll
over. However, bigger casters have a bigger swing radius, so your biggest
machines will foul sometimes when the caster wants to turn.

Grant Erwin
Kirkland, Washington


Too_Many_Tools wrote:

Has anyone made a Bridgeport mobile and if so, how have you done it?

I am thinking seriously about putting a Bridgeport on wheels since I
will be moving a number of times in the next few years.