Ignoramus22384 wrote:

On 2007-10-11, RDF wrote:

"Bill Schwab" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is is just me, or does the metalworking industry seem deaf to hobbyists
and other home-shop customers? Put another way, what is the correct
approach to getting a machine off a truck in one piece. I am by no means
fixed on the Enco lathe, but I asked them about shipping, and have gotten
mixed signals about a lift gate. I can understand "it's too heavy for
that" but it seems strange to me that companies that sell heavy items do
such a poor job of giving consistent answers to customers.

I have an engine hoist and an F-150 that would be able to cope with safely
getting a 1000 lb lathe down my sloping driveway, but going from flat bed
to the ground is another story. Control over shipping was a big factor in
choosing Rutland for my mill-drill, though I will admit the process was
not free of surprises. It worked out well, but proved I was right to have
respect for the weight of what was arriving.

How do YOU handle a ton or so slathered on cosmoline sitting on a truck

So, Bill, is it a 1000 lbs or a ton?

outside your home? Do I need to buy a fork lift to be one of the guys?
There are manual stackers that have suitable capacity, but they appear to
be a lot more expensive than the 500-700 lb variety I have been
considering for general use.

Bill


Iggy and I along with a few friends used a Bobcat with forks on it to get a
Bridgeport mill off of his trailer and into my garage. Now, a few of us had
to sit on the end of the Bobcat as it was lifting the rear wheels off the
ground.

That was a scary moment.

I had the front end of a tilt bed tow truck 3'+ off the ground when
unloading a large generator. The look on the driver's face was
priceless. We gently removed the load from the back with a pair of big
jacks and lowered the front of the truck back to the ground.


There is no easy answer. A gantry is ideal but how many of us have
on in the shop? I wish I had one. An engine hoist would have bent in half if
we tried that one.... The price of having cool tools I guess.... I won't
move any time soon simply due to the size of some of the gear and tool boxes
in my shop. To move all the shop stuff a Rigging company was 10K and that
was from NC to Chicago just to drop it in place.... I guess I need a
printing press for cash next! I feel your pain Bill. That's just how it is.

There is no easy answer, but, 1,000 lbs is not that much either. So a
clarification is in order, what is the weight of the lathe.

Nope, 1,000# is pretty manageable. When it gets over 2,000# then you
start to tax "normal" home shop rigging supplies.