Gentlemen,

Early next week I will depart on a 580 mile odyssey to fetch home my
new bridgeport mill. Thanks to Iggy (Thanks, Iggy!!!) I have a copy
of a bridgeport operation and maintenance manual.

The manual contains some illustrations and guidance on UNPACKING a
mill. I get the impression that this manual was printed for british
consumption. First, it mentions a Whitworth 3/4" J hook that screws
into the top of the head to be used as a lifting lug. Second, the
manual uses the word "whilst" and other distinctly british spellings.
But the machines were indeed manufactured in Bridgeport,
Connecticut... yes?

I have not yet resolved how to get the machine home. Plan A involves
me towing an 18' pintle hitch trailer behind our old 1 ton Ford diesel
van. The trailer is purpose built for moving backhoes. It is a very
stout trailer. With a backhoe on it, the trailer would be too heavy
for the Ford. But with a 2200 mill and 800 pound welder the gross
weight will be about 8,000 lbs, which I consider well within the
capacity of the 1 ton van. The van has fully steel belted, commercial
duty tires on it. The trailer has tandem axles and dual wheels all
around.

I recently bought the trailer and we re-wired it. This will be our
first major trip with it. Since it is an older trailer (1989?) this
afternoon I took it to Gary's, my tractor mechanic's, house for him to
inspect, service, and/or repair, as needed. Today Gary rebuilt the
tilt cylinders in my Case forklift which were hemorrhaging hydraulic
fluid. In short order he had the kits in, a hydraulic oil change, and
the forklift working like a champ. It is a Case 584CK. It will lift
4,000 pounds 22 feet into the air. This means I could drop the mill
through the roof if I chose to do so... ah, the powah!!!

By Monday afternoon, Gary will make a pronouncement as to whether the
trailer is seaworthy. If so, I will depart Monday night or Tuesday to
pick up the mill.

If Gary finds any serious problems that can't be fixed within 24 hours
I will go to "Plan B". This involves renting a Ryder truck.

Thus, I am confronting two possible scenarios for loading the
equipment and returning home with it. If I take the pintle hitch
trailer I intend to load the two items squarely over the axles. I
will drill holes through the floor of the trailer and bolt the mill
down with four 1/2" carriage bolts or something similar. I will even
use angle iron "stringers" as needed beneath the trailer to ensure
that the mill is tight as a fiddle bow. I will also strap and chain
it.

If I take a Ryder truck however, I'm less certain as to how to secure
the machine. Those trucks have aluminum boxes with steel stanchions
every 4 feet or so. Along the sides, about 36" from the floor, are
some 1x4 smooth wooden rails. These do not seem very sturdy to me.
Also, I probably will catch grief from drilling holes in the floor of
the truck. Also, even though the trucks have tommy lifts, I will
still have to roll the machine some 20 feet forward into the cavernous
box of the truck.

Is it a viable plan to set the thing down on a pallet jack? I'm not
sure the foot print of the mill is even big enough to catch the legs
of the jack.

Once I get there, the seller will load me. But then they will wash
their hands and close the door.

I have moved things this heavy. But not this "concentrated" and not
with this high of a center of gravity.

Therefore, I will welcome the benefit of the experience of those who
have been through the drill previously. As always, thanks!

V