[cjjonesarmory]

To fineartlig (David Munson):

Well, like you, I don't have a whole lot of equipment for lifting. It was an incredibly nerve-racking process.

I used a hydraulic engine hoist, lots of rope, cable, and a pair of 1,000lb capacity funiture dollys (the short square kind with 4 casters, not talking about a hand truck).

The stand itself is probably between 300 and 400 lbs. The machine is probably about 900 to 1200 lbs. The remaining portion of the 2000 lb shipping weight was the controller, and various accessories like the large coolant catch plate.

If I were to recommend one absolutely critical lifting accessory it would be a load leveler. The lift points of the mill itself are well below the center of gravity and the mill will definitely go upside down if not carefully lifted....

Second to that, you will most likely need something to keep the chains or cables off the upper section of the mill while lifting... It's a bit hard to explain, but if you have the four lift points on the maching attached to a single hook point, the chains will pinch some wiring and put some very heavy pressure on some of the sensitive components (motors, wiring, the table, etc...). I would recommend a square framework that would have 4 chains dropping down from the four corners of the frame to the 4 lift points on the machine. Basically, something to keep the chains vertical from the machine lift points to the hook point. So the chains would make a cube instead of a teepee shape. I hope that makes sense.

Last, I had trouble getting my engine hoist to get enough height. So if you can afford it or already have one, I'd recommend using a gantry type setup like the one that Harbor Freight sells for about $600.00 along with a chain hoist.

If you haven't already, definitely ask for lift-gate service. It would be impossible to get off the back of the delivery truck without it (taking into account the already mentioned lack of a forklift). I ended up having to go to the shipping terminal and have them put it in the back of my pickup because the delivery truck guy was too chicken to back the delivery truck into my driveway. But I guarantee that any delivery company is not going to let you take the crates apart while on the truck, and even if you did, the heaviest part is the mill section and for all intents and purposes is not able to be disassembled.

I hope that covers it. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask! It took me about two days total to go from crate in my truck to fully assembled/leveled/etc...