Just how strong are the holes in a Series I base?

[AviatorDave]

I just bought a nice late model Series I bridgeport. It will be delivered in a few weeks. The trouble is that it will be delivered on a truck with a lift-gate, and I don't have any means of wheeling it into the garage besides rolling it on pipes. The driver may have a pallet jack, so maybe I could use that. But anyways -

I was going to design and build a mobile carrier for it, and bought 4 750 lb rated casters for it. I have two different designs in mind, and which one I go with will depend on the answer to this question:

Can the 4 machine bolt-down holes in the base support the full weight of the machine? If they will, I will design something that will hang over the machine base like a gantry, and then will pull the machine off the ground by bolts through the bolt-down holes. Then once it's rolled into place, I can drop the machine back down to the ground and remove the carrier.

If those holes can also be used for leveling bolts, then they would work for that design.

If they can't be used for leveling bolts because they would overstress the base, then I can go with a second design that will have to go under the base. The trouble then is getting the base out from under the machine. I know I can make or buy prybars and jacks to do it with, but would rather not have to.

And no matter which design I go with, it will be built of probably 2"x4"x 1/4" wall rectangular tubing that will be welded together and could likely support two machines.

I've only found two examples of people building mobile carts for their mills, and neither of them used the bolt holes to support the machine when in transit.

[klxrcr]

correct me If I'm wrong but on the Bridgeports I've seen (quite a few) the holes in the base are not tapped, they are just Thru holes. So I don't think pulling it up to the carrier is going to work.

Oh and the holes are just to bolt the machine down, leveling is usually done with shims under the base. When I moved mine I used rollers to do it, but I got it into the garage with an unnecessarily large tractor.


Good Luck! (<--- not sarcastic)

[DJPLAST]

Invest in a nice pallet jack, you will find it very handy!

[AviatorDave]

Originally Posted by klxrcr correct me If I'm wrong but on the Bridgeports I've seen (quite a few) the holes in the base are not tapped, they are just Thru holes. So I don't think pulling it up to the carrier is going to work. Oh and the holes are just to bolt the machine down, leveling is usually done with shims under the base. When I moved mine I used rollers to do it, but I got it into the garage with an unnecessarily large tractor. Good Luck! (<--- not sarcastic)

They don't need to be threaded - I was going to put either very large washers under a bolt head run up through the bottom, or maybe through a steel bar that runs from one side to the other. I wasn't sure what the cavity under the base looks like.

And I would get a pallet jack, but I would likely use it once and never use it again, at least, not for several years.

[klxrcr]

The base is a cavity but I've never had one high enough to look under it, so I'm not sure if the cavity extends under the bolt holes. Pallet jacks can come in handy but I think they cost too much and take up too much space to store maybe if you had a shop and some sort of business.

I saw on here one guy moved his mill with a folding 2 ton engine hoist from harbor freight, scares me a little but it seemed to work ok and a hoist would be much more useful than a pallet jack, for me anyways. As an added note I'm fairly sure you can rent an engine hoist from autozone in the lend a tool program.

[AviatorDave]

Yeah, I can borrow a 5 ton pallet jack from work, so my immediate need is resolved. But I did find some pics of the underneath of a bridgeport.



The holes in the front look like they go through the ceiling of the base plate, the ones in the rear look like they may be through those bosses. If that's true, then I'm fairly confident my gantry setup will work fine if I do build it.

I think I will go ahead and run some bolts up through the bottom in case I want to try it out.

[snakebit95]

I have moved my Bridgeport around my shop with a heavy-duty 2-ton engine hoist (not the cheapy Horror Freight model either). Perhaps one of the local tool rental shops would have one for rent? Just another option to consider.