Moving RF45 mill to truck without lift gate

[georgebarr]

Hello,

I am trying to move my IH mill (RF 45 type) into a truck rental that does not have a lift gate. Since trucks with lift gates are only for local moves, there isn't any available (do not offer this) for a 600 mile 1-way move.

My question is, how can I move this mill into a rental truck? I have one of these engine cranes, http://grizzly.com/products/ENGINE-CRANE/G8712

I was thinking about bolting the mill onto a wooden pallet and then using the engine crane to place it into the truck rental without using a lift gate or ramp. What is the best way to do this?

Thanks,

[will gilmore]

Does the truck have a ramp?

[Wheatie]

I've put the grizzly version of this mill onto a trailer using a very similar hoist. The Grizzly was on a base. I ended up removing the plates to expose the base. I raised the head as high as it would go. I just had a single, long chain. I positioned the end of the hoist just above the bed. Hooded the center of the chain on the hoist hook. Dropped the ends around the column, one on each side. Ran the ends through the backside of the base, then one end out each side. Pulled the ends back up behind the table to the hoist hook. Then, crossed the ends though the hook, brought them in front of the table and dropped them back into the sides. Hooked them with a screw oval.

I have some pictures somewhere, but not sure they will help much. I ended up with one loop of chain around each of the rear legs and a third loop in front of the table just behind the front legs.

With some help, I was able to get it on and off the trailer. Now, my trailer's pretty low, much lower than a truck. And this is one tippy load on the hoist. If the hoist is not on perfectly smooth concrete its impossible to move.

I do think it would be better to use the pallet, but its still going to be very tippy since you're lifting from a single point.

I did try hoisting it from above the head. Its hard to get enough clearance since this mill is so tall.

You might think about taking it apart. It will be a lot more manageable and safer if you pull off the head and then the column.

[windsor]

I moved a MTW mill of the same type with a similar hoist . I lowered the head as low as it would go to make the machine as short as possible then used lift straps on the 4 big bolts that stick out from the sides of the base . ---I had no problem getting it into the back of my pick up . ----getting it through a 32" door was the hard part . ---

[jalessi]

Sometimes a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

[arizonavideo]

You might have a problem of the engine hoist not going high enough if the truck bed height is over about 4'.

You may have to pull off the motor to let you grab it a bit lower. The motor comes off easy even with one person.

If you do grab by the head all the weight will be on the Z screw and it is held by a M6 SHCS.

here is a picture of the bolt from my IH mill.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...1&d=1269832301

Should not be a problem. The weight of the head will not be on the bolt so that will be about 250 LB less, about 700 LB on that M6 bolt.

Hey, do you know that bolt was made in China!

[georgebarr]

I just reserved a 26' uhaul with 33" deck height and a ramp (no lift gate). The mill is in my garage so there will be a sloop. I will try removing the spindle motor and lowering the head to the lowest level and tightening the Z-axis gibs. Also, I plan to bolt it down to a pallet before moving it into the truck so it will not tip over. I don't think the trucks inside rails are strong enough to tie the mill so it will not slide out or tip over.

I never removed the spindle motor. Is it as easy as removing a few bolts that attaches the motor to the gear head housing? How about the connection to the spindle itself.

Thanks,

[jalessi]

1:
Locate the tensile strength marking and determine the ultimate tensile strength. The digit before the decimal indicates the ultimate tensile strength in hundreds of megapascals (MPa). A metric bolt with a rating of 8.8 would have an ultimate tensile strength of 800 MPa.

2:
Determine the yield strength using the number after the decimal place. The second number is converted to a percentage that is multiplied by the ultimate strength to determine the yield strength. A metric bolt with a rating of 8.8 would have a yield strength that is 80 percent, or 0.8, of the ultimate strength, which is 800 MPa.

0.8*800 = 640 MPa

3:

Convert the ultimate and yield strength from MPa to pounds per square inch (psi) by multiplying each by 145. Values in psi are more common than MPa in the US.

Ultimate tensile strength = 800*145 = 116,00 psi

Yield tensile strength = 640*145 = 92,800 psi

[Wheatie]

Thanks for that calculation. I was concerned about lifting from the head just because I wasn't sure it would hold.

Now, that bolt isn't going to hold 92,800 pounds because its not one square inch. Not sure what the thinnest part of a M6 bolt is, but guessing it at 5 mm diameter, the bolt has an area of 0.03 square inches. So, does that make its breaking point about 2825 pounds? Guess it would have been OK to lift like that.

[Fastest1]

We are talking about the RF45 arent we? The truck side rails not strong enough? What are you driving? I never get passed and I tie everything to the sides, sometimes 4 motorcycles with the tailgate open! No speed limiter in my F250 6.0 sprayed with propane either and it aint slow.

Originally Posted by georgebarr I just reserved a 26' uhaul with 33" deck height and a ramp (no lift gate). The mill is in my garage so there will be a sloop. I will try removing the spindle motor and lowering the head to the lowest level and tightening the Z-axis gibs. Also, I plan to bolt it down to a pallet before moving it into the truck so it will not tip over. I don't think the trucks inside rails are strong enough to tie the mill so it will not slide out or tip over. I never removed the spindle motor. Is it as easy as removing a few bolts that attaches the motor to the gear head housing? How about the connection to the spindle itself. Thanks,

[arizonavideo]

U-HAUL trucks have a lower deck height because they make their own boxes.

At 33" you should be able to just lift the mill in without messing with the motor. It may be close. You can measure first.

The motor just lifts off and the drive gear is a loose slip fit. The wires are the only problem.

Strap that thing down to something. I would slide it to the front of the box so it can't get going if you slam on the breaks. I move my mill with a regular dolly but it is a really strong one. Some plastic moving buddies will help a lot.

[Wheatie]

Found the pictures. Here's how I grabbed it. I didn't disassemble anything, and on the Grizzly, the Z axis motor sticks up pretty high.