lifting machines upto 400 lb ?

Where does the machine have to go? I've lifted a 350lb planer with one other person on a couple of occations. Three people makes the job quite doable. I wouldn't want to go too far though. Rolling it along on pipes is a good choice.

If it has to go down stairs or something, you can usually disassemble the machine (or perhaps it comes in pieces) and move it easily that way...

Are you thinking of buying from the manufacturer? I work in retail (part time) and frequently manufacturers will not sell to end-users. This isn't always the case, but frequently it applies - especially when the product has to go in a shipping container (unless you want to spend thousands shipping via courier).

HTH.

Regards,

Robin

The most versatile way to move 400 pounds is to recruit 3 buddies. 4 able-bodied people can handle 400 pounds without difficulty.

I have the Harbor Freight engine hoist (with proper US made overhead lifting slings from Enco) and it handles 400 pounds easily. The biggest problem I have is making sure whatever I'm lifting either fits in between the hoist's legs, or straddles them.

In my area, Blain's Farm and Fleet recently started selling a very nice lift imported by Larin Automotive. When on sale, it is only a little more than the Harbor Freight. I forget the exact dollar amount. If I had to do it again, I would choose this one. The main advantage is the two legs are parallel to each other and have approximately 24" between them. The legs on the Harbor Freight model are slanted and have much less clearance. Also, the jack is air over hydraulic (ie. you can pump the handle or use your air compressor).

I live in an apartment complex on the ground floor. But do change apartments sometimes and would like to be able to load/unload my machines from a truck, move them into a ground floor apartment and install them onto a table myself (only person who is sure to be available is my girlfriend).

I actually wrote to seig twice asking them if they have a dristibutor in india (where i am from) but never got an answer. To the best of my knowledge such hobbiest machines are not available in India (may seem ironic, but is probably because of small markets due to lower per capita).

regards b thomas

"B Thomas" wrote: I would be greatfull if you could advise on safe but inexpensive ways of lifting machines upto 400 lb weight and moving them (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Harbor Freight sells a hydraulic jack/lift intended for motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc. I use one for lifting heavy logs into my truck, and I used it once to move a heavy bandsaw. It lifts from about 3" to about 18" from the floor, has wheels, and can be pulled by a tongue, or held stationary by a pair of screws that press down on the floor. Capacity is around 1500#.

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 06:29:04 GMT, "Leo Lichtman" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Errrk! reminds me of those kinky strongmen....

It can depend on several factors:

The shape and center of gravity of the machine.

Whether or not you are going across flat ground, or over obstacles or up or down stairs, inclines, etc.

BY MYSELF, I moved an eight foot by eight foot Catalina spa about twenty five feet to its new location. I used levers first, then hydraulic jacks, then got two four wheel dollies under it. Luckily the pool deck and patio were relatively flat. I got it to its new foundation, and used PVC pipes to roll it Egyptian style.

If you don't have a lot of obstacles, dollies are great, and can be rented cheaply. I get mine free at work, so have two that I use around the house for lots of things. Getting the things on and off the dollies is the hard part, and getting the dollies over uneven ground.

Having help really helps, particularly if the thing takes off on its own, is top heavy, or you just have to horse it. Using plywood ramps is a possibility. So many things you can do, but without knowing the lay of what you want to traverse, that's about as good as I can do.

I am a certified rigger, ex crane operator, and have worked with machinery and construction a lot. Sometimes it is real simple and easy, and sometimes it is a pure d bitch.

Steve

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 03:42:49 GMT, B Thomas calmly ranted:

Since my back and muscles strongly remind me that I can no longer toss transmichigans or differentials around, I picked up a 1/2 ton truck-bed-mountable hoist from HF for $70. Some day I'll even cut the bed, drill the frame, and set it up. It's been in my shop for over a year now. That's not as portable as the cherry picker you referred to, but it's another way to do it.

Alternatively, build your own small, lightweight gantry crane on wheels out of some of the many I-beam scraps in your shop and a come-along. ;)

400#? Even a tuba-ate wooden crane frame could work.

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When movivg machines you want to keep them as close to the ground as possible. When I have done it, I have usually used pipe rollers so the machine is only about 2 inch above the floor. But this was over concrete floor. For something only weighing about 400 lbs I would think a dolly with four swivel casters would be fine. Harbor Freight often has casters on sale.

Once you have the machine adjacent to the final location, you can remove anything that is easily removed and then maybe able to lift it with a friend or two. Be sure everyone keeps their toes from under the machine at all times. Other possibilites are using some lumber to make a ramp. Or set a pallet next to the machine and lift one end of the machine onto the pallet, then swing the other end onto the pallet. Move the dolly and stack two pallets there and repeat as necessary until the machine can be slid onto whatever stand it will be on. Just be sure nothing will tip. Not sure that is a good idea for a mill, but would work for a lathe which is not as likely to tip over.

If I lived in an apartment, I think I would rent a engine hoist rather than buy one. Less to find a place to store.

Dan

Juniors former employer had a cast concrete planter sitting on a palette out front of the store for about six months until I made the comment that if they soon didn't take it off the palette, I would do the job myself. The result was that on the next Sunday (cleanup day) the shop owner polished the same section of window for half an hour as I, assisted by a wrecking bar and a basket of wood scraps, moved the planter to it's designated spot and claimed the palette as my outdoor work surface. None of the staff had been able to suggest a method to accomplish the moving of this 3/4 ton item. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

||On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 00:37:51 -0700, "SteveB" ||wrote: || || ||>

||>BY MYSELF, I moved an eight foot by eight foot Catalina spa about twenty ||>five feet to its new location. I used levers first, then hydraulic jacks, ||>then got two four wheel dollies under it. Luckily the pool deck and patio ||>were relatively flat. I got it to its new foundation, and used PVC pipes to ||>roll it Egyptian style. ||>

||Juniors former employer had a cast concrete planter sitting on a ||palette out front of the store for about six months until I made the ||comment that if they soon didn't take it off the palette, I would do ||the job myself. The result was that on the next Sunday (cleanup day) ||the shop owner polished the same section of window for half an hour as ||I, assisted by a wrecking bar and a basket of wood scraps, moved the ||planter to it's designated spot and claimed the palette as my outdoor ||work surface. None of the staff had been able to suggest a method to ||accomplish the moving of this 3/4 ton item. ||Gerry :-)} ||London, Canada

When we moved into our present house a few years ago, it came with a nice, nearly new, site-built wooden storage building, 16'x12'. I needed it moved about 30 feet - uphill, and through/around trees. So I called two local guys that advertised moving such things. They estimated $300 to do it, so I said "Come on". They came out, looked at at it, and said "We can't move that!" And wished me luck. Then my wife's employer offered to move it as a favor. this company is a nationally-known for moving difficult items - anything, anywhere. They handled transportation of the King Tut exhibit pieces when it toured the US. They sent out a crew of 3 with a big forklift on an 18-wheeler. Those guys worked about 6 hours, getting the building to a different spot but still 20 feet or so from where it needed to be before crying "uncle" and leaving, with apologies to the wife. They also left a couple of broken tree limbs and one nice smaller tree cut down. I came home and found the building in a totally "not good" place. It was "high-centered" basically at the end of my driveway. It still needed to go uphill about 15 feet, then turn 90 degrees and go downhill another 20 feet. After a few more weeks of looking for someone to finish the job, I went down to HD and bought a heavy-duty come-along and an assortment of chain, cable, and ratcheting straps. Then I went back and cut brush and vines between the building and the oak trees around the stranded building. Using the gear I had to attach to the tree trunks, with the come-along midway, I moved that building over one weekend, inching it over a few sheets of plywod. A little muscle and engenuity makes an impossible job do-able without heavy equipment. Texas Parts Guy