I've decided I'm probably too old and dumb to move a lathe myself, as tempting as it may be.
Can anyone recommend a machinery mover in the San Francisco Bay area to move a 10-12" lathe locally? I'm looking for someone who's used to small home-shop type moves who can not only load and truck a lathe
10-15 miles, but be flexible in figuring out how to navigate the way down a narrow driveway into a fairly small workshop. And for reasonable cost.Steve,
I had my Gorton mill moved by a local rigger. I think his name and number is Al Newman @ 510-583-1185. I say "think" because I have the card of the guy from whom I bought the mill and Al's name and number is on the back. If I'm wrong, you can call Gary Aragon (the guy from whom I bought the mill) @
510-453-0513 and ask him who he uses.Al (assuming it's the right guy) loaded the mill up in Castro Valley, backed his big f***ing truck up our driveway in San Francisco, unloaded the mill and set on the stand I'd built for it. I didn't have to lift a finger. His price was very reasonable, I thought. I don't know if his truck is too big for your situation but he's worth a call.
Peter
i second the recommendation for al. nice guy, good price, and he moves damn near anything you want with skill. his truck is actually a tilting flatbed tow truck, and he winches his small forklift on and off the back, with you machine attached to the forklift. it's fast and he knows his stuff. bridgeport mill, 50+ miles, rush hour traffic, narrow driveway, all the way into my garage: $250
peter, did you get your gorton from gary back in december or so? if so, i think i saw it. nice little piece.
Joel,
I did get it in December. I've had the knee motor rebuilt and replaced the spindle bearings, but it is a cool unit. Thanks.
Peter
may I suggest it might be simpler, cheaper, and faster to call a local "rollback wrecker" operator? (normal 'boom' type towtrucks need not apply). all you'd need for your job is a 'small rollback'. they're generally MUCH more 'available' than millwrights, and consequently WAY cheaper...also, no problem picking it up from ground level but dropping it off at another level, like 'dock height' if neccessary...I use 'em all the time for similar tasks. your machine gets either strapped or chained down to the bed during transit...might wanna provide your own 'pads' of sorts under those chains though, like maybe old car floormats, tire sidewalls, soft pine, etc, to protect your lathe 'ways' (etc) from damage.
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