Move BP advice

Brian, When these machines are shipped from the factory, they come with the head upside down. Loosen the four bolts in the front and crank the head all the way around until the top of the motor is straight down towards the table(take out the drawbar first). Tighten the four bolts. Place a piece of lumber,say a 2 X 8, on the table and then crank the table up to touch the top of the motor. This will help support the head during transport. Also shortens the mill for doors and lowers the center of gravity. Chief

The clamping bolts thread into a loose cast spider that may fall into the base after you remove the bolts. No problem removing the ram, but it's a bit more difficult replacing it without another pair of hands. Otherwise, no gotchas that I can recall.

Ned Simmons

Just undo the four bolts and that's it. Just be prepared for the thing to weigh around 200 lbs so an engine hoist to support the weight and be able to move it straight forward about 8" to clear the bolts would be handy.

Steve.

Oops, I misread your message. My reply refers to taking off only the head. That worked good for me because I used the overhang of the ends of the ram to attach the lifting sling.

Steve.

A note of caution. If you've never loosened the bolts, stand well clear of the head the first time you do. At one shop where I worked, when the machinist loosened the last bolt, the head swung down free and nearly clipped him. Sometime in the distant past the gear mechanism had been broken and not repaired or tagged.

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