Moving a lathe with feet?

How heavy is the machine? How far you going? What kind of floor do you have? What condition is the floor???

If you have a smooth cement floor take a look at moving skates. Like this search:

I've moved heavy loads with four trailer tongue jacks bolted to a temporary frame of 2" wooden planks. Their price is comparable to regular swivel casters of similar load capacity and you don't need anything else to raise or lower the load.

If you replace their axles with longer bolts you can attach forked handles to steer and pull them.

They are also called mice.

Thanks, I like that idea!

Depends on the lathe. I moved my 2000lb 14x40 by lifting it up one end at a time with a straight pick through the lifting holes and a pair of farm jacks, then set it down on modestly heavy furniture dollies. By sweeping up the smooth concrete floor thoroughly two of us easily moved it to its new locations (twice). One time I left it on the dollies for two months while I built a machine room in my shop. Dollie wheels developed small flat spots, but after we got it moving it positioned easily. Then after it was in position we set it down the same way. One end at a time. We got it within a couple inches, and were easily able to use the straight pick to shift it into its exact position.

I don't think I would move anything heavier that way though. The dollies handled it just fine, but I really think it was the limits of the casters. I also wouldn't do it by myself for fear of overpowering it and knocking it over. With two people it was pretty easy. I did move the saddle and the tail stock all the way to the end opposite of the head to try and limit the chance of tipping over end wise on the head, and lifted the head end first. Setting down we lowered the tail stock end first for the same reason.

I LIKE THAT.

Saw a big CNC router table with trailer jacks permanently mounted once. Of course it was a lot lighter machine.

Just be careful with moving skates as they can shift. I know a guy that was recently moving his Harrison M300 on skates with a mate and the mate hadn't noticed a skate had shifted and when they went to move the lathe it fell on it front writing off most of the lathe. He's selling the salvageable parts on ebay at the moment. I know a M300 can be moved on rollers as I have one. What is the lathe you want to move.

An appropriate set of shoes for the feet can be found:

Jack it up and put it on a 24X66 platform, then roll it on pipes????????

I dare say no one has a cement floor. Concrete, of course...Cement, highly unlikely. If so, it will probably not support much of a load, rolling or otherwise...sorry, couldn't resist...

Honestly I don't know. Hendey 16x6 gearhead. Roughly 85in long overall.

Perhaps 150ft and on and off a drop-bed trailer.

Fairly nice concrete.

On my LeBlonde 13" I simply raised it up (prybar) and fastened it to 2x6 "skis". Then the 2" pvc plastic pipe rollers. For safety reasons I always work alone. Slo..ooow but safer.

Give it some shoes and tell it to walk?

Sorry, couldn't resist 8-)

bob prohaska

SMART transportation choice, Dave. Drop-beds are the =only= way to move the heavies. 4 or 6 skates should get you there. Find some cheap bearings and build your own skates, if you're frugal like many of us are.

Has anyone ever used on-bed camper jacks with casters to move a piece of machinery? Sounds like it might be easier than tongue jacks, which already sound like a pretty nifty use of them.

Do you mean scissor jacks?

No, the tall hydraulic or screw types which attach next to the 4 corners of the main box outside the truck bed.