Picked up my "new" CVA lathe today. It's a heavy old beast for the back of a double garage at 1450kg. I rented a 12ft platform trailer and towed it behind my Volvo V70. The maximum towing capacity of the Volvo is 1800kg so this was right on the limit of trailer weight. However the gross train weight for the V70 is 3900KG and we'd be well under that because this trip was made with only one person along with a mobile phone and a tank of petrol.
The lathe dropped onto the trailer easily since the vendor has an overhead gantry. Dropped onto 1inch planks across the bed and strap down with 6 2 inch ratchet straps. That bit was simple. The Volvo towed impeccably at a comfortable 60mph as long as you ignore 5th gear. When I got home I reversed the trailer into the garage, manhandled the lathe onto rollers and then from a "north south" direction to "east west". I then chocked the rear of the trailer so that it wouldn't drop and I levered the lathe to the very tail of the trailer. A single strap around the bed was attached at the balance point (just in front of the chuck mount). The CVA book says lift using the special bed holes but the Monarch book (from which the CVA was copied somewhat) reccommends a bed clamp lift so I reckoned it was OK. I then lifted the lathe with a 2 tonne engine hoist on the 2 tonne setting. Remove trailer, lower lathe onto blocks and make a cup of tea.
Charles