This followed me home today.

[Pete O]

(05-27-2015, 05:18 AM)stevec Wrote: Pete O, you've probably thought of this but here goes. If you have any idea what your trailer weighs and there is a vehicle scale nearby you could drive it over and subtract the weight of your trailer to get a pretty good idea of the weight.  

Steve

I actually drove into a public weighbridge on the way to pick up the mill, was going to get a tare weight and then weigh again on the way home so I would know the weight for sure. It was going to cost $36 so I drove out again!
The info I was going on was that it weighs 1200kg, however the same info said it had a 2hp motor so the machine might be a different model to what I thought, I'm waiting to hear back from lathes.co about a book for it so hopefully I'll be able to get all that info.
I'm not in a desperate hurry to get it off the trailer, was good to be able to take it outside to wash the foot down and blow the chips off yesterday, I have an area below the shed where I can make that kind of mess. I'll take it outside to clean out the sump too, it's like the septic tank at a leprosarium in there, I'm thinking I might dig a hole to drain it into then rinse it out with the hose, can clean the trailer off after the machine is unloaded.
I need to make some progress on my furnace, want to get the refractory poured next week so it can cure while I do other stuff.
Anyway will get some photos of lifting options today and see what you guys think.

[Dr Stan]

(05-27-2015, 07:47 AM)dallen Wrote: old ford tractor, I don't think you will pick up that mill on the 3 point lift, but then I may be wrong.

Just have a large friend/co-worker/in-law or all three sit on the front of the tractor. 

[Vinny]

Listen to the good doctor, he has a valid idea. After doing some conversions from KG to LBS I found that my forklift would lift and move that. Don't extend the forks out too far on that tractor and Doc's idea should work fine.

[Pete O]

Yep I'm sure the 3pl would lift it if the hydraulic pump were replaced but unfortunately I've been spending too much cash on other things like milling machines! There is a front-end-loader on the tractor so counter weight is not an issue, just there is no power in the hydraulics. Will be a couple of months before the tractor gets a new pump, I need to get it in the shed and do a heap of work on it including splitting it to replace the clutch. Anyhow, it's not going to be unloading this mill anytime soon!
My next door neighbour had a yard crane that I borrowed to unload my lathe, unfortunately he sold all his gear and moved out a few months ago.

[Vinny]

Sounds like you're in farm country. I dunno what farm country is like over there, but here they all stick together and will always help other folks in the area. Hit the feed store or bar or other hang out and see who can lend a hand (or fork).

[Hawkeye]

Will the 4 HP work as the rotary supply? And will the 3 HP fit into the mill? I replaced the 4 HP 440 volt motor that came with my mill with a 3 HP single-phase. That's the setup that cut the 1" by 1/2" slot in one pass. You might already have the parts you need, if the voltages are right.

[PixMan]

I'd never want to give up spindle power, but that's because I love to hog metal when I have the opportunity.

Two choices on power if you don't have 3-phase coming in, RPC or VFD. A rotary phase converter is steady speed, and your idler motor should be at least 50% bigger than the total of the motors you might power up off of it. I have a 15HP idler motor feeding up to about 10HP (2HP mill, 2HP surface grinder with 1/2HP dust collector and 1/8HP coolant motor, 5HP lathe with 1/4HP coolant motor.)

One motor on a single machine is an ideal candidate for a variable frequency drive. It only needs to be rated for the total it feeds, and gives you variable spindle speeds. That can wreak havoc on hydraulic pumps or feed motors though.

[Pete O]

(05-27-2015, 10:52 PM)PixMan Wrote: I'd never want to give up spindle power, but that's because I love to hog metal when I have the opportunity.

Two choices on power if you don't have 3-phase coming in, RPC or VFD. A rotary phase converter is steady speed, and your idler motor should be at least 50% bigger than the total of the motors you might power up off of it. I have a 15HP idler motor feeding up to about 10HP (2HP mill, 2HP surface grinder with 1/2HP dust collector and 1/8HP coolant motor, 5HP lathe with 1/4HP coolant motor.)

One motor on a single machine is an ideal candidate for a variable frequency drive. It only needs to be rated for the total it feeds, and gives you variable spindle speeds. That can wreak havoc on hydraulic pumps or feed motors though.

I thought about a VFD, I set one up on my lathe when I got it and it has been great, I run the coolant pump from a capacitor system so it only runs half power but that doesn't matter with the pump. I wasn't sure whether this would be as practical with a mill though? There is a master switch on the side of the machine, an on/off switch at the front and an 'inch' switch on the other side, not sure whether these would all be able to be signalled into a VFD. Als VFDs in that horsepower range are quite expensive, which is the main factor pushing me toward a rotary phase converter. Also the fact that it would be a simple plug-and-play for the mill, and no additional problem with running the coolant pump.
i don't think I could swap the motors around and run the 3hp in the mill off the 4hp in a converter, the 4hp motor is actually shorter than the 3hp with a much bigger diameter. Worth exploring though.
I went to the local scrap metal bloke today to see whether he had any motors around 8hp, he said he had just sent 22 tons of motors to the smelters. Might try again in a week or so if I haven't come up with anything. Looking at the stuff he is scrapping, I'm convinced these guys have no soul! A tinker's paradise.

I just finished cleaning out the base of the machine, foul job. Will post some photos of possible sling arrangements shortly.

[Pete O]

I'm thinking I can sling the machine from right under the base, with a short sling from the overhead arm or the lifting eye on the vertical head to prevent it tipping. Being on a pallet, I can get straps through under it, could then lower it onto some timbers, getting the timbers out shouldn't be difficult.
These photos show what I mean, just with some light straps in place for the photo (ignore the chain, it is chained down to the trailer so i could move it outside to clean)
   
   
   
I figure I can put some timbers behind the straps to keep them off the switches on the photo side and the change levers on the other side.

With regard to local help, we are in dairy country and none of the neighboring farmers seem to have heavy lifting machinery, bale lifters are about the limit and I don't think they would be up to it, also I wouldn't ask anyone to drive a forklift on our road, would be courting disaster. I'm thinking I might be able to spot a contractor nearby and offer them some quick cash to come by and lift it down for me, I'll be keeping my eye on who drives past- there are some crane trucks in the area but if I can hijack one passing by it would probably save me a fair bit over getting someone to come out specially.

[Mayhem]

A cold slab is as good as currency