I'm making this post in an effort to help future newbies like myself when it comes time to purchase your first mill. Getting it home seemed pretty daunting, but it all went very smooth. Hopefully this will help someone out.
I just picked up my round ram Bridgeport M-head and got it set in place in my workshop. I don't have a lot of experience moving heavy machinery or easy access to any heavy lifting equipment. The move when very smooth, no issues at all. Keep in mind that this is a M-head so it's quite a bit lighter than a newer J-head.
These are pretty much all the tools I really needed. The only items not pictured here are a come-along and some wood 4x4 scraps.
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To start I rented a 5x9 trailer from uhaul with a 1900lb cargo rating. I would have preferred a dual axle trailer, but there were none available in my area. My research showed a 1600-1700lb weight estimate for the mill, and the single axle trailer handled the load just fine. I found that most places listing Bridgeports for sale have a way to help you load it up, and this seller had a fork lift. They had it lagged to a pallet, and loaded it into the trailer for me. I used three heavy duty ratchet straps in a triangle pattern from the mill's ram to the rear corners and front center of the trailer to secure it. I only drove 30min home (why I paid a little more for it than I should have), but I live in a rural area with winding chewed up roads and there were no issues at all. I got home and tilted the head 90 degrees to clear the garage door, and backed the trailer into the shop.
I made sure to have the mill loaded in the trailer slightly foreword and over the axle, so the first step to getting it out was to slide it to the rear of the trailer. We used some 4x4 and 2x4 wood cribbing to add some space for the come-along to work and positioned a piece of 3/8" angle steel to pull against. A strap to was wrapped around the lowest point of the mill's base to pull on. Some jack stands were placed under the trailer's rear cross member for support. The mill on the pallet slide right back, little by little.
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Once the mill was far enough back for the engine hoist hook to be centered over the mill, two 3,000lb slings were attached to the ram. The pallet was unbolted from the mill's base. First we just jacked the mill up 1/8" off the pallet just to see how the engine hoist took the weight. It lifted and held well. We lowered the mill back down and got set. The trailer tailgate had to be closed for the hoist to reach. So I operated the hoist, my father manned the tailgate and my wife got in the truck. We lifted the mill just off the pallet, my wife slowly pulled forward while my father let the tailgate down. As soon as the trailer was clear I lowered the mill to the ground, no problems at all.
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When I went to return the trailer I picked up a 10' length of 1" pipe. I got home and cut it into four 30" pieces. I also cut out some 6"x6" squares from some 3/4" plywood. I used a pry bar against a piece of 2x4 to raise each corner of the mill up and slide under a piece of the plywood until each corner was 2 pieces high and the mill was about 1.5" off the ground. I slid the four pieces of pipe under and lowered removed the plywood in the reverse way. The mill felt very sturdy on the pipe, and rolled very easily on my not-so-smooth garage floor.
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After that it was slow, but smooth sailing. To make turns I staggered the pipe and then used the pry bar to pivot the mill on the pipe. I used a 3lb hammer to keep the pipe in check and spacing good. As soon as a pipe was fully clear I moved it to the front. There is no need to ever put your fingers on a weighted piece of pipe.
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I got the machine backed into the corner where I wanted it. I placed the plywood back under the corners, removed the pipe, and then removed the plywood.
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There really weren't any issues at all, and no one had to struggle. Everything felt controlled and safe. A engine hoist like line can be picked up for cheap on Craigslist, and always comes in handy. Hope this is useful to someone!
I just picked up my round ram Bridgeport M-head and got it set in place in my workshop. I don't have a lot of experience moving heavy machinery or easy access to any heavy lifting equipment. The move when very smooth, no issues at all. Keep in mind that this is a M-head so it's quite a bit lighter than a newer J-head.
These are pretty much all the tools I really needed. The only items not pictured here are a come-along and some wood 4x4 scraps.
To start I rented a 5x9 trailer from uhaul with a 1900lb cargo rating. I would have preferred a dual axle trailer, but there were none available in my area. My research showed a 1600-1700lb weight estimate for the mill, and the single axle trailer handled the load just fine. I found that most places listing Bridgeports for sale have a way to help you load it up, and this seller had a fork lift. They had it lagged to a pallet, and loaded it into the trailer for me. I used three heavy duty ratchet straps in a triangle pattern from the mill's ram to the rear corners and front center of the trailer to secure it. I only drove 30min home (why I paid a little more for it than I should have), but I live in a rural area with winding chewed up roads and there were no issues at all. I got home and tilted the head 90 degrees to clear the garage door, and backed the trailer into the shop.
I made sure to have the mill loaded in the trailer slightly foreword and over the axle, so the first step to getting it out was to slide it to the rear of the trailer. We used some 4x4 and 2x4 wood cribbing to add some space for the come-along to work and positioned a piece of 3/8" angle steel to pull against. A strap to was wrapped around the lowest point of the mill's base to pull on. Some jack stands were placed under the trailer's rear cross member for support. The mill on the pallet slide right back, little by little.
Once the mill was far enough back for the engine hoist hook to be centered over the mill, two 3,000lb slings were attached to the ram. The pallet was unbolted from the mill's base. First we just jacked the mill up 1/8" off the pallet just to see how the engine hoist took the weight. It lifted and held well. We lowered the mill back down and got set. The trailer tailgate had to be closed for the hoist to reach. So I operated the hoist, my father manned the tailgate and my wife got in the truck. We lifted the mill just off the pallet, my wife slowly pulled forward while my father let the tailgate down. As soon as the trailer was clear I lowered the mill to the ground, no problems at all.
When I went to return the trailer I picked up a 10' length of 1" pipe. I got home and cut it into four 30" pieces. I also cut out some 6"x6" squares from some 3/4" plywood. I used a pry bar against a piece of 2x4 to raise each corner of the mill up and slide under a piece of the plywood until each corner was 2 pieces high and the mill was about 1.5" off the ground. I slid the four pieces of pipe under and lowered removed the plywood in the reverse way. The mill felt very sturdy on the pipe, and rolled very easily on my not-so-smooth garage floor.
After that it was slow, but smooth sailing. To make turns I staggered the pipe and then used the pry bar to pivot the mill on the pipe. I used a 3lb hammer to keep the pipe in check and spacing good. As soon as a pipe was fully clear I moved it to the front. There is no need to ever put your fingers on a weighted piece of pipe.
I got the machine backed into the corner where I wanted it. I placed the plywood back under the corners, removed the pipe, and then removed the plywood.
There really weren't any issues at all, and no one had to struggle. Everything felt controlled and safe. A engine hoist like line can be picked up for cheap on Craigslist, and always comes in handy. Hope this is useful to someone!