Thread: Moving a Hercus 260 - help please

Hi .Aerohydro .... I have just been given a 260 ATM with most of the goodies, ex school, I moved it with a Hilux but a box trailer would easily handle it. I removed the tailstock, all chucks , that's all ,and took the whole lathe off the metal stand. We had no steps but four solid chaps and myself ( old and decrepit ! ) carried it 15 meters to the ute but it was a grunt...
Apart from the accessories mentioned look for small tools such as spanner, 2 to 3 morse taper sleeve which fits into headstock nose,reverse jaws for 3 jaw chuck,( these are number matched to the chuck),as many of the change gears as possible, thread chasing dial, knurling and cutting tools, boring bar, drill chuck and live and dead centres..... most small parts can still be found but the costs add up !
Best of luck........Grandad

Thanks Bob, that's very helpful.

Just use two slings, one around the chuck and the other into the support mount under the tail stock. Shorten the chuck one as a counter balance. (Lathes are always heavier around the head) OR Be nice to big people at your work place and have a 'bbq' at your place ....at the end ask them to pick the thing up for you. Using people is ok if beer is involved.

ive shifted several lathes using a home made engine crane and a bit of safety belt thru the webs as pipeclay described saves doing a back in . as far as extras get anything you can afford that remotely looks like belonging to a hercus as the others said it can cost you just as much as the lathe buying in extras eg 4 jaw chucks. outside jaws gears , tool posts, live and dead centres, tooling even spare nuts and bolts
john

Last year, I picked up my 260 atm in my 6x4 box trailer. The stand at the front, the lathe further back, woolen blankets and some wood in between. A neighbour shop helped with a forklift to get both into the trailer. To take it off (alone with no help), I used two slings and a 1 ton chainblock temporarily attached with a chain arounfd a garage ceiling beam.

If you need to make it lighter, remove the motor and the tailstock and the cross slide, these come off quite easy. If you need to save even more weight, take off next the leadscrew and the apron, but be careful not to bend the leadscrew. To save enen more weight, remove the whole belt drive stuff behind the headstock. Now two normal guys can carry it.

Do not remove the headstock, it could be time consuming to re-align accurately. Chris

G'day all

I just picked up a 260 long bed yesterday and had no problems moving it, loading and unloading it by myself. Many people use a engine hoist but I use a scissor lift. The method is as follows:
Remove the tail stock and wind the saddle down to the tail stock end.
Unbolt the lathe from the cabinet and position the scissor lift alongside the lathe at tray height.
Lift the tail stock end off the tray and onto the scissor lift.
Repeat for the headstock end.
Roll scissor lift to trailer or ute, adjust height and slide lathe off.
A sack truck is useful for moving the cabinet.

No need to remove anything but the tail stock and the chuck. It is a bit heavy at the headstock end but I am not overly strong and you only have to move it a very short distance. It is more stable than swinging it around on slings and you can move a scissor lift easier than a engine crane (eg through doorways).

By the way, I built the scissor lift

picciesof the lift please

Just remember to stand in the trailor and hold the thing till you get it home.

Ok ok I just want to hear the words "hercus" & "injured" in the same traffic report.

Put it on the back of a flat bed truck, trailors with too much weight are hard to control.

Originally Posted by bob colles

Just remember to stand in the trailor and hold the thing till you get it home.

Ok ok I just want to hear the words "hercus" & "injured" in the same traffic report.

Put it on the back of a flat bed truck, trailors with too much weight are hard to control.

These small lathes look much heavier than they are. The short bed 260 is only a featherweight at 155kg net weight. That is before removing the tailstock. The short bed 260 complete with original steel cabinet is only 220kg net weight all up. Most small unbraked 6x4 trailers are rated for 750kg. It is just a matter of separating cabinet from lathe and strapping it all down properly. If possible onto some foam or an old matress or woolen blankets or the like to protect from shocks and scratches. And maybe a tarpaulin over the top to protect from rain and dust if it is a longer trip. Chris

Originally Posted by tanii51

picciesof the lift please

Here are a few pic of the Scissor Lift I built. Not originally for moving Hercus's but very useful for that purpose.

Here is how I strapped mine down for transport..

Hi Guys,
Having moved a great many of these machines I thought a few general comments would be in order. My apologies if someone else has dealt with this before.
When strapping down a hercus lathe be aware that the underside of the bed is a rough casting and can be quite sharp. This can result(if you are unlucky) in the cheaper model tie downs tearing when in transport.
To be on the safe side remove the tailstock, saddle assembly, gearbox and any other handles (this only takes a few minutes)as these are the most likely to be damaged if you have a mishap. Strap any covers separately as these can tear off in the wind, in the case of the 9" lathe the fibreglass covers should be removed as they can tear under the constant flexing.
So far I haven't lost anything in transport but came close a couple of times with broken tie downs so always add a back up strap in case one fails.
Mal