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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Sth Gippsland Vic
    Posts
    4,355

    Default Shifting Machinery

    I'm having a bit of a shift around with some machinery this week as a another one is on the way . Just thought I'd start a thread on shifting in general .
    I only just learned a lot of new ways of shifting since buying the old heavy gear , from two to three years back . before this point it was leverage with what ever I could find, and rolling on what ever I could find , steel rod or pipe , furniture trolleys . That was ok with the 2 to 300 kg stuff , but with 750 to 900 it was a big bit different .

    Any one with good ideas throw them on .

    Since Ive been playing with this gear , learning from others like Matty, Jacob and Sion, Pete, Cam , and the guys on the Canadian forum has been rapid and others has been good . Every body putting in a bit here and there.

    Ive gathered some fence bars and re shaped the ends , some lifting straps , better pipes and rod for rolling , made some sheer legs, bought some block and tackle's and a come along , a pallet jack and engine hoist . all work in different ways . One day I'm going to top it off with a decent trailer as well , for now Ive gotten away with either borrowing or using a 6x4 which is unbraked , so has its limitations, specially now that I have a lighter vehicle than before.

    I had to shift this barker frame today , me and one guy helping . I used to do this by laying down timbers and rubbing with wax . then Jacob , a good friend, said use the steel I had in the racks above my head . Great idea!
    Its a good way of getting over soft ground and through tight spots. I use a oil can full of diesel and squirt the steel with that , two guys can easily slide the machine along , you've got to watch you don't go too fast or slide off at an angle , heavy things skate along. We did the PK the same way.
    Once I get things on open hard ground Ive been using a pallet jack , that's very handy, and fast.

    The bent fence bars in picture 4 resting on the saw body are good as well, there's three different angles at the ends , I left the 4th until I used them to figure out what I may need there . I know now its got to be almost a 90 degree bend.

    Rob
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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    1,501

    Default

    My father was a boat builder by trade (though not profession).
    We often had a boat in the yard / garage / lounge room*
    He would move them all around often single handedly. Usually with the family spread around with props to keep everything balanced.
    He had a supply of short lengths of gal pipe, various levers and props, and a bunch of planks for crossing rough ground. As a kid my job would be to collect the pipe from the rear and run around and place it under the front. Hopefully without getting fingers in the way while trying to keep the pipes parallel.
    What makes this method work well is a long run for the pipes. If the boat had a long flat keel then perfect.
    Otherwise, you need a cradle with long runs.
    So if you were going to move anything with a small base a long distance (eg bandsaw) it could be worth bolting a larger temporary base to increase stability.

    If if you plan to move stuff regularly, a set of rails like in the video that pmcgee posted here would be nice!
    https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...57#post1899457

    * Yes, at one stage we built a wooden boat in our lounge room. Still can't believe my Mum agreed to it.
    My wife would sooner keep wild animals.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Sale
    Age
    68
    Posts
    1,328

    Default

    While on "my Dad" mine was a stone mason and I worked with him for a couple of years. Three foot bars, 2" and 1" rollers, skids, 4 x 2 hardwood boards, rollers, block and tackle, amazing what you can move if you hold your mouth right and have a few levers handy. Just finished a bluestone retaining wall at home, using 1.2m up to 2.6m blocks 300mm square minimum which amounts t0 300g to 800kg, I did get in skid steer at the end but only because most of our old gear is long gone.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    266

    Default

    Rob - some great ideas there for moving over soft ground. thanks for posting these pics.

    Thankfully I've never had to move on anything other than concrete. I've bolted my crescent 36" bandsaw to a pair of treated pine sleepers, and used steel pipe to roll it around the workshop. Fanning out the rollers helps turning and negotiating corners.

    John

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Newcastle NSW
    Posts
    775

    Default

    Great ideas, and great post. For concrete floors I have 1/2" round bar and have made a pry bar. With smooth concrete and a few pieces of bar, I can move anything in my workshop with one hand. Once in location if I need to spin the machine, I like to use the engine hoist, this is good for all except the bandsaw (I don't like lifting low on the bandsaw). I only lift the hoist enough to slide the machine. If I need to move the hoist under load, I have made a fork to go around the wheels, so I can turn them in the direction (anyone who has tried to move something on an engine hoist with the wheels facing the wrong way, will understand)

    My concern is always stopping rather than moving, so my approach is to stay close to the ground and use a system that when it fails results in stopping (the machine can only drop 1/2" with the bars, and will only roll so far before enough rods fall out the back to stop it). If I am moving off my tilt trailer, I have a safety line which restricts forward movement.

    A Come Along is another good tool to have (Henry taught me this), if the machine can not be lifted with the engine hoist for loading onto the trailer, again I like to have a backup line.

    I think the golden rules are, assume it can go wrong, have redundancies built in should something fail (a back up line, a round bar as a wheel, that will fall out), if your going to take a risk, the risk has to be that something gets broken, not someone gets injured, time is irrelevant, if it's not, stop or pick another day. Everyone is responsible for safety, and can suggest ideas, but only one person gives instructions. Lastly if your straining, your doing it wrong, and your probably going to hurt yourself if something fails.

    There are far easier ways to move machines than the techniques I employ, but I choose them because they fit into my above rules. Early on I had considered making an advisable trolley with wheels or getting a pallet Jack, but I don't like the fact that wheels can keep the machine moving if it gets away.

    Just some thoughts.

    Cheers,

    Camo

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    If you need to move a lot of machines often and you have the storage space then a used pallet lifter (e.g. Gumtree ~$100) is a worthwhile investment.
    At the mens shed have all manner of trolleys, jack based lifters and manual fork lifts but the pallet lifter is the only the thing that can move our heaviest gear.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Armadale Perth WA
    Age
    54
    Posts
    4,524

    Default

    All the old machines I have, including a two-pole car hoist, have arrived through some sort of manual means.

    My Barker bandsaw was dropped off at the top of the driveway and put down as far as he could reach ... and the truck was tilting slightly.
    The trip down the driveway was *slowly* via pallet-jack and my wife and I.
    It falls 1.7m in 30m from the road. The worst part was cracked cement sections. And brick paving.


    The car hoist was a bit of a classic move. My trailer is 12' x 4'. The hoist was well secured to it.
    After getting to the bottom of the driveway, a rope was attached from the landcruiser to the trailer axle.
    The hoist was moved to the back edge of the trailer.
    A rope secured to the tow-head of the trailer and a few times around the towbar.

    The trailer was unclipped, so now secured just by rope to the towbar, then the rope gradually played out until the rear of the trailer and hoist rested on the ground.
    The ropes were released, except for the one to the axle which allowed me to pull the trailer gradually out from under the hoist.

    That left the hoist pointed up the driveway. A chain block from the garage to one leg pulled it around 90 degrees.

    And there it has sat for 8 years or so.
    I do appreciate a good rope.

    Cheers,
    Paul

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh
    Posts
    7,696

    Default

    A lot of people struggle with getting loads down a slope under control. A good trick is to use a rope wrapped around a post once. I have lowered a car down my driveway that weighed well over a ton using a single rope to control it and it is very steep to say the least. I know it sounds unlikely but just one wrap is all you need, two if you doubt it.
    CHRIS

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