Thread: Transporting Lathes? (Colchester Mascot 1600)

Hello All,
Just wondering if anyone out there happens to own a Colchester Mascot 1600 lathe with the 60" bed, and whether they could measure the hole centres of the mounting points in the base (under the end plinths). I just bought a good condition second hand one, from melbourne and was looking to take down a heavy plate for it to be transported on, and would preffer to do any drilling, tapping, welding etc in the workshop before I embark.
Also what other precautions should I take
ie. Should the Appron be removed?, or Slides & Tailstock be locked etc?
Anything else people feel I need to know about moving lathes, or just general Mascot info would be much appreciated.
Thankyou
Regards
GM

What are you carting it on?

There is no need to be too elaborate.. three 6X2 boards about 5 feet long .. One under the tailstock and two under the headstock.. bolted to the machine... That should make it amply stable... Really it should be stable enough without bolting anything onto it.. My 17X50 Purcell lathe came from the Hunter Valley to CQ on nothing more them two pallets... It was not bolted to the pallets just sitting on them for easy loading... It was securely tied to the truck via wide synthetic straps...

I am assuming the machine has holes in the bed for lifting... You lift them like this



Some think the Mascot 1600 was one of the best models Colchester made.... Quite a lot heavier for their size then what their smaller offerings offered...

Info here -->> http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page27.html

Ask if the seller still has the lifting bolt & plate. These Colchesters came with a special one. Basically an extended shank eyebolt with a plate on it. The plate has a "V" machined along one side. this"V" sits over one of the "V" ways and the other side just sits on the flat of the bed. the eye bolt screws into a tapped hole on the bed and pulls the plate down tight onto the ways. Makes it real easy to sling for lifting.
bollie7

Hello .RC.
Im not sure which way to go with it as yet.
-Ive got the option of running dads truck down (late 70's dodge V8 flat bed) which would chew the fuel and would require a few jobs being undertaken on it before we'd be confident cruising in melbourne with it.
-I could send a local truck driver down that we know, and he could oversee the loading and check things are still in order - but he may be fairly expensive
-or I could get it put on "young & land" transport down there. but I dont really have any assurances in how its loaded, or dogged etc.
As far as Mascot info is concerned im pretty sure I've expended everything thats on the internet atleast. I have also come across that brilliant lathes.co.uk site that you mentioned, and Ive got them sending a copy of the manual over.

Hello Bollie,
I was talking to a machininst who has had his Mascot and Master since new in 1978, and he mentioned a similar lifting frame. He said that while his machines didnt come with one, he requested the use of one, either direct from colchester, or from the distributor (600 group) and they sent him one out to keep.
(he has actually offered us the lend of his). The lathe is actually allready on pallets, and the bloke from whom I've purchased it is intending to do a 2 forklift lift (I cringe a little bit about this). Both are rated to 1.5 ton each - a 60" mascot weighs roughly 2.4 tons.

Have you thought of hiring a truck?

While transport may be expensive, what is the cost of piece of mind? Another few hundred dollars might be cheap insurance..

As for the two forklift life..... the headstock end is probably 3/5 to 2/3 of the total weight..

Depending on the distance I would seriously consider hiring a truck with a HIAB to go and pick it up. Shackle through the eyebolt, straight up onto the tray. No risk of losing it off a fork (or 2 forks in this case)

bollie7