Needs Pictures: 0
Results 1 to 15 of 20
Thread: Lifting a BIG lathe
-
19th Jan 2022, 10:55 PM #1Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Berowra Waters
- Posts
- 149
Lifting a BIG lathe
I’ve acquired a quite big lathe, it’s fairly heavy at just over 3 tonnes, and can’t find any info on how to sling it up to lift it, I can’t see anywhere where a solid bar could be inserted like on other machines, and I think it’s definitely too heavy to lift from the spindle, and my concern with lifting it from the bases is it might roll in the straps. Anyone had much experience with this? Thanks
-
19th Jan 2022, 11:17 PM #2
Hi Riverbuilder,
Photos would provide an excellent place to begin from.
Grahame
-
20th Jan 2022, 12:12 AM #3Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2016
- Location
- Melbourne
- Age
- 35
- Posts
- 1,522
If you don't have a photo make and model would help. Some lathes like cazenuves you need to make a steel truss and wooden pads that clamp to the ways and have a lift point, that way you can get the exact COG.
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
-
20th Jan 2022, 09:42 AM #4Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Berowra Waters
- Posts
- 149
-
20th Jan 2022, 09:59 AM #5
Not that I have moved a lathe as big as 3tonnes myself but I have been present as one around that size was lifted and moved.
The big points to observe were its balance and center of gravity.
The lathe had built in cupboards which were loaded up with the lathe ancillaries to get the weight COG low down Luckily it had cupboards at each end which took chucks and other weighty bits and pieces.
Only one lift point was used and it was a was clamped below and above the bed ways with protecive packers and secured with a big eye bolt.
The balance was adjusted by traversing the longitudinal travel saddle to the correct adjustment to help make the lathe balance level.
It appears from the pic you have only storage under the headstock. Bummer! the other end would have been better.. In addition, a small come-along could be rigged between crane lift hook and tailstock end to adjust to level balance.
Grahame
-
20th Jan 2022, 10:34 AM #6Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
- Location
- Southern Flinders Ranges
- Posts
- 1,536
Do not under any circumstances fill any cupboards with loose heave items for ballast. It’s fairly obvious what happens if it goes pear shaped. Whilst it’s not an unacceptable practice to ballast a lift, that is not the way to do it.
The small come along Grahame is referring to would actually need to be minimum 3500kg rated to be used as part of the lift system unless it’s done as a designed lift where an engineer has calculated the exact loadings for the lift. Not so small..
Without knowing what equipment you have at your disposal, my suggestion is get professional riggers with a crane and a couple of adjustable spreader bars. Lifting stuff in excess of 3000kg is neither for the faint of heart or inexperienced. From the photos it looks as though the machine may have to skated out of the door first.
-
20th Jan 2022, 11:07 AM #7Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Berowra Waters
- Posts
- 149
The shed roof is coming off and it’s being lifted by a big crane truck, Ive moved enough stuff to know when to use hydraulics. I have a riggers ticket but haven’t slung up many machines before only structural beams and such. As it turns out, the crane truck guy has the necessary bars on board, just need to look for the best spot for them, I would assume under the bed at each end with a slightly smaller or even a doubled up sling at the head end.
-
20th Jan 2022, 11:27 AM #8Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
- Location
- Southern Flinders Ranges
- Posts
- 1,536
Got a lid on it from the sounds. I just assume that most people on here that ask about such things don’t have any qualifications, mainly because most don’t.
-
20th Jan 2022, 12:21 PM #9
I disagree with the above statement and this is why.
The come along at no stage would bear the entire weight of the lathe, unless there was a catastophic failure of the main lift sling/chains. In that case the lathe would crash towards the ground anyway as the major weight would be in the headstock end and the bed would be somewhere near the vertical.Only then would a come-along ( fitted as described) bear the full weight of the lathe. Other than above why would the come-along take more the a 100ksgs of weight strain-that small amount involved in balancing the lathe to level. Lathe or not , the lift point on an irregular weighted body is always off center towards the most heavy weighted end.
I have seen a few lifts of several tons(gearboxes and turbines) floated out from underneath floors where an overhead crane could not get anywhere near. The licensed riggers used come-alongs to level these machines with little effort. The major weight was taken with multiple heavy duty chain blocks .
As I stated the purpose of the come-along is to adjust balance. This was required as the lathe balance was tailstock heavy which is usually not the case.
I have seem that on a lathe where the lifting clamp access was only through a single hole in the web between the bed ways and the headstock did hang low. Even with the carriage rolled out to the tailstock end, the head stock hung low and the come-along was placed at the head stock end and the lifting hook ring /oval.
With the single lifting point lift, the balance is usually achieved by first placing the single lifting point close to the head stock and then running the carriage out towards the tailstock end.
The machinery lifted would normally have a long guidance rope for guiding it from swinging left or right while its on the crane hook. The guidance person can be then well away from the lathe should it fall.
Grahame
-
20th Jan 2022, 12:30 PM #10
-
20th Jan 2022, 01:08 PM #11
Prior to covid i was in logistics moving heavy equipment and stuff ect for 23 years , in tricky places most of the time i.e steps , tight access ect. That lathe i would have moved it with 2 blokes , using a crow bar , chocks , pallet jack , metal skates , pipes , and then moved it out with couple of Sampsons onto a flat tail lifter vehicle. Good idea using the hiab , makes moving it so much easier if you got the access.
-
20th Jan 2022, 01:57 PM #12Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Berowra Waters
- Posts
- 149
-
20th Jan 2022, 02:38 PM #13Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
- Location
- Southern Flinders Ranges
- Posts
- 1,536
Familiar with the concept of load levelling/lift equalising Grahame, but everywhere I’ve worked in the last 20yrs that’s required me to use my riggers ticket has had a rule that says every lifting component used must exceed the weight of the lift, the exception is an engineered or designed lift where an engineer specifically calls out the lifting components in the design of the lift. Pretty standard practise across the industry these days to follow that practise these days.
-
20th Jan 2022, 04:54 PM #14Gear expert in training
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
- Location
- Melbourne
- Age
- 34
- Posts
- 1,075
We have moved similar sized lathes at work by slinging under the bed. Enjoy the new toy
Gear cutting specialists and general engineers www.hardmanbros.com.au
Fine pitch gear cutting from 0.1 Module www.rigear.com.au
-
20th Jan 2022, 05:16 PM #15Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2010
- Location
- melbourne, laverton
- Posts
- 1,910
Similar Threads
-
Lifting new Lathe
By Rumble in forum METALWORK GENERALReplies: 6Last Post: 14th Jan 2020, 04:09 PM -
Small Lathe Lifting
By Rumble in forum METALWORK GENERALReplies: 16Last Post: 3rd Dec 2019, 01:15 PM -
Lifting Lathe
By BigStick in forum METALWORK GENERALReplies: 13Last Post: 31st Mar 2012, 03:27 PM -
safe lifting points of hafco 960b lathe
By lather in forum METALWORK GENERALReplies: 35Last Post: 16th Aug 2010, 01:29 AM -
Lifting a Lathe
By Sterob in forum METALWORK GENERALReplies: 7Last Post: 29th Apr 2010, 11:22 PM