seek to buy or rent Robust AB casters

[Roger Wiegand]

My new lathe should be arriving in early January (yay!!). It looks like the caster set would be very useful to have to get it into place in my shop, but ~$400 for a single use seems pretty spendy. Does anyone have a set they'd like to sell or (better) rent out for a few weeks? I'd be happy to give you a deposit covering their full cost and pre-pay postage.

One I get this lathe into position in my shop I strongly expect moving it out will be someone else's problem.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Roger,

You might check with a tool/equipment rental store, they may have moving dollies that strap around the base and lift the equipment being moved up on wheels. These are similar to a appliance cart but only several feet tall.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Thanks, I've used the split sets with a hydraulic lift to move pianos. Good alternative. Hoping to have an alternative better than strapping it to a couple regular four wheel piano dollies.

 

[Robert Satterfield]

A friend moved my AB using a 1 ton jack (auto jack on wheels) and four three wheeled furniture dollies. I since moved it with the same equipment bought from Northern Tool for less than $100 for the set up...

 

[Roger Wiegand]

I have plenty of jacks, dollies, J-bars, etc (I collect pianos as another hobby), the purpose-designed casters just seemed a pretty slick solution, but for the price. As I think about it more taking it apart and moving it piece-by-piece is sounding more attractive. If the freight company can't get up my drive I may well go get it from the terminal-- having a 900 lb box dropped down by the street will be too much stress. If it's on my truck I'll pretty much have to dismantle it to get it off, but can do so at my leisure. (not that I won't be like a kid on Christmas morning trying to get it unwrapped!)

 

[Bill Boehme]

Assuming that the lathe will be bolted to a pallet, you could rent a pallet jack to easily move the lathe into your shop. I have modified the wheel set on my Robust AB with a hydraulic jack because I have to store the lathe in a corner of the garage and then wheel it to the driveway apron during use. For me the wheels are a necessity, but I wish that I had a shop where it could be permanently parked.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Several pieces of steel pipe laid on the floor can be used to roll heavy equipment mounted on a pallet or in a crate. A long handled pry bar comes in handy for lifting the pallet or crate to get your rollers underneath. Leverage is your friend when it comes to large heavy equipment.

 

[Mike Johnson]

The appliance movers shown below work great for moving heavy equipment and appliances.
Once you are under the equipment the hydraulic lift raises the equipment several inches allowing the
equipment to roll on the wheels. With two of these movers one person can move large pieces easily.
Tool rental outlets have these available or you can rent them from moving companies like U-haul.

 

[R Henrickson]

I simply hired a piano moving company, since outside stairs to the basement were involved.

 

[Philip Rose]

I have plenty of jacks, dollies, J-bars, etc (I collect pianos as another hobby), the purpose-designed casters just seemed a pretty slick solution, but for the price. As I think about it more taking it apart and moving it piece-by-piece is sounding more attractive. If the freight company can't get up my drive I may well go get it from the terminal-- having a 900 lb box dropped down by the street will be too much stress. If it's on my truck I'll pretty much have to dismantle it to get it off, but can do so at my leisure. (not that I won't be like a kid on Christmas morning trying to get it unwrapped!)

I had mine delivered to a terminal, and loaded in my enclosed utility trailer, which put the bed of the trailer a few inches above the floor of the shop. Using a 1 ton jack, it was easy to lift the AB off the pallets, and onto tri-wheel dollies. I built a small ramp from the trailer to the shop, and tied a pulley system to the back so I could control the rate of decent. Inside the shop I needed to raise up a couple of inches to where the AB would sit, and it was easy to raise one end at a time with the jack, place some long timber underneath to get to the same height, and simply roll forward. The jack was also very helpful in lifting the lathe to the right height to adjust the legs. I've used the same system a couple of times to move the AB in the shop --- much more affordable than the wheels.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

OK, I'm giving up on the wheel idea! My wife is probably going to insist that I bring in my heavy movers anyway, they show up with three competent guys, more equipment than you can imagine (a big crane on their truck, for example), and can handle most any move with no risk to back or toes. It's only money.

 

[John Torchick]

Three guys and a six pack?

 

[Dean Center]

Three guys and a six pack?

I believe that's 3 guys and 3 six packs, John. Unless you're referring to local Tennessee moonshine.

 

[Damon McLaughlin]

I bought a hydraulic lift table rated for 1000 pounds from Harbor Freight to move my AB into the shop when it was delivered. I think it was around $200, and I've found several uses for it since.