Moving an assembled ShopBot

[lcolburn]

Hi all,

I have a dilemma regarding moving my ShopBot temporarily. I just spoke to the HVAC contractors who will be fixing some ductwork in our shop, and it turns out they need access to the space above the Bot, probably just for a day or so.

I'm wondering whether anyone has moved a fully assembled ShopBot for a situation like this. I'd prefer to avoid the downtime of fully breaking it down, but I'm worried about the consequences of moving the machine assembled, especially regarding squareness.

My machine is only a PRSAlpha 48"x48", so that may simplify matters some. I do have a three-phase spindle, so I'm tethered to the wall. I'd probably only need to shift the whole thing a few feet so the contractors can get a Genie lift in beside it.

Does anyone have technique recommendations for moving an assembled Bot? Would it be OK to use some type of hydraulic lift under an area of the table? Or should I just accept some downtime and use this as an excuse to fix some table/spoilboard issues I've been working around since I first assembled the Bot?

Any tips would be much appreciated.

Lewis

[steve4460]

Just buy 4 trailer tong jack's with wheels on them and mount them on the legs , then evenly jack it up and roll it away.

[hh_woodworking]

I had my PRT 48x48 on caster wheels all the time and move around a lot with no issues on alignment. I do not have a spindle. I would not want to just lift in the middle. maybe cross bracing under the lower braces and lifting from there.

[steve_g]

Lewis:

A technique I used to use when temporarily moving aligned and leveled metal working equipment was to spray paint around the base/feet. Carefully move and then return to the exact spot using the marked locations.

Steve

[pappybaynes]

How high are your ceilings? Maybe you can build a temporary platform over it or scaffolding...just a thought.

[michael_schwartz]

I would still go through everything when you move it back into place including dropping the X motors and checking the X rails for alignment.

[gerryv]

If there is even sit-up headroom over the bot, I'd consider renting some scaffolding and assemble it right over top of the bot.

edit: Just noticed that Dick thought of this a fe hours ago :-)

[jerry_stanek]

I have a bunch of those 3 caster dollys that I used to move mine.I jacked up one end then put a dolly under each leg it then I jacked up the other and put one under each of the other legs. Rolled it right into position and did the reverse.

[frankwilliams]

I have the same setup as Stephan. The jacks have come in handy many times more than the one time I thought I'd use them. I even used this setup to move it from one shop to another.. 4 guys rolled it right onto a tilt deck trailer. I did still check to make sure it was square after moving and it is VERY important to raise all four legs evenly.

[lcolburn]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think the trailer tongue jacks are going to be my best bet- it's a little tight on two sides of my Bot, so I doubt I'd be able to get scaffolding in behind it.

It looks like the tongue jacks are designed to grip a horizontal bar- Frank and Stephan, did you drill mounting holes in the legs to attach them? Other than that they seem pretty straightforward.