Moving my 5x10 CNC with Trailer Jacks

[ckurak]

Recently someone asked me how I moved my CNC when I moved to a new shop building. This method is also good for simply moving my CNC to a new location in my own building if necessary.

I used four trailer jacks. These are the kind that swivel up and out of the way when not in use. They are meant to be mounted on a horizontal member of a trailer, typically the trailer tongue.

I mounted them on the vertical legs, then rotated them appropriately to "jack up" each leg.

The exact model that I used was Haul-Master 41005. They are rated for 1000 pounds. The minimum height on this model is 23". The max height is 33.5".

I did not find this model number on the Harbor Freight website just now, but I did purchase them about 20 years ago. So, one may need to look for an equivalent.

Some notes: I did NOT drill into the CNC legs. They are attached with a type of U-bolt configuration, except they are not actual U-bolts.

I also used two 2x2 blocks of wood as spacers to add some distance between each jack and the CNC leg so that the wheel can freely rotate 360 degrees.

Here is a current photo of one CNC leg and jack. Note that I keep the jack attached. It's a convenient storage place (I can't lose them!).




The jacks also make leveling the CNC easy. No need to use a floor jack or bottle jack to lift the table. Simply use the trailer jacks to raise each leg, adjust the "foot" on each leg, then lower the jack. Note that the CNC does NOT stay supported by the trailer jack. In the photo the wheel is not touching the floor.


As a side note, to move from one building to another in a different town, I acquired the services of a local towing company with a flat-bed tow truck. They simply loaded it the same way they load a vehicle: using their winch. Just be careful where and how they tie it down for transport. One of the drivers hooked onto part of the CNC, then did not pay close attention as he cranked down on the chains. He bent one of the frame parts. Fortunately he stopped quickly and the damage did not affect the operation or integrity of my CNC. Lesson learned was to watch carefully. They know how to tow cars. They can do this as well, just be there to watch every move during loading and unloading. The trickiest part was to be certain that they did not hit the top of the overhead door opening during loading/unloading. I did take the gantry off the rails and strapped it down to the CNC bed.