Rigging Safely

[Avalonjr]

How do you lift a 10,000 lb machine onto a trailer or vehicle?


Some of the higher end production machines are quite heavily built. I'd like to hear some stories from others on how they moved some of these behemoths.

A CNC machining center is easily 10,000 lbs and the load is quite concentrated. I don't know the weights of Pullmax's, but they also look very heavy.

Is there a way to safely move these machines yourself if no crane or forklift is available?

[Bambi]

Sometimes for a larger than life machine you are better off paying professional riggers. They will have flatbeds with the required capacity, rollers of all types. I use pipes and place them under things and move them around, its amazing how much you can move with just a bar and some pipe.
The big reason I say to use Riggers is they know what they are doing and work as a team. Being a Team Players is important so no one gets hurt. I recently had to move some immovable objects and had a friend over to give me a hand. I explained to him, we both push, pull, let off or whatever as a team. You have to get that sunk in. Well it didn't and he let go of his share of the load, and I felt a new feeling in my upper back. It hasn't been the same since. Chiropractor sez yep you screwed up, first time I was ever to one, actually first time back injury.
If its too big, be and adult and admit it and pay the pro's. A back injury or worse is not worth the effort and savings.
My achin back
Bambi

[Kerry Pinkerton]

My favorite rigger story has to do with a plant that was built around a machine that was in an 8x8x8' concrete hole. The roof was erected after the original machine was placed and was about 8' higher than the machine. When the machine died, it was cut apart and scrapped and a new one was ordered. It went into the building but they could not figure out how to rig it for lowering into the hole because the hole was almost the exact size of the machine and there was no way to grab the machine, support it from above and lower it.

The solution was to fill the hole with ice, push the machine over it, guy it so it would settle evenly, and wait a few days...

Neat part of this story was the plant was an ice plant and the manager hired the rigger because they couldn't figure out how to install the machine. The rigger demanded a fixed fee up front and would not explain how he was going to do it until he was paid. He used the plants own ice to solve the problem...

The rigger was Kennedy House Moving of Elkmont, Alabama.

[Jeff Parker]

John,
Where would you find a trailer that could handle 10,000 lbs? To rent one, would be expensive,as well as the chains, binders, straps etc. Then YOU are liable for the tickets, or god forbid, something happens to the machine or you.

Buy the "insurance policy" and let the rigger take the responsibilities. And the sore back.

[rosshudson]

I have things moved fairly often with a wrecker. a few hundred dollars and they will come move anything. Big flat beds will pull a machine up and go. Or a big boom wrecker 10,000 lbs is nothing to most meadium wreckers. A trailer that handles 10,000lbs is about 3,000 dollars. I have one rated at 12500 gvw with is a 10,000 usable , but it is all you want.

[LARRY KAEMPFER]

i once went to pick up a huge ,huge nibbler that a old time blacksmith gave me , but he told me not to try and carry in a pickup truck, the story goes back in 1955 he got this thing from uncle sam in newport news va, left over from the war.he went to get with his then new 1954 chevy pickup... they loaded it with crane into his truck ,,he goes inside to sign some forms, come outside to find his machine on the ground the wooden bed floor had broken from the weight and it smashed his tail pipe and muffler so flat that it had to be cut off for the trip home. he also had to let the pros bring it home .a lesson learned from a very cool old car guy ..."ya hip"