1. Introduction

According to its English-language manual, an SHW UF-2 milling machine weighs 7,000 pounds. By way of comparison, Hardinge lists the weight of a Bridgeport milling machine as 1988 pounds. So moving this machine is like moving three and a half Bridgeports as one single unit.

2. Rigging and Erecting Dimensions

See the "Dimensions Useful for Rigging" and "Floor Plan" sections, both of which are in the in the "Specifications" Notebook.

3. Hoisting Diagram

The machine was designed to be hoisted, although I have never moved it in this way. In case you should end up with such a machine and choose to hoist it, but lack the manual, here is the hoisting diagram and instructions from it.

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(Please note that the SHW UF-2 manual is in copyright. The extract here is, I believe, within the limits of "Fair Use" under US copyright law. Further use of it may not be permitted.)

4. Center of Gravity

The fore-aft Center-of-Gravity (CG) of this machine is much further forward than one might expect, given the visual mass of the Column. The English-language manual, as quoted above, places it "approximately above the column ways," which is correct. (The center of gravity of an object when hoisted will always be directly under the crane hook.)

[TO DO: photograph mark of cg as located by rigger.]

Note that the CG will move depending upon the fore-aft position of the Table and the rotational position of the Top Unit.

5. Some Photographs of the Move

Normally I try to take many photographs illustrating the entire process of moving a machine. In this case, though, I didn't - I was too busy during the move, and my backup photographer had other committments. So the photos here just show a few points.

The first day of the move I worked alone to prepare the machine and pack up all of the auxiliary bits. This included removing its electrical box from the wall. The box is 39" x 39" x 7" and constructed of heavy-gauge steel. It probably weighs something close to 200 pounds - certainly it is much more than I can lift. The solution is to capture it using straps and slowly, one strap then the other, lower it down a couple of inches at a time to the floor.

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When the rigger arrived and we started moving the entire machine, we faced a height problem. There wasn't enough vertical clearance to get the machine out the garage door on skids. So we moved it out using rollers (solid steel 2" rounds - not pipes!) and he skidded it outside. The skids are hardwood. The machine is attached to them by 5/8" (or so; I didn't measure) threaded steel rod. Below left it shown skidded. Below right the rigger is lowering it onto "skates". Note the white mark on the machine. This is the fore-aft center of gravity (determined experimentally by the rigger earlier). These skates hava a higher center pair of wheels. The center of gravity must be right over these center wheels.

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And here it is, 750 miles, three days, and many tribulations later. Tribulations, yes, but also confirmation of why it is that we live out here in rural Wisconsin. The rigger's truck was a 2wd sport truck - a fine city vehicle, but one that doesn't exist around here (for good reason). We were unable to get the trailer up my hill to the Machine Shop with it. But the local tow truck guy came over, with his personal pickup truck (a much more substantial, 4wd, vehicle) and hauled it up with no problem. He then proceeded to charge me nothing at all for bailing me out. I like it here.

Two views of the mill being offloaded from the rigger's trailer. He used a tilt-bed car-hauling trailer, which worked. My own preference would have been for a hydraulic drop-bed trailer such - perhaps a larger one of the kind I used to move a 4,000 pound Barth Type Caster last year .

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