PM 3520 Mobility Kit

[Chuck Lobaito]

The aftermarket mobility kit for the Powermatic 3520 is no longer available from Craft Supplies. I need to move my lathe out of the basement and into the garage and it will need to be easily mobile.

Please offer up any suggestions you may have. I am also thinking of swapping out the bed for the PM2020 bed to save space.

 

[Tim Tucker]

I built a set of "dollies" with low profile casters and 2"x4"s when I needed to move a 3520B. We used a bottle jack under one end to gently lift the lathe, then slide the dollies under the cast iron legs. Then locked the casters - and stuck 2 wedges under the Dollie that was in place so the lathe could not roll. Went to the other end, jacked it up, and placed the second dolly. Viola!

 

[Joe Kaufman]

If you consider sliding the 3520 headstock inboard until the motor is flush with the left side of the lathe as compared to the 2020 with the motor outboard, what have you saved in overall with? I use a motorcycle jack and block of wood under the center of the lathe to move my 3520. Move the headstock and tailstock towards the center so the center of mass is centered on the lathe bed. Thats not an workable answer if you need to move the lathe for every use.

 

[Dean Center]

After a club member passed away last year, his friends took on dealing with his workshop for the family. We ended up hiring a couple of movers, who looked too scrawny but were well versed in using mover aids. We broke it down to tail stock, banjo, headstock, and bed/legs, and they hauled things up the stairs. It didn't look fun, but they got it safely done. The cost is hard to estimate, because they moved several large tools on the same visit.

If I had to do it again, and not use the hired movers, I would take the legs off the bed. Then 2 reasonably strong people could get things up the stairs. Except for that pesky headstock. It's just a darn heavy chunk with few good spots to grab onto it, and I don't have a good solution for hauling it easily.

 

[Dave Landers]

If I had to do it again, and not use the hired movers, I would take the legs off the bed. Then 2 reasonably strong people could get things up the stairs. Except for that pesky headstock. It's just a darn heavy chunk with few good spots to grab onto it, and I don't have a good solution for hauling it easily.

That was my experience moving my Jet 1642 out of the basement. Headstock and tailstock off. Sawhorse under the bed, remove the legs. Each piece went up the stairs, lashed to a 2-wheel dolly, one step at a time. Not bad, except for the darn headstock - very clumsy. If I had to do that with my PM 3520 (much heavier headstock, just as clumsy), I'd probably build a sort of crate for the headstock, just to have some place to engage the dolly.

 

[Karl Best]

I just got a 1000 lb hydraulic lift table from Harbor Freight. Seems to work pretty well to move the lathe around the garage.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

For the headstock use a stretcher setup or a single board between two people with headstock tied in the middle of it. Have not tried but sounds reasonable.

 

[Roger Chandler]

Today, I just got in the steel to fabricate a couple of lift, lock & roll units for my two large lathes. I have a welder, plasma cutter and other cutting tools to make the parts. Once I get one made for my G0800, I’ll try to post pics. Man, steel prices are thru the stratosphere! I still have to purchase the casters to install on those LL&R mobile bases, so even more cost, not to mention the welding wire, and of course time invested.
I made some wooden dollies back last fall,where I can jack up each end and roll rhem underneath, but I decided to go with a premium solution.