The First Lift Test has been accomplished - It PASSED
When finished, the mill will rotate 90 degrees and wind up fully horizontal in a face down position. Hydraulics will be used to lower it into place. The mill and the dolly will be strapped to the roller portion of the system along with additional supports on each end. The entire system with the mill on top will roll easily and clear low doors. It can be winched onto a flat bed trailer quite easily.
When in place, the mill will be set in an upright
position. The arc formed by the top of the mill rotating into a horizontal
position will not "grow". That means the mill will rotate
to a vertical or horizontal position under a ceiling that is sufficient
for the mill to sit up right without needing any additional room to
accommodate the rotation. In addition the mill can be placed on a pallet
or removed from the pallet by a single person.
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The top of the dolly is strapped to the column of the mill. This keeps the dolly and mill "connected" and also allows the pull from the winch to be exerted on the mill column instead of the dolly.
Note the angle on the bottom of the brace. That angle butts up to the top of the table and the back of the table preventing any twisting or turning as the mill is raised.
The picture above and the one to the left show the winch cable. This is a "quickie" test setup. The winch will be mounted differently, but will accomplish the same thing. May use a two way hydraulic system instead of the winch.
The purpose of this test was to check the geometry of the setup and make sure the various parts of the lift system are up to the task. We also took this opportunity to take the mill off the pallet and put it on the floor. That worked too.
The mill is suspended on the lift
dolly. The pallet has been removed. All systems are working as designed. |
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The 2.5 ton long reach jack will fit between the two cross members on the roller frame. It has a lift height of an inch or two over 2 feet. The front axle will be mounted to the front cross member and will allow the jack to be rotated so the lift part of the jack is more in line with the movement of the dolly as it is lowered. The jack angle will be adjustable. |
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The dolly portion fits into hangers on each side of the base. These hangers keep the bottom of the dolly in line with the rolling base. A pin over the stubs on each end of the bottom of the dolly will prevent it from coming off the floor. When the mill is fully rotated, the hangers will be removed and replaced in an upper position to provide support for the dolly base during transport. Previous Page------- Next Page |