How to Move Specialized Machinery

Specialized heavy hauling services move specialized machines safely. Heavy machines require special care and attention to prevent damage during transport. You can consider some important tips before moving your machinery to facilitate a hassle-free move.

Steps to Take Before Moving Your Specialized Machinery

Before moving your specialized machinery, consider the following tips:

1. Find an Ideal New Location

Finding a new location is crucial when your operations grow. Your facility’s capacity for more machinery can gradually decrease, increasing your need for more space. Unless you plan to build a new facility, finding a location with the required space to house your machinery is your first step when moving specialized equipment.

You may also want to consider location in terms of where you and your employees live. If you find a perfect facility that’s 30 miles away from your current facility, it may be difficult for your team to travel to the new location if they lived close to the first one.

2. Ensure the Location Has Adequate Space and Square Footage

When you find a new location or multiple potential locations, you must calculate the square footage to ensure your new facility has the space for your machinery. Create several different floor layouts to determine the square footage you require. These floor configurations help you create the most beneficial floor layout for your current machines while leaving space for new machines as your collection grows.

The main purpose of creating new floor layouts is to ensure you move to a location with adequate space, but it also helps you optimize your new space. New floor configurations can improve your operations, creating a more organized workflow. Drafting new floor plans is the perfect opportunity to establish forklift- and pedestrian-only spaces to reduce traffic and improve safety.

It’s also important to determine how much office space you need. While machine floor space is essential, you should also ensure your chosen location provides enough space to house your office operations.

3. Calculate the Impact on Employees

A significant move can impact employees because it alters their work commute. Minimize the impact on your employees by ensuring your new location is within a reasonable driving distance. You can complete an employee zip code analysis to calculate each employee’s current commute. After determining current drive times, you can use a point map to determine which areas and buildings would minimally impact employee drive times.

4. Determine Machine Weights

Before moving your equipment, you must determine how much each machine weighs so you can use the proper moving trucks and rigging equipment. Check your manufacturer’s manual and note each piece of equipment’s weight.

Once you know how much your equipment weighs, you can communicate this information with your chosen transportation company. If you are moving the machines yourself, make sure you use trucks and rigging equipment with a weight capacity that can handle each machine’s weight and a permit to move oversized loads. Using specialized transport equipment with an adequate weight capacity prevents damage, helping you protect your equipment and deliver it to your new location safely.

5. Decide Whether You Want to Rent Equipment or Utilize Specialized Hauling Services

The decision to move your machines or hire a professional hauling team depends on your experience and abilities. If you and your team have experience and know how to load, haul and unload machines safely, you can rent equipment and complete the move yourself. However, you should hire a reputable hauling company if you lack the experience necessary to complete this process properly.

How to Move a CNC Machine

Moving a CNC machine requires a step-deck truck. A step-deck truck can handle wide, oversized and long loads, and it can haul equipment that is up to 10 feet tall. You can move a CNC machine by following these steps:

1. Clear the loading area to ensure it’s free of obstacles.
2. Prevent the CNC machine from shifting or tipping over on the truck by creating a level surface using sturdy objects such as pallets.
3. Secure the machine to the truck’s trailer using chains or straps rated for the machine’s weight.
4. Tighten the chains or straps until they are secure.
5. Transport the machine to its new location.

How to Move a Milling Machine

Picking a milling machine up properly is the first step to moving it safely. Supporting a standard mill or the weight of a Bridgeport mill requires you to secure it to a forklift during the loading process safely. You can pick a milling machine up from the front, back or side, but loading it from either side is the ideal method. You can move this type of machine using the following steps:

1. Lift the truck’s forks and fit them around the machine’s column.
2. Move the truck forward until the forks extend past the milling machine’s ram.
3. Create friction by placing wood or rubber pads between the ram and the forks to prevent sliding.
4. Prevent the mill from sliding backward by placing solid wood timbers or oak between the back of the forks and the mill.
5. Secure the milling machine on the forks by wrapping a cargo strap around the mill and attaching it to the mast.

Benefits of Specialized Hauling Companies

Moving your machinery with a specialized hauling company’s help is the ideal method for several reasons. While it may seem possible to move the equipment yourself, utilizing specialized hauling services offers the following benefits:

Safety

Specialized hauling companies have the proper equipment and take the necessary precautions to move heavy machines. They know how to load, secure and transport equipment correctly. This knowledge enables them to offer the safest process during loading, transporting and unloading. Specialized hauling teams can secure equipment properly to prevent it from falling and injuring individuals, which keeps your employees safe.

Damage Prevention

Using a specialized hauling company also protects your machines. You are much less likely to damage a machine when you trust the experts to load and haul your equipment. Loading and transporting machinery yourself can potentially result in broken parts or needing to replace an entire machine.

Efficiency

A specialized hauling company can move your machines quickly and correctly. The faster your machines arrive at your new facility, the less time they are out of use. A professional hauling company can transport your machines rapidly so you can keep production going and implement minimal machine downtime.

Time and Cost Savings

You can save a significant amount of time and money when you hire a specialized hauling company to move your equipment. Since professionals have the equipment and experience to move machines quickly, you can save time on loading, transporting and unloading your equipment. They can also help you save money on costly repairs.

Move Your Equipment Safely With Equip Trucking

Moving machinery requires specialized equipment, experience and proper procedures. Utilizing specialized heavy hauling services helps protect your machines from damage during loading, transport and unloading.

Equip Trucking offers professional machinery moving services to help you transport your machines correctly and safely. Our experienced team prioritizes safety and takes the necessary precautions to move your machines with care. Equip Trucking’s equipment can handle oversized loads, allowing us to provide you with a hassle-free experience. Contact Equip Trucking to learn more about our heavy hauling services.

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