Mobility for 24" planer

[Gary Tackel]

I just bought an old Fay & Egan No. 490 Planer. I've been told that it weighs 1200 lbs. I don't know if that's the correct weight, but it is definitely a large chunk of cast iron. I would like to have the ability to move it in my shop. It has a hole at each of the 4 corners of the base. I've used the HTC and Rockler mobile bases on my more modern [and lighter] machines. I'm wondering if I could install casters in each of the 4 holes in the base, or if I need to do a heavy metal frame with casters. I'd like to do it in the most cost effective manner, but I don't want to sacrifice stability/safety concerns. I'd appreciate the advice of those who have had to deal with heavier machines.

[Van Huskey]

I can't find a weight for the Lightning 490 but my guess would be 1100-1300 pounds which jives, but that would depend in the current motors and how they are attached etc etc. In any event for that I would use stud mount machine leveling casters assuming there is a flat area under the bolt holes in the casting for them to rest against.

There are numerous manufacturers, I am a fan of Zambus but they are the most pricey, someone else can name some of the cheaper ones. I think most of them are rated at 300, 600 or 1200 pounds EACH, for this planer I would get the 600 pound versions. Again this all depends on what is underneath the bolt hole.

[Mike Heidrick]

Great Lakes Casters are a cheaper Zambus style. I really think they are made in the same place.

I have a HTC Heavy Duty Base made specificly for my Delta DC580 20". Its about 1000lbs and moves just fine.

My heavier shaper gets moved around with a pallet and a pallet hand truck.

[Paul Steiner]

I use a pallet jack for my 20" parks planer. It is a actually a mini pallet jack, all my machines sit on platforms to allow the 2 1/2" forks to go under the machine, i call them cabinet grade pallets. I like this system because it allows you to have mobility, the machines sit on the ground when you are running them, and the platforms bring the machines up 3" which is better on your back.

[David Kumm]

Even though the 490 was F and E's light duty planer I would be surprised if the 24" version wasn't closer to 2000 lbs. Their castings weren't light and most 24" planers of the time went between 2500-3000 lbs. I use a pallet jack on my 299 and it is all I can do to move it around. You kind of want a handle to push and pull as it is hard to pull that much weight by pulling on the tables. Dave

[Erik Loza]

No firsthand knowledge of the planer in question But I do have experience moving our own SCMi 24" machines, which are in the 2,000+lb. range.

I would use a pallet jack. Planers, in my experience, want to have as much metal touching the ground as possible when they are in use and even if casters were spec'ed to handle the weight, that is A LOT of mass and vibration to be transmitting through four little wheels. Just my 2-cents.

Best of luck with your solution.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Thad McCulloch]

I'd suggest making your own mobile base out of some steel tubing and 4 of the Foot Master leveling casters you can get at Great Lakes Caster. They have both 550 lb & 1100 lb single caster ratings and you can lower foot pads when you've got the machine where you want it, so you don't have to worry about it walking off when in use, but it's still moveable when necessary. I have the lighter versions of those same casters on several units, including a bandsaw and it doesn't budge when the pads are lowered to lock the unit in place. I don't have anything that's more than 1/2 ton though, so can't speak to that level of weight and how easy it is to move.

Do a search for Michael Heffernan's 8/26/09 posting on this forum - that's the style I built and you could make it as sturdy as you need just by selecting thicker walled tubing.

[Van Huskey]

Now I am really curious about the weight, Dave knows a LOT more about old iron than I do so I would defer to him but the F&E planers alway look so much lighter than most of the other 24" planers of its day...

[Jeff Heath]

My 16" Powermatic 160 cast iron planer from 1969 weighs 1200 lbs.. The F&E 490 is a lighter duty planer, but expect it to weigh in the neighborhood of 2000 lbs.

As stated, a pallet jack off of craigslist for $50 (what I paid for mine) or close will get you all the mobility that you need for all your machines in your shop. You can set the planer down on 2 4X4's when you want it planted solidly on the shop floor, which is how it should be used.

My 12" Yates American jointer came with a shop made heavy duty steel mobile base with heavy duty casters........can't stand it. The tires don't have locks, and I have to constantly kick wedges under the tires to keep it from rolling when I'm flattening heavy boards.......like the 16/4 maple I was working today.

Buy a pallet jack and you'll be happy, and mobile, forever on all your machines.

Jeff

[Rick Fisher]

1200 seems light.. The Oliver 299 is about 3000 lbs.. The similar PM was lighter, but not that much.. I bet that machine is 2000# +/-

[Ronald Blue]

After looking at these photos I would think easily 2000# plus. Serious mass here. Pads and a pallet jack seem like the way to go. http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=1285

[Jeff Duncan]

HTC makes mobile bases for just about any weight rating. I once push a BUSS planer, must have been about a 30" capacity, though the overall size of the machine was something like a Volkswagen Bug, not sure of the wietgh but well past the 2k lbs mark. I could push it easily with one hand!;)

Having said that I still prefer pallet jacks for moving equipment. I like my machines firmly on the ground when in use. My pallet jack has a capacity of 5k lbs so it will move the largest machine in my shop.....a 43" wide belt.

good luck,
JeffD

[Richard Coers]

I just moved my Yates American B-44 24" thickness planer for only the 3rd time in the 25 years I have owned it. Even on a pallet jack, that thing is a load. I can't imagine trying to get some casters to pivot under it. Maybe some monster big ones on steel wheels, but nothing on rubber. My machine sits on 2 oak 4x6s that I can get a pallet jack between. It's never been on the concrete, never will.

[Gary Tackel]

Thanks so much for all the replies. The only reason that I hesitate to get a pallet jack is my lack of space. A pallet jack would take up precious floor space that I am continually battling to keep clear. I do think that if I had the planer on 4 large solid steel wheels that were rated for it's weight - I think that it could be moved surprisingly easily. I currently have the planer sitting on 4 - 3/4" steel bars, and I can move it 4 or 5 inches at a time by using a pry bar.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have seen those cushion of air thingys move huge Sub Zero fridges with no strain, maybe that would be something to look into?

I use a forklift on my 2000# SCM so I am no help.

Larry

[Brian Backner]

+1 on using a pallet jack.

I have a beast of a planer - a Crescent P24. Weighs just north of 3,000#. Casters for it would cost some real dough, and I wasn't prepared to spend that much for something that wouldn't be moved all that often. So I levered the old girl up and got her onto some PT 6x6's that were bolted to the mounting holes in the base. This actually worked quite well as I am tall and the additional 5-1/2" in height makes long sessions of planing more comfortable for me.

The real advantage of a pallet jack is that you can use it as a set of casters for multiple machines. Be aware that there are multiple sizes, widths and capacities of jacks available. The narrowest I've seen is 14" over the forks, but I think that was a special order; 17" is the most common narrow size and 27" is considered standard. For "small" machines (say 500# or less), a 17" width should be fine. If you have real monsters, like my Crescent, stay with the 27" to maintain stability and safety while moving and never lift higher than absolutely necessary.

Most 27" wide jacks will have a nominal capacity of 5,500 or 6,000#. Moving my 3,000# planer is difficult enough that I don't think I'd want to even try to move something close to the jack's capacity. Be aware that narrow jacks tend to have much lower capacities - probably 1,000-1,500# for a 17" one.

One trick I developed when setting machines on timbers is insetting 1/2" thick steel leveling pads into the underside of them before you bolt them onto the machines. Cut the timbers 12" longer so they stick out from under the machine and drill a 1" diameter hole vertically centered on the extended portion (i.e., 3" from the edge of the machine base). Drill and tap a 3/4-10 hole in the middle of a 4" square of that 1/2" steel plate, chop a mortise for it to fit into so the hole in the timber and the plate match up and then use some countersunk screw holes in the plate to hold it in place. You can then use a 7" or 8" long hex head bolt to level the machine. I would suggest placing something under the bolt to keep it from scoring the floor. I use 4x4" pieces of 1/4" plate, but a real dense rubber, like a hockey puck would also work. This does add some additional height to the setup, but I suppose you could use either a 4x4 or a 4x6. For smaller machines, even a 2x4 on the flat could be used but you would have to somehow maintain enough clearance for the pallet jack forks to slip under the raised machine.

Brian

[Craig D Peltier]

My two cents is just how I have my 20" powermatic on a shop fox base and its fine. I also have a 15" grizzly sander that weighs over 800 on one and its fine too. I know yours is heavier , if its 1200 lbs its not a biggie but 2000lbs would be hard to push around I would assume unless you had the proper wheels and flooring and grip etc. I know my 20" planer I have to give it a good jerk to get it going as well as sander.

[Jamie Buxton]

You might consider the Hoverpad. The load moves on a film of air. The lift capacity is a couple thousand pounds, and costs a couple hundred bucks. Promotional video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekjqk7Hziws Manufacturers web site:http://www.hoverbench.com/ .