Mobility for a Felder K700P

[Tim Hibler]

I am about to take possession of a Felder K700P, yahoo! I will need mobility for this beast as I have a small, garage shop (13' x 24') with the option to temporarily take over 1 - 2 of the other stalls. Felder offers a mobility kit that I'm sure works well but do any SMC members have any other novel or better solutions. I've seen the Zambus Carrymaster stuff and it looks pretty good. Anybody use these or similar. How do you mount them and what models did you use. The 700 is over 1200 lbs.

Thanks,

Tim

[Richard Demaray]

Tim
I also looked at Zambus. They don't offer a
M10 version. Even if they did it would raise up the saw quite a bit. Also the small wheels
Stop on small chips or seams in the floor.

I tried many types of rollers and feet, which are needed for leveling the saw table prior to adjusting the slidder. I'm back to the Felder mobility kit for my KF700SP. I use also use a pallet jack when I move my saw. Cheers
red




I am about to take possession of a Felder K700P, yahoo! I will need mobility for this beast as I have a small, garage shop (13' x 24') with the option to temporarily take over 1 - 2 of the other stalls. Felder offers a mobility kit that I'm sure works well but do any SMC members have any other novel or better solutions. I've seen the Zambus Carrymaster stuff and it looks pretty good. Anybody use these or similar. How do you mount them and what models did you use. The 700 is over 1200 lbs.

Thanks,

Tim

[David Hawxhurst]

on my kf700sp i went with the felder mobility kit. i use zambus ac 300's on my jointer/planer and bandsaw. the ac 600's will hold your 700 (if you use 5 casters you should be good with the ac300). the zambus will give you better steering ability but will raise the saw about 3.2". great lakes casters have some that appear to be like the zambus.

zambus has two mounting options one is stem and the second is plate style. i used the stem type, think they use M12.

[Jeff Monson]

Tim, hate to say it but, stick with the Felder mobility kit for this one. I have Zambus casters on my AD741, they work ok, but your saw is much bulkier which would be difficult to maneuver on casters. One thing to remember about casters, when you get the machine in motion, its going to go to the lowest spot in the floor, fighting a 1200lb saw would not be any fun. I have a KF700S that has the Felder mobility kit installed on it, works wonderfully on such a large machine. With the Felder kit, once the machine is set in place it is rock solid. BTW, congrats on the new saw!

[David Kumm]

I prefer a mobility kit. Felder make s great one but there are other choices. If you go the caster route, use 1000+ Carrymaster as they move and set much easier than the smaller ones. You can order a conversion stud to accept the 10MM hole and the larger hole in the caster. I roll my 2000 lb SCMI saw on them but like the lever method when just rolling back and forth from the wall. The wheels are always pointed in the right direction. Dave

[Tim Hibler]

Jeff, I never considered the slope of the garage floor, which all garages are supposed to have. That could be a problem, thanks. I've been getting to know my saw and there is no buyer's remorse here. Wish the options weren't so darned expensive.

I can overcome the height issue with a mounting plate fabricated from a strip of 2" x .500" plate steel with angle iron welded to each end and positioned so the casters mount under the elevated leg of the angle iron (7 rather than L). I had this idea on my own but then a I saw this on a K500 image posted on the web and it results in zero change in height. The casters are just outside of each corner of the cabinet with this design but not so they would be in the way.

Small chips on the floor could also be an irritation. These are all things I would hate to discover on my own so thanks.

I was also concerned that having to lower and raise each wheel every time I move it and re-level it would be a pain. Has anybody tried the retractable/ratchet handles like on the Platemaster GDR series?

The Felder mobility kit is sounding better all the time. I will also be moving it in and out from the wall like David but beyond that how is it to maneuver, e.g. turn and swivel into a new location? Thanks.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I use something different, a pallet jack. It's cheaper that the mobility kit, and can be used for other things. Not as convenient, but I don't move mine often. These things are heavy, and the pallet jack makes effortless work out of it. Far smoother than any mounted mobility device I've ever been around. Congrats!

[Rod Sheridan]

The mobility kit is the way to go.

Much easier to maneouver, and it doesn't raise the machine more than a few millimetres off the floor.

I have the mobility kit on my saw/shaper..................Rod.

[Jeff Monson]

The mobility kit is the way to go.

Much easier to maneouver, and it doesn't raise the machine more than a few millimetres off the floor.

I have the mobility kit on my saw/shaper..................Rod.

Yep, once again and also you will not have to re level the machine each time you move it with the Felder mobility kit

[John Adank]

Tim, I was just curious what you end up doing for a mobility kit on your saw? I'm in the same situation. I have a K700P coming as well as an AD741 and they are both going in the garage. I sent you a PM also.

thanks,
joh

[Jim Becker]

This is an old thread, but always is a relevant topic.

An alternative to the native mobility option, if one is available, is to acquire a pallet jack. The two times I've needed to move my MinMax slider, I've rented a pallet jack...I don't have a place to store one...and it did a good job with the task. Regardless of what method you use, you want that heavy machine "on the floor" and preferably level when actually in use.

[Brian W Evans]

I'll also suggest a pallet jack. I moved my saw into its permanent position with one and it was very, very easy. Don't know about the Felder but my Minimax has stickers showing where the forks should go. I was able to position it exactly where I wanted it by myself with no difficulty. Pallet jacks are also quite cheap to rent or buy compared with the mobility kit, and are widely available.

I have a mobile base on my 750# J/P combo and it is a beast to move around compared to my 1200# saw on a pallet jack.

[Erik Loza]

+1 for the pallet jack. I never realized how handy one of those things is even in my home garage. You just store it under something but it will lift and move anything so easily. If you decide to get a pallet jack, confirm the area under your machine's chassis. I seem to recall the Felders needing the "slim" style. Also, regarding leveling, what we used to do was put these little heavy-duty rubber pads under the "feet" of the machine. Like rubber hockey pucks. Adds maybe an inch but absorbs vibration, sort of self-levels, etc. Just put them in place before you lower the machine to the ground. Grainger had them. Good luck,

Erik

[James Zhu]

Get the Euro narrow pallet jack. Standard north america pallet jack does not work for Felder machines.

[Andy Giddings]

N+1 for the Pallet Jack - I used the mobility kit on my C3 for a while but switched to a pallet jack. Fairly easy to put the machine back in the same place on your floor each time by marking around the feet when you have it leveled. Saves having to adjust it each time.

[John Adank]

Thanks a lot guys. A pallet jack was my original idea. I did see someone suggested a particular model from Uline that they used for the same saw.

Eric, I wonder if isolation pads similar to what you put under air compressor feet would work?

[Larry Oglu]

I prefer a mobility kit. Felder make s great one but there are other choices. If you go the caster route, use 1000+ Carrymaster as they move and set much easier than the smaller ones. You can order a conversion stud to accept the 10MM hole and the larger hole in the caster. I roll my 2000 lb SCMI saw on them but like the lever method when just rolling back and forth from the wall. The wheels are always pointed in the right direction. Dave

I also am looking at some Zambus casters for a Felder saw. The predrilled holes are 11m and Zambus only offers 12mm or bigger for the weight I need to support. Does anyone have info on where to find these conversion studs/stems for the casters? I can't find them on Zambus's website and havent been able to find info on a google search?