Brian W Evans
11-26-2016, 11:09 AM
No affiliation with Portamate - just picked one of these up and thought I'd share my experience.
I recently purchased a Minimax FS41 Classic jointer-planer, which weighs in at around 800 pounds. I was pondering Zambus casters but didn't like the added height or the cost. I have the Minimax mobility kit, which is basically two wheels and a wheeled Johnson bar. This is not convenient and is less than ideal because the machine is quite top-heavy. So, I went searching for an extra-heavy-duty mobile base. I found a Jet for about $120, but didn't like the look of it. Then I ran across the new Portamate PM-3500. I went to Woodcraft to take a look and ended up leaving with it.
I was able to assemble the base under the machine by using 2x4s as levers to slide the parts under. A bit more leverage under the base itself using an iron bar enabled me to put the wheels on while the machine was sitting in it. After tightening everything down, it rolls VERY easily but has convenient foot levers to drop the feet and lock it into place. Overall added height is about an inch. The front wheels pivot and the back wheels are fixed, making maneuvering very easy.
The base is heavy gauge steel with good looking welds. The foot levers are steel also, unlike most other mobile bases. The bolts connect the corners to the cross bars using threaded holes - no nuts like most other bases I've tried. This makes assembly much easier, especially if you're doing it under the machine like I did.
The specs say that the base can support up to 1500 pounds, which wouldn't surprise me. The base adjusts from 18-1/4" x 23-1/2" to 28" x 33-1/2".
I'm very glad I picked this up and wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if I bought another massive machine.
I recently purchased a Minimax FS41 Classic jointer-planer, which weighs in at around 800 pounds. I was pondering Zambus casters but didn't like the added height or the cost. I have the Minimax mobility kit, which is basically two wheels and a wheeled Johnson bar. This is not convenient and is less than ideal because the machine is quite top-heavy. So, I went searching for an extra-heavy-duty mobile base. I found a Jet for about $120, but didn't like the look of it. Then I ran across the new Portamate PM-3500. I went to Woodcraft to take a look and ended up leaving with it.
I was able to assemble the base under the machine by using 2x4s as levers to slide the parts under. A bit more leverage under the base itself using an iron bar enabled me to put the wheels on while the machine was sitting in it. After tightening everything down, it rolls VERY easily but has convenient foot levers to drop the feet and lock it into place. Overall added height is about an inch. The front wheels pivot and the back wheels are fixed, making maneuvering very easy.
The base is heavy gauge steel with good looking welds. The foot levers are steel also, unlike most other mobile bases. The bolts connect the corners to the cross bars using threaded holes - no nuts like most other bases I've tried. This makes assembly much easier, especially if you're doing it under the machine like I did.
The specs say that the base can support up to 1500 pounds, which wouldn't surprise me. The base adjusts from 18-1/4" x 23-1/2" to 28" x 33-1/2".
I'm very glad I picked this up and wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if I bought another massive machine.