Need Help on Mobile base for General 780 Jointer

[Drew Pavlak]

Hello all,

The other night this popped up on CL for $500 and I jumped on it.. needless to say right now it is immobile... and I need to get it out of the bay of the my lift as I have some vehicle maintenance that is sorely needed on the wife's van and on my car..... I have seen plenty of designs for mobile bases, what I can't seem to locate are some smaller casters that will support 1200 Lbs... yup I checked the manual... it's 1200 lbs...... Any suggestions? I realize that each caster would only need to support 300 to 400 pounds... I just can't seem to locate any that are smaller like 2.5" or 3" most are like 4", 5" or 6".......

IMG_20160616_193808472.jpg

[Mike Cutler]

In that weight range, you're looking at Zambus casters, or clones of Zambus. You'll probably have to fab up your own frame for the casters, or drill that base for a post type mount. They're expensive, but very nice. I think the lower rated Zambus casters are about 3-3 1/2" tall, with the leveling devices built in.

[Bruce Page]

Also check http://www.footmastercasters.com/

Be sure to check the specs. The weight calculation is not a simple "divide by 4". For example, the Footmaster GDR-60F that I ordered for one of my machines are rated at 550# each, but 1100# for a set of 4.

[Mike Delyster]

Looks like it's set up for a pallet jack right now, that's what I use on all my heavier machines.

[Matt Day]

Nice gloat!

I'm in the same boat (or should I say, aircraft carrier! I crack myself up....) with a 12" Northfield. I'm trying to decide about mobility. My shop is too cramped for a pallet Jack.

[Erik Loza]

Drill a hole in each corner of its feet and install Zambus casters, as someone else suggested.

Erik

[David Kumm]

A decent pallet jack will cost less than good Zambus will if you have the room to store it. I've got a lot of old iron on ZAMBUS or Carrymaster and I would never buy ones rated for less than 1100 lbs each for that machine. The heavier ones adjust much easier up and down and use a larger bolt. Ultimately a jointer should be leveled and kept in one spot. If it needs to be moved to use, I would mark spots on the floor and keep the 4x4 and a pallet jack for that purpose. You do want a jack that feathers down gently. Dave

[Drew Pavlak]

Unfortunately I don't want a pallet jack laying around taking up space... it would be nice.. I have had situations in the past where it could have come in handy.. but I just can't warrant the space of it... Zambus casters are quite pricey... not sure I could bring myself to bite the bullet on those. I will keep looking there is bound to be an option that I won't mind paying for.. I have a hard time spending almost as much for 4 casters as I did the jointer.

[Andrew Hughes]

Shoot that's a nice looking jointer.A fine piece of Canadian precision technology.Why don't you put some good shoes on it.
Your not likely to ever come across another one for that price again.Treat it nice and you will have a friend for life.Start dressing it up cheap well good luck!

[Tom M King]

Do you weld? I have a simple way to build a mobile base under a machine using two different sizes of angle iron. You just need to cut it to length, put the long pieces under the machine sitting on wood spacers to raise it how high you want it off the floor. The ends are larger angle iron that the casters fit under one side of the angle, and the vertical side of the angle for the casters gets welded to the longer pieces already under the machine. This way, you don't have to add a lot of height by putting casters under the machine, and even buying new angle iron it comes out less than some mobility kits.

[Matt Day]

I ran across a post somewhere about using uhmw to allow it to slide instead of roll. It might be worth checking out some more.

[Bruce Page]

Unfortunately I don't want a pallet jack laying around taking up space... it would be nice.. I have had situations in the past where it could have come in handy.. but I just can't warrant the space of it... Zambus casters are quite pricey... not sure I could bring myself to bite the bullet on those. I will keep looking there is bound to be an option that I won't mind paying for.. I have a hard time spending almost as much for 4 casters as I did the jointer.

I look at justifications differently. If I found a $3500 machine for $500 I would be at peace spending another $300 to make it mobile.

[David Kumm]

That jointer would be more like 7K new. Even large cast iron machines can be fussy to tune when moved. Small wheels tend to hang up easily with a heavy machine. Wiggling then to where you want usually means pushing and pulling on the tables. Crappy wheels will cost you a lot of time over the years with adjusting machinery and repairing hernias. Set it up right and wait on the spiral head until the spending doesn't hurt so much. Dave

[Drew Pavlak]

My welding skills are medicore at best. But this may be what I need to improve in that area. Have any pics of your mobile bases? I fortunately have access to a small stock pile of angle iron, various sizes... And other iron as well.. Flat stock, round stock.. Some tubing.. I will just have to dig to find what I need. I will probably go with a larger caster and separate leveling feet. I don't plan on moving it much.. I just don't have a good way to move it at all.. Once I determine where it will go in the shop.. I will probably never move it again. So I will use some kind of leveling feet just to take the pressure off of the casters so they don't get flat spots. At least that is my intention anyway.

[Drew Pavlak]

That is another reason I am not leaning towards the Zambus casters... The wheels look to small for it to roll easily... I do admit they would have several practical applications in the shop.. Just not sure at the cost that they are the best option IMO. Once I get it cleaned up and ready to go I doubt that I will me moving it. But in the event that I do.. I would like it to roll smoothly and fairly easily. I really appreciate everyone's comments... This helps me work through some things and get different perspectives.