Transport of tabletop C & P Pilot 6.5 X 10

Hello,

Can someone tell me if it is possible to remove the arm of this type of press for transport? I’m told that the press has a height of 35 inches but my vehicle only has 30” clearance. If removing the arm is either too complicated or difficult, is there another way for me to make it fit?

Thanking you in advance,

Andre

Log in to reply   12 replies so far

Not difficult, but why don’t you just pull the lever down, secure the press closed with a ratcheting strap or rope and load it on in?

Close the platen, tie the arm in its lowered position, problem solved. :)

The handle comes off, usually with a square headed bolt or a set screw. You will either need an adjustable wrench or an Allen wrench of the proper size. There should be a half-moon key in the rectangular groove around which the handle slides. Don’t lose it. If the handle seems stuck (which would be unusual), tap it lightly close to the shaft with a rubber hammer or use a thick piece of wood and a regular hammer. Remember that cast iron breaks easily, so slowly and gently is the way to go. If you take off the inking disk you will find the frame is easier to grab when moving it. The press weighs about 200lbs so be careful and plan your movements carefully. Don’t grab moving parts, keep your hands on the frame, and don’t try to lift by the feed-board arms, they are light castings, break easily, and are hard to replace. You might consider removing them for the move, just so nothing happens to them. Good luck.

Paul

Yeah, my primary concern when moving the press would be the feedboard arms, the press is heavy and if it slips and those take the impact…

*double post*

Having an adjustable ratchet strap is pretty handy too. It is reasonably easy to put one on a two-wheeler, or piano moving style cart, but if not secured they can tip and hit the ground and be damaged. I’ve moved so many of them - it just takes some planning and common sense.

Paul

Hi there, I moved one along with the table it sat on containing several drawers of type in my VW Golf. Seats folded down of course. It was tight but not hard.

I’ve also moved one…and it rode in the back seat of our honda civic. I did remove the arm and feed board before putting it in the car. It was a tight squeeze to get it in the door, but it fit…I also made sure to lay a piece of plywood on the seat to help distribute the weight. I was then able to strap it down but it was so heavy, it didn’t seem to move much anyway. And, if you care about your car at all, I’d also bring some old blankets/sheets since the press is likely to be oily at the joints.

Andre,
This is a simple one and all of the advice above is easy and accurate. More importantly congratulations to you for scoring one of the little gems.
s

Thank you all for your replies.

I will probably go with the lowering of the arm and the strapping of the press in this position.

I knew that by posting my query, I would get valuable feedback and I got exactly want I needed.

thanks again to all of you.

Andre C.

With both our Pilots, we just lowered the arm and secured the platen shut. We then made sure the press was secured in the back of our Honda Fit. You can remove things if you want, but we didn’t find that at all necessary if the back of your car is large enough to accommodate the press.

I’ve got this photo, where you can see we used plastic straps in strategic places to hold the arm down:

http://instagram.com/p/S_T_V5g4wT/