[slashmaster]

I know there is no way someone can lift a rong fu clone without the help of a crane, cherry picker or fork lift, but has anyone done it taking it apart? If anyone happens to know, what do all the major pieces weigh?

[eartaker]

Not sure what all of the actual weight of all the pieces, but the only piece you can move without some good effort is the table and even that weighs around 70-90 Lbs. I cant lift the head and I haven't tried lifting he base and column. I rented an engine hoist from a tool rental company for $30 to put the machine up on its stand. I got the head off to work on the Z axis by lowering the head onto the table and supporting it with some 4x4's and moved the head away from the column with the y-axis.

When there is a will, there is a way.

[slashmaster]

Not sure what all of the actual weight of all the pieces, but the only piece you can move without some good effort is the table and even that weighs around 70-90 Lbs. I cant lift the head and I haven't tried lifting he base and column. I rented an engine hoist from a tool rental company for $30 to put the machine up on its stand. I got the head off to work on the Z axis by lowering the head onto the table and supporting it with some 4x4's and moved the head away from the column with the y-axis.

When there is a will, there is a way.

Nice! I've seen a youtube vid of someone taking a head off that way. So a Rong fu table and saddle are manageable without an engine hoist! Hey, what are the measurements for the bolt centerlines to mount the column to the base? I think maybe I want to get a rong fu clone base, saddle and table and make an adapter for a x3 column.

[doc0302]

hi
i have disassembled a rf 45 clone into 5 pieces , each piece can be handled fairly easy by 2 men.

[LeeWay]

I don't have the square column one, but the round column.
I would guesstimate that the head and motor on it probably weighs about 250 pounds.
The column itself maybe 150.
Base and saddle maybe 150.
Table about 80.
There is a collar on this one rather than a saddle for Z and it is around 50.
I do use a fold away HF hoist. 2000 pound capacity that I bought on sale with coupon for less than $100.
I use that thing for lots of stuff.
The manual shows how to do a lift with one of these, but I never lifted the whole machine yet.
We unloaded it in pieces with this hoist and reassembled the same way. It was loaded onto my truck at HF with a fork lift.

[pete from TN]

as you can see in my thread I TOTALLY tore down my RF45 machine to repaint and convert it. I am around 6' tall and weigh around 225 lbs. I can lift the head, the table, the Z slide, the y apron, the base and all the rest of the parts by myself but the column is pretty heavy and the column and base together without the head, slide, or complete table assembly is pretty damn heavy still. If you tear it completely apart and get a helper it should be easy to take down a flight of stairs. Remove the motor from the head too as that motor is pretty heavy all by itself.... The head on my machine with the Z slide and no motor was all I could carry alone and I did not want to carry it too far. That head is HUGE.... Now that it is belt driven and all of the gears and shafts are not inside it anymore it is lighter and easier to carry for one person.


The RF31 I had I gotta say that the head on it was pretty damn heavy too as I had to work on it when I first bought it. I do have an engine crane here and when the machine is together I lift it and place it with the crane and it is all that crane wants to lift and it kinda creeks and groans doing it sometimes. I musta moved it ten times now that way since I have owned it between household moves, moving it to different stands, and the CNC conversion.... Nice to have that crane....peace

Pete

[ninefinger]

IF you're thinking about moving a RF45 piece by piece it can be done with a hand cart, but actually lifting some of the pieces on your own - not going to happen unless your the incredible hulk. Like Pete, I was able to lift the head, but barely and I was sure glad to have a place ready to put it down. That was from one spot on a floor to another. Lifting it to a bench height would have killed me. I didn't even think about the column. And even with 2 people its just to awkward to lift safely. Rent an engine hoist for assembling it - it will be money smartly spent.

Mike

[slashmaster]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

[prazgod4cnc]

slashmaster, this is my 1st post on here. I have a rong fu 45 clone and i dismembered it & carried them 1 by 1 into the basement. It can be done, but I'd get a helper, it was not easy nor fun, especially with my 8 year old standing on the middle of the stairway saying "that looks heavy, Dad". Really, kid! What gave it away, the bulging eyes or the uncontrollable panting? Good luck

[slashmaster]

slashmaster, this is my 1st post on here. I have a rong fu 45 clone and i dismembered it & carried them 1 by 1 into the basement. It can be done, but I'd get a helper, it was not easy nor fun, especially with my 8 year old standing on the middle of the stairway saying "that looks heavy, Dad". Really, kid! What gave it away, the bulging eyes or the uncontrollable panting? Good luck

Thanks for the reply, yeah even if you have a cherry picker what good does it do when you have a flight of stairs.

[joeybagadonuts]

Slashmaster,

I don't know what all the other guys are whining about, I can toss my RF45 around without a problem. As a matter of fact I get a workout in every day.

JoeyB

[LeeWay]

Joey, it doesn't mean 45 Round Frosted donuts.

[Flenser]

I was able to move all the individual parts from my office to my truck across my yard an into a shed using just a hand cart. The head w/o the motor weighed in at 180lbs on mine, and I needed some help getting it on the truck. I used a ramp to get it off the truck. On a good day I might take one down a flight or two of stairs on a hand cart.

I used a cherry picker to assemble it the first time. While measuring and making parts for the CNC conversion I started skipping the crane, since the shed is so small and the crane so annoying to assemble and disassemble. I ended up injuring my back mounting the table one day, and have used a ratchet tie-down strap ever since. Those things are pretty convenient if you have something overhead for an anchor point.

Jeff

[Mogal]

I have an RF-31 with the Z powerfeed.
It came apart to the last bolt for a clean/paint/rebuild.
I was able to handle all the parts by myself, albeit with
a little straining, but it was done. Break the machine down
far enough, and you should be fine, at least for an RF-31.
Lift with your legs, NOT your back!