Moving 2" Machines

[SNJ Studio]

Hi everyone.

I have to move my Ampex MM1200 2" tape machine. This baby is 700KG! I remember when I bought it years ago I got it shipped from a studio in Melbourne, and I had to get piano movers to bring it up the stairs (1 flight). It was just three massive guys with straps and a "3 wheel" stair trolley, and they just used brute force to take it up each step. It cost more to get the machine up the stairs than it did to ship it from Melbourne! http://www.garyfaller.com/misc/ARSampex.jpg

What do you do to move a heavy machine - is there a specialist company to look for or just call the piano movers again? Also, any suggestions if a 2" machine is going to be stored for a few months?

Thanks for any advice.
Adam

[Kurt]

700kg!

Is the cabinet filled with lead ingots?

Seriously though, can it be broken into smaller more managable pieces?

[Linear]

I've moved an MM1200 enough times. It's not that difficult if you pull it into bits (not as bad as it sounds).

Start by removing the sides. Two screws just need to be loosened and they pull off.

Then take out the power supply from the rear. That huge transformer must weigh 40 kgs.

Then take out all the audio cards, then the card cages. They are easy to remove once you work out what's going on (and don't forget to label everything).

Once this is done, two people can move it up a flight of stairs - I've done it before. I'm not so sure it weights 700kgs - more like around 3-400 depending on the number of channels.

Chris

[rick]

"all care piano removers" have been moving heavy things around for me for years .

its usually about $150 to show up then so much extra a stair

then you can leave it in one piece !
i understand saving money but i see no value in slipping my disc again for the sake of $250 .

[SNJ Studio]

Thanks for the replies.

LINEAR -

The prospect of dismantling is a little daunting, how hard is it to get that power supply out? I took off the side and it doesn't seem to easy to get to, and I wonder how many screws and ribbon cables I have to deal with. No joy on Googling "dismantle ampex mm1200".. and once I've stripped out my machine, do you think a "3 wheel stair trolley" will be able to lift the machine off the ground?

I was stabbing in the dark with 700kgs...[/img]

[SNJ Studio]

Quick update -

Used piano movers. Two guys and straps. Artarmon to Hornsby and 1 flight of stairs for $250. Awesome. Aligned up and running beautifully.

Adam R Barns