so late in 2014, an estate sale company that we keep up with, posted some "sneak peak" photos for a "estate sale of the century" that was going to come up in a few months.
Well in that series of photos, was a poor picture, of something I have been looking for, well, for a long time.
this was late December 2014, and the sale was in April of 2015. So needless to say, I waited. Not to say that I counted my chickens, but just kept that in the back of my mind, and on my calendar.
The date gets closer and closer, new / additional pictures were taken, none showed any more of this one piece. (of course)
The date got really close and then boom, it gets pushed a week. as it turns out they were selling the items in a house, and in a airplane hanger. They decided to split the sale in 2. They would do the house in the first week and the hanger in the second week.
So of course, the item I wanted was in the airplane hanger, so i waited yet again.
Then of course the time came. The location was about one and a half hours from my house, so i got up early that morning, loaded up my trailer, my engine hoist, and some tools, and headed out. Fought the usual traffic and was able to get to the sale about 9am. The sale started at 10 so there was only about 12 people there waiting. By the time it opened there was probably 50 people or so standing in line.
Once the door opened, I somewhat scrambled to figure out where the item was I wanted, I got lucky and walked straight into the room where it was. I walked up and started looking at it and immediately a guy walked up behind me and told the guy running the sale that he would buy the item. I turned around and looked at him and then looked at the guy running the sale. The guy running the sale asks me if i wanted it, which i told him yes. The other guy backed off and consequently within 30 seconds of walking in the door, I had purchased the item I had waited for the last few months, just barely.
Isnt it cool?
yeah, I know. Most people don't know what it is.
Its a Chicago Dreis and Krump Mfg Co Sheet Metal Brake.
still don't know? Well it allows you to bend metal and the fingers can be removed so you can make boxes out of metal.
still doesn't help you does it,
well, fine, suffice it to say, What it is, is heavy!.
Ahead of time I had noticed the sale also included a forklift. I wasn't counting on the forklift, but I was hoping to be able to use the forklift to get it out and loaded on my trailer. But I still came prepared, which is a good thing.
of course the little room this tool was in, had a short door, and the forklift would not fit through that door.
i was able to use an engine hoist to get the brake turned and more lined up towards the door. Then I was able to tie a chain to the foot and the forklift to drag it out of the room. Used the forks to then turn it in the right direction, and then grabbed it with the forks. The forklift was then able to easily carry it over and drop it on my trailer.
This thing is way heavier than I even imagined ahead of time. you could tell the forklift was working hard to get it picked up, and my trailer groaned when it took the weight.
my trailer will handle about 2000lbs of weight with no issue. this thing was pushing that limit. As it turns out when I looked up the specs later, this brake weighs 2065 lbs.
yep, thats a lot of cast iron.
so after using some 10,000 lb straps to tie it down, and using some small straps to keep any parts from moving, I headed out to make the L-O-N-G drive back to my shop (over some really crappy roads)
I am sure I pissed off a lot of people over that 2 hour drive north to my shop as I drove slower than everyone else with my flashers on.
Once I got to my shop, I backed the trailer in (with about 5 minutes to spare before the rain came, no joke) and then started working on how to get this monster off my trailer, because I dont own a forklift.
Why dont I own a forklift, well thats a good question. I guess the answer is I have not found the right deal on one.
I also dont own a crane or lift other than my engine hoist.
What I started with was using my engine hoist to pick up the rear end of the brake off the trailer, then wedged the front end of my jack under the front leg so it would "kind of" roll, although it would not completely roll as it did not take all the leg weight off the trailer.
I was able to use a steel stick I have with a blade on the end of it as a pry bar and pry the brake back a few inches at a time. Once I had the brake mostly off the trailer, I was able to drop one end on the ground.
yeah, that seems kind of precarious right there doesn't it. Luckily the thing is so heavy it doesnt wobble around.
Then moved the hoist to the other end of the brake and picked it up off the trailer and pulled the trailer out from under it before letting the brake down.
Its not in the right place yet, but it is off the trailer. Which I am pretty proud of since I was by myself and the thing weighs over a ton. (where there is a will.......)
so for anyone who might care, This is a 4 foot, box and pan finger brake, capable of bending up to 12 gauge steel. and it works great! (there is a piece of 18 gauge steel bent in the above picture)
and I was able to get it moved all the way across town and into my shop, which was a HUGE process, and a lot of work. (makes you appreciate something more when you truly have to work for it)
Once I get a few more supplies I think i can get it moved into place and start using it for projects.
Cherry Pie
DD
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