Have had my Bridgeport mill waiting in my garage for 3 or 4 months.  It's got a 48" table, plus power crossfeed and has to go through a 36" door.  It also is too tall for the door.  Since it is a CNC mill, it has ball screws, so a lot more difficult to take the table off.   

I decided to see if I could maneuver it through the door.  The complexity of that maneuver is made harder by a perpendicular wall at the edge of the door on the outside, and a workbench that reaches nearly to the door.   

First, I moved the table all the way to one side, and then partially rotated the head.  I couldn't rotate it all the way down, because the table had to be high enough to clear the workbench adjacent to the door.  Then, started through.  It became apparent quickly that the cross feed power drive had to come off, because it would narrow it about 12 inches on that side.   

I managed to get it partially through the door, up till the motor hit.  I angled it as much as I could, and the table was diagonally aimed through the door.  I moved the table as far as it would go the other direction, and now it was sticking through the door.  I could now lower the table via the knee, as it was clear of the interfering workbench.  Now, the motor could rotate down.  To get out to do these things, I had to crawl through a gap between the door and the base.  I lowered the table, rotated the motor down, and found I couldn't get back into the shop to move the mill again.  It also has no other doors.  Finally, got a ladder and squeezed through over the mill.   

Spent another 10 minutes jockeying it over and twisting it a bit at a time, and finally got it through the door!  Only 50 minutes, start to finish!

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Absolutely nothing but sympathy for your efforts...

But ... LOL !!!

Been there, done that ... with other 'hardware' ...

Loading an 1100 lb wood planer into a rental with a lift gate. It's level now ... and *NOT* as soon as you lift it off the ground...

Forklift into a 22 ft truck ... and a tractor with chains over the bucket at this end ...

Note to self ... Hire professional riggers, dummy.

So this is the machine you were telling me about. Got it folded up like a pretzel. That's ok it will unfold. You are going to enjoy that machine.




JMH

Glad you got it Dave! I'd probably have given up and just chopped a big hole and framed in for a taller/wider door. Just in case I ever needed to make room for more large equipment!