DIY Machine Rigging Skids

Editor's Note: CR4 would like to thank Johan van Niekerk for sharing this DIY story and sketches. Keep up the good work, Johan!

People talk about global warming, but I have noticed another change that nobody talks about: a global increase in gravity. Things that I could lift and move 40 years ago feel so much heavier now - and I need help moving them. Surely, increased gravity (and not age) must be the cause!

For most of us, moving a machine is problematic. The simplest solution is to roll the machine on pipes or rods; however, the smallest piece of dirt or grit can become a major obstacle. To eliminate these impediments, one needs to have a clean rolling surface, which can be achieved with a roller chain. Here are two sketches.

The other day, I found a length of 50-mm (2-inch pitch) roller chain from a grader transmission. The chain was broken, but only a few links were damaged. Immediately, I saw a solution to one of my problems. First, I put together an off-cut piece of channel (300-mm long), some rods, and a 25-mm x 50-mm flat bar. I then made pieces of chain that were approximately 600-mm long (12 links), formed them into a loop, marked off the desired length of the flat bar, cut it, and rounded the edges so that the roller chain could rotate around it comfortably.

The flat bar was drilled to take 16-mm round bar, which I then used to fix the flat bar to the channel. I made two single-chain skids and one double-chain skid like the one in the sketch. Using four skids never seems to work out. One is always loose, but three work well. The single skids are used on the leading side of the machine, and the double one at the back. The loading per chain is balanced by making the double-skid one.

I added another feature, too. If you've ever moved equipment, you know that the skids always tend to slip. So, I welded a piece of 50-mm angle iron to the top of the channel. This angle also has a drilled hole and a nut welded over the hole to take a bolt. In the channel, I drilled some holes to take a metal plug. Between the plug and the bolt, the machine base can now be clamped to keep the skid in place. In the cases where the base of the machine is flat, the plug is not used.

Now, rolling a machine now is much less troublesome. The rolling surface is between the chain roller and the flat bar, and unevenness of the floor does not matter that much.

Editor's Note: Do you have a DIY story to share with CR4? If so, please message Moose or frankd20. We'd like to hear from you!