Mark V Caster Upgrade

[NVDon]

I finally decided to purchase the new-style caster upgrade for my old Mark V (2005). WOW, what a difference. I should have done this years ago. With the new casters, my old SS 510 glides across my garage concrete floor very easily and doesn't get caught in the concrete joints any longer. I can't believe I fought those old casters for so many years...

Since I was alone, I had to modify the installation process so I could do it without a second person to help. Instead of turning the entire unit over, I simply moved the headstock to the opposite end I was working on and then lifted the lighter end and slid a sawhorse under the bottom tubes. It worked like a champ and allowed me to do one caster bracket at a time. I then reversed the process for the other end. I also installed the new casters on the brackets with the supplied washers prior to placing the entire bracket assembly on the legs. Total time to do it was less than an hour and I was able to do it alone. The new metal drilling guide bar made the whole process very easy.

This is probably one of the best upgrades that can be done on your Mark V, regardless of age.

[RFGuy]

Yeah, I still don't get why Shopsmith recommends flipping the Mark V over to install the new casters. Would you turn a CNC or a Bridgeport mill or your car upside down to do anything on them? Similar to what you did, I used my car floor jack and some offcuts to raise one end just slightly. It only required a few pumps on the jack handle to raise it just off the floor while I did the replacement. It was fast and far less disruptive to the alignment since I only had to raise each end slightly, i.e. less movement than when the cam locks are turned on the caster assemblies to raise/lower the Mark V.

IMG_3244.jpg (62.09 KiB) Viewed 977 times

[wa2crk]

turn it upside down this way.

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SS on saw horses.jpg (91.71 KiB) Viewed 1164 times

Bill V

[RFGuy]

Still seems like a lot of potential racking and risk of an accident in flipping it over, but maybe it is just me. I know everyone may not have a floor jack or suitable means to safely lift the Mark V so I guess Shopsmith has to err on the side of providing instructions that don't utilize any tools not shipped with the upgrade (or readily available).

[NVDon]

Well, I chose to use the saw horses since they were handy and also sturdy. I retracted the casters before I inserted the saw horse on the lighter end. I was also very careful during the process not to hit or move the entire unit while I was working on it. It did not seem to be very top-heavy at all. The total elapsed time from start to finish was just under an hour. The process was very simple to do and as I have mentioned in my original post I wish I had done this years ago. Fighting with the old casters on a concrete floor were always a hassle.

And btw, I'm a ham too - W3DRM and live in Minden, Nevada

[AEA]

I remove any accessories and move the headstock to one end. That makes the other end pretty light. I just put a small chunk of 4x4 under the legs not touching the casters and remove the assembly from one side, drill my holes, put the new wheels on, then put the assembly back. Move the headstock to the other end and do it all over. I've done this on two Mark 5s with no problem. (I actually used a 2x4 and was careful but a 4x4 would be more stable.
The flipping over never made sense to me.
Dan