Moving a heavy object in my shop - question

[Dennis Peacock]

Have any of you every built or used a gantry crane type device to lift and move a heavy object in your shop? I need to lift and move a 700 pound object in my shop that is almost 5' wide by 10' long. I don't have to pick it up for and I only need to move it about 14 feet.

[Steve Jenkins]

Can you put some pieces of 3/4 back pipe under it and roll it?

[Malcolm McLeod]

Where Steve's pipe's wouldn't work, I have rigged a pair of bipods from scrap 2x, place a beam of double 2x spanning the saddle at the top of the bipods, and hang a come-a-long for a DIY crane. (Make sure the 2x material is suitable for your specific load.)

We lifted each end of heavy tools far enough to get a pair of furniture dollies under them. ...OSHA did not supervise.;)

[Thomas Canfield]

I made a couple of "rolling jacks" to move my Powermatic 3520B with extension and loaded shelf that would weigh about 800#. I used 2 boat trailer jack wheels on drive end and a single jack wheel on lighter end. The jacks were attached to 3/4" plywood that had lip to slip under the web on the frame ends. The mover worked well and is removed and out of the way until need to move again and cost about $65 with jacks on sale.

Using pipe rollers would work well if only straight line move is required and load has flat bottom or can be supported on a frame. One construction project had to "roll" a 100,000# module about 200' under a pipe rack just like the Egyptians moving large blocks.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You have read the two most often used methods in the previously posts.

If those won't work, consider going to a rental center and renting roller lifts.

[Mark Blatter]

I needed to move a coin safe at our terminal once and came in to do it, but found my 65 year old father had already done it by himself. This was an 84" tall x 42" wide x 24" deep safe weighing about 3000 lbs. He simply had five or six 1/2" thick rods, a pry bar and some wood blocks. He would lift up a corner where he could get the pry bar under the safe a little bit, using the blocks of wood as a fulcrum, then kick a small scrap of wood under the safe. He kept doing that until he got the rods under it and rolled it around to where I wanted it placed. One man with a thinking brain can do a great deal all by himself.

Of course I watched another man bring in a set a 10,000 pound mini-vault for me all by himself too. He did have the use of an off road forklift with a 20,000 pound capacity though.

[John K Jordan]

I think a gantry crane would be expensive and unnecessary. I've moved heavy things with the small carpet-covered furniture dollies. For something 5' wide as you mention I would probably use a large pry bar or two to lift one end, put a dolly under each corner, then repeat with the other end.

I have also scooted heavy things an inch at a time with pry bars or faster with a good come-along if practical.

But the rollers would work too, the traditional and ancient way of moving heavy things ASSUMING the bottom of the object is flat or the sides are flat and strong enough. (Don't let it get away from you.) Won't work for something with legs or levelers on the bottom.

JKJ

[Robert Engel]

If you can get a floor jack under it, you can use dollies.

[Matt Day]

Might help to tell us what kind of object it is - flat bottomed, legs?
CNC? Can't easily use piles of it's on legs now.

[Ole Anderson]

Pics would help too.

[Dennis Peacock]

Here's what I need to move. It's being build on top of one of my benches. The pipes you see to the right marks the total width this will be by the end of today. I will need to lift this up off my bench and move it to 2 sets of saw horses on the other side of my shop for profiling, sanding, and prep work to deliver to my customer. This will weigh around 575 pounds and is just bulky enough to create me some serious issues on lifting. One other note is that I'll also need to flip this thing over to finish sand and flatten the bottom of it. :) ;)

348688

[Jim Becker]

A hydraulic table would be ideal for that because it can pick things up at bench height (just slide them over onto it) and then raise and lower as needed where it needs to get to. Even a 60" unit would be suitable for your need because you just need to center it on the thing you're moving... ;)

That kind of thing can also double as an adjustable assembly table merely by putting something on the surface to protect the workpiece--which would mean good return on investment. If I had a larger shop, I'd absolutely already have one of these in it!

[john bateman]

I'd get 3 friends, put one of you on each corner, and pick it up and carry it where needed.

[Terry Beadle]

Another idea is to use a Harbor Freight lift

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-69514.html

Price about $200.00.

Use it to lift one end and place full width dolly under it. Move the fordable shop crane to the other end, lift, and maneuver from there.
Would also be portable for delivery to client.

Handy device to have around the shop too.

Enjoy and smile!

[Ted Calver]

Jim nailed it. I use my hydraulic table for moving stuff like that....perfect for the task. With a plywood top it makes a great mobile work station. Lots of uses.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lbs-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-69148.html

[Michael Dye]

A couple of pizza's, a 12 pack, should entice any number of neighbors or friends to help move that monster. And, if done right, you shouldn't have to do much more than point where you want it to go. Good luck.

[Jerome Stanek]

I would move the table with furniture dollies to it and slide it over using pipes then move it to where you want it

[Bryan Lisowski]

Could you build some quick mobile bases which the saw horses could sit on, I would try to tie the sawhorses together for stability and to make easier to roll them next to the bench and shimmy the top off the roll to where you will do the sanding and profiling.

[Dennis Peacock]

Well, I will say that there are a LOT of expensive solutions to my current issue. ;)
I'm only looking to do this one time, so I don't want to spend much money on a solution to the problem. I will take the collective ideas and see what I can come up with.

[Chris Fournier]

I'm in with the three guys plus you and pizza option. 700 pounds is a piece if cake with a tiny bit of planning.

[Harry Hagan]

How are you planning on delivering it?

[John Lankers]

I have a hydraulic lift table that would be perfect for this. I have mine rigged up with a tilt top so that it can also be used to pick up plywood sheets and even puts them right on my slider, there isn't a day when I don't use it.

[Vince Shriver]

+2 what Jim said. It works like a gurney and when not used for that purpose it can be an adjustable height work top (or outfeed table).

[Dave Macy]

I'd ask any neighbor that has a teenage son if he and his buddies want to earn a few quick bucks they can use for pizza.

[mreza Salav]

As said, get 3 extra man power.
When they delivered our 72"x100" island stone (at over 1100lb) it was lifted from the truck by 5 people to put on dollies and then again lifted to put on the island.

348785348784

[Fred Falgiano]

I purchased a scaffold a couple of years ago when remodeling a house. The working capacity is 1000 lbs. I reinforced the deck with a couple of married 2x4s and drilled holes for a chain to go through. Added a 1000 lb chain hoist from Harbor Freight and I now have a crane that I can use for moving heavy stuff. It also came in handy when setting up my table saw by myself (no extra hands required to lift the table extensions).

Here re it is lifting my jointer so that I could get the mobile base under it. I hadn't installed the fence yet, so it probably weighed about 800 lbs at the time.
348788

[Jim Andrew]

When I put the wood floor in my shop, I used a motorcycle jack to move my workbench, along with 2x4's to lift and roll it out of the way. Mostly just used pipes to roll machines out of the way, and back. A pry bar was very handy and short pieces of 2x4 to get machines up to get pipes under also were helpful.

[Frank Ashmore]

Put wheels on your saw horse's?

[michael langman]

Excellent idea Fred!

[Mike Heidrick]

Excellent idea Fred!


+1

I just bought that same scaffolding at Menards on the Black Friday sale.

[andrew whicker]

Maybe two cherry pickers and no one from OSHA watching : )

You'd need a spreader bar if you were to lift from one point, I think.

Maybe you could do it with two hydraulic tables, one on each end.

Another idea: Use your rafters and a few ropes to lift it upwards. Move the stuff under it instead of the top itself.

[John Stankus]

Well, I will say that there are a LOT of expensive solutions to my current issue. ;)
I'm only looking to do this one time, so I don't want to spend much money on a solution to the problem. I will take the collective ideas and see what I can come up with.

Can you pickup one end of this ? Is this going to be at the same height as it is now? I have moved my workbench top in progress solo by picking up one end and moving it on the saw horse and then picking the other end and moving it. Two sets of sawhorses simplify things a little. A fourteen foot journey can be made in many 6 inch moves. If it is too heavy to lift an end I use my floor jack (I don't lift it very far above the sawhorses) You may need to build something to extend the height of the floor jack.

John

[Jeff Heath]

An engine/shop hoist and two lifting straps will make short work of it, and you'll be set for other lifting projects, too.

A 2000 lb. Yates American jointer

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab57/hawkfan9/Yates%20American%20No%201%2012%20inch%20jointer/hoisted.jpg