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.

island_top_almost_done.jpg

[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-c...ane-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-lb...art-69148.html