Advice on removing this old beast?

Be very careful with the overhang of the stone, very easy to chip off....

I would take a stack 2x4s and make a Jenga like cribbing in front of and level with the hearth. Leave enough room on sides for a bottle jack. Lift the stove enough in the front to get a sheet of 1/4 plywood and some 1/2" conduit or bar under it. Roll it out onto the cribbing. Once on the cribbing you should be able to jack up one side at a time and remove boards until you can get in on the floor. Make sure the cribbing is latticed and not a stack on each side as that will not be stable.

First remove the firebrick and the door, etc. Then I did the same sheet metal idea. I also put cinder blocks under the steel past the hearth to help protect the edge. I then moved the stove out onto the cider blocks and used a floor jack to lower the insert down and roll it out to get a hand truck under it and then out the door it went.

rwhite said:

I would take a stack 2x4s and make a Jenga like cribbing in front of and level with the hearth. Leave enough room on sides for a bottle jack. Lift the stove enough in the front to get a sheet of 1/4 plywood and some 1/2" conduit or bar under it. Roll it out onto the cribbing. Once on the cribbing you should be able to jack up one side at a time and remove boards until you can get in on the floor. Make sure the cribbing is latticed and not a stack on each side as that will not be stable.

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+1 ^^^ this, if you have some thin metal (even aluminum siding) or a thin, hard board like masonite laying around, anything that you can slide under to reduce friction/damage, that will help alot if you have to slide it at all. The best thing is to get it up onto a piece of pipe or conduit so you can just roll it. Remember, take it slow and easy, levers are your friends (crow bars, jimmy bars, pry bars, lady fingers, spud bars (my favorite) digging bars, whatever you have/can get) and use lots of blocks, those scrap 2x4 pieces laying that you've been saving (?) come in real handy 'bout now.

Well, pics expected soon
Good luck with your install, that's a good lookin fireplace, gonna be right purty with that new Englander sittin there, fire in it's belly!

Go egyptian. Lift the sotve up slightyl and insert rollers underneath.Roll it to the edge of the mantle on round steel pipes or wood, Place it on the dolly this should be to only time you need to use brute force.
Ans as was stated before take off everything you can, doors, surround, fire brick and blower. less is better.

My wife was wondering if you are getting ready to chop down that tree. She says even with your new stove it won't burn long, so you should save it.

Lots of good ideas above. I think the process should be broken out in to pre-prep planning, prep, and then effort with the most time dedicated to the PLANNING!! Build your support so that the majority of the weight is balanced on the inner portion of your hearth bench and get it out onto the support with techniques mentioned above. This was you will not have to worry about those cantilevered stones.

Last time I took my insert out, I used two of those furniture movers with the 4 swivel wheels on them that you find at harbor freight.
I screwed blocks of wood to them until they were the height of the hearth then slid the stove onto them and rolled it away.
My hearth was about 9" tall.

bsruther said:

Last time I took my insert out, I used two of those furniture movers with the 4 swivel wheels on them that you find at harbor freight.
I screwed blocks of wood to them until they were the height of the hearth then slid the stove onto them and rolled it away.
My hearth was about 9" tall.

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Fasten the 2 together first......Then do this in reverse to install the new insert....

You can even use PVC if you don't have metal conduit. I rolled a 12x14' shed on 2 pieces of 4" PVC and a digging bar.