Zero Clearance fireplace (7100fp) - Moving & Handling

I'm getting ready to go pick up my 7100.

How easy is it to load and unload this thing from a back of a pick up truck? Can two guys lift it or do you need an appliance dolly?

Thanks.

Thanks for the replies.

I picked the fireplace up from the dealer Saturday. Knowing that it would be heavy, I had some concern about unloading it from the height of a pickup truck bed, so I ended up renting at 5'x9' utility trailer from Uhaul ($18/24hrs). The drop from the trailer tailgate was maybe only 12" to 15" max.


I got it home and backed into my garage. I tried to lighten it up by removing the doors and the vents which are packed insided the firebox. I didn't feel like messing around with the firebricks.

At first it was just myself and my girlfriend trying to unload it using the "for-arm-forklift" straps threaded through the pallet the fireplace was bolted to. Needless to say, that didn't work. It's surprising how much she can lift when it comes to helping me move things, but this was just too much. I gave a long time buddy of mine a call who recenlty moved into my neighborhood. He's is 6'5" and about 250lbs and it's definitely a lot easier moving things with him on the other side. Even the both of us had a hell of time trying to lift it.

After trying a few things, what we ended up doing was pretty easy. We just walked/slid the pallet off the back of the trailer, down the trailers tailgate and then tilted the pallet up at a 30 to 45 degree angle. While we held it up at an angle, my girlfriend pulled the trailer out and then we slowly lowered it. I was pretty easy to handle when it was pivoting on one edge of the pallet.

After we got it unloaded, I lifted each corner of the pallet onto these little red corner dollies I bought from Harbor Freight ($45). They're really handy and I can move it around the garage easily now.


Now that I know what I'm up against, I'll devise a way to get it safely into the house and into position.

I think I'm going to make a light-weight mock up of the fireplace's exact dimensions out of 1"x1"s and the cardboard box it came in. That way I can minimize any surprises I have when trying to wrestle this beast through my house and into my chase.