Ideas for lifting insert?

[burleymike]

I have decided on an Osburn 2400 insert. My old Grizzly insert is huge just like the Osburn it is 500Lb. I have a hernia and a bad back so I am stressing out about how to get the new insert in. I am trying to sell the old insert for $100, I will take nothing for it if the buyer can get it out of here without any help from me. I am not supposed to lift over 20Lb for a couple weeks so I can't do much.

I am thinking of having the delivery driver put the new insert into the bed of my pickup and then I can back around the house to the french doors and the tailgate will be within 4" of the floor. If I can slide the new insert onto my furniture dolley or a two wheeler I can then have a nice clear shot to the fireplace. Then I need to devise a way to get it up on the 14" raised hearth.

My other thought is to just hire somebody to bring a few guys to lift the darn thing in. My neighbor has two teenage sons but he also has a hernia so I don't want to ask him. Knowing him he will try to help and hurt himself.

Any ideas on who I could hire to help with something like this? The only other thing I can think of is to offer the old insert to a scrapper in exchange for them moving the new one into the fireplace.

 

[vvvv]

DO NOT BLOWOUT YOUR HERNIA! & good lux

 

[bluefrier]

Three good friends and some beer will get it done. That's how i moved my 460 pound stove, otherwise, go for the "free stove for help" idea.

 

[eujamfh]

We moved our Buck 91 with three very in shape guys. OK, very in shape may be a stretch, but we are all in our 30's and work out daily. We moved it off a 12" hearth, onto a dolly, rolled it out, down four stairs, into a trailer and then next door to my house. We have only two steps up through the front door. All I can say is it was heavy work. I think the Buck 91 is heavier, but 500lbs is a lot of weight. I would be hesitant on the teenagers...these things are big and if it gets away from them, that would be a disaster. The stove for help thing is a good idea, but again you are taking chances with someone else dumping it and causing damage to the stove and whatever it lands on.

A couple adult friends would be the best way (three) or maybe call someone from CL who offers to move furniture. Granted they are usually fly-by-night companies, but they may do it for $150 and usually they are young guys that can lift. Just a thought.

 

[BrotherBart]

Rent a pallet jack. Back the truck up just like you describe. Put an empty pallet on the pallet jack and move the stove and pallet off the truck on top of it. Roll it to the fireplace. The six inch lift of the pallet jack plus the height of the two pallets will get ya up to the hearth height.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Ramp. You say you have a dolly. Roll it up there. Wife and I moved our stove into place, no problem. You are going higher, so will need a longer ramp, but its not that big of a deal.. 3-4 2x's and a half sheet of plywood.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I have decided on an Osburn 2400 insert. My old Grizzly insert is huge just like the Osburn it is 500Lb. I have a hernia and a bad back so I am stressing out about how to get the new insert in. I am trying to sell the old insert for $100, I will take nothing for it if the buyer can get it out of here without any help from me. I am not supposed to lift over 20Lb for a couple weeks so I can't do much.

I am thinking of having the delivery driver put the new insert into the bed of my pickup and then I can back around the house to the french doors and the tailgate will be within 4" of the floor. If I can slide the new insert onto my furniture dolley or a two wheeler I can then have a nice clear shot to the fireplace. Then I need to devise a way to get it up on the 14" raised hearth.

My other thought is to just hire somebody to bring a few guys to lift the darn thing in. My neighbor has two teenage sons but he also has a hernia so I don't want to ask him. Knowing him he will try to help and hurt himself.

Any ideas on who I could hire to help with something like this? The only other thing I can think of is to offer the old insert to a scrapper in exchange for them moving the new one into the fireplace.

Do you have any coworkers that could come over some night after work? That's what I did to get my ZC fireplace in. Had some co-workers over and I grilled a good meal for them and we had beverages of our choice and a good time was had by all.

 

[firefighterjake]

Friends + family + pizza + beer = easily moved insert or woodstove.

 

[blades]

OK here we go. I have to move nasty heavy stuff all the time, 90% I am by myself. I am just your average 59 year old busted up and broken male. You have a good start , truck and ramp onto dolly, but dollys are tippy and the bottom of the stove/insert is not solid so unless you get on there just right it could get away from you. ( have t-shirt) Another point is that tail gate may not be strong enough so remove it. Now you have the bed of the truck and the perfect place to rest the ramp(make sure it is strong enough also) with a couple of blocks on bumper to adjust height. Slide unit down onto a 1/4 sheet of 3/4 plywood with 3 2x6 or 2x4 screwed in place to it ( stiffens up the plywood). 3 or 4 pieces of pipe, conduit, old broom handles as wide as the plywood to act as rollers under the plywood assembly. slip 3 of the rollers under ( you will need a some sort of pry bar to lift the plywood unit up to get first roller under the unit or put the roller under first with a knockout block just a bit higher than the rollers on each end, get unit on your little pallet bang the blocks out now you are resting on rollers) 4th is to roll onto and just keep swapping the rollers around until unit destination reached. Get your ramp again, block one side up to height, make sure the blocks are fixed to the ramp so the ramp can not slide past the hearth edge, now you are going to need a jack, you might be able to use the one from your truck place jack under ramp and adjust to support center of ramp, slide unit off pallet onto ramp far enough that you are somewhat centered or further over jack. run jack up and block ramp so it will not tip slide unit into position. Or Hire a couple no necks from Craigs list to do it for you or at least help as suggested before. This about how I move my machine tools, course I have to use come-a-longs and such in addition as I do not have enough bulk to make a 1500 lbs chunk of cast iron move on my own. Chris

 

[burleymike]

Thanks for all the ideas guys. None of my friends seem to be interested in helping me with this one, I don't blame them. I am going to try Blades idea first for removing the old insert and if it works really well I will apply it to getting the new insert in.

If all else fails I found a mover who will get the new one from the garage into the fireplace for $100. I hope the delivery driver will not mind using the lift gate to put it into my truck but if he is not allowed to then I will have him put it in the garage and hire the movers.

The mover said it would be him and one other guy. I told him it is over 500Lb and asked if he was sure it would only take two guys and he said yes. He said they have some fancy equipment and will do proper lifting techniques. Those of you that had your stoves installed, how many guys did it take?

 

[BrotherBart]

One. Moved the 650 pound old insert out and into the back forty. Moved the defective 455 pound 30-NC into the house and up on the 14 inch hearth. Moved it back out again and back out of the house because it was defective. Moved the replacement 455 pound 30-NC into the house and onto the 14 inch hearth. From the 35" front porch. By myself with a pallet jack. 62 year old scrawny 160 pound dude.

Make your own misery. Or just get it done with a pallet jack. :lol: Just had to ask, didn't ya?

 

[RNLA]

My stove is smaller but the same thing applies. Small movements using leverage and dunage and the occasionally pallet jack, dolly, or cart. The old adage of too many cooks spoil the broth may apply.

 

[eujamfh]

burleymike - two did my Hampton - both times (we had a defective unit replaced). Two guys who have moved heavy objects can handle a stove...but with folks not used to it a third is handy in case they get themselves in an awkward position. It helps limit the awwww sh$# moments.

 

[smoke eater]

I installed my hampton insert in my last house by myself. How? Brains. It was forklifted into my suburban. I was able to take it apart in the back of the truck and was left with the firebox- still heavy but manageable. I slid it down some 2x4's and "rolled" it into my house and onto the hearth. Reassembled it there and slid it home. No lifting! Hope this helps.

 

[Yes Virginia]

We used a haydraulic lift table to bring inb our new insert. Very easy - http://www.nextag.com/cart-hydraulic-lift-table/search-html

 

[burleymike]

I like that lift table idea, that would have been great last night when we took the old insert out. I called my other neighbor and offered it to him. I told him it is very heavy and that I cannot help because of my hernia, he said he would bring a few friends to help him.

I used a jack to lift the insert up a few inches and put two pieces of 1/2" PVC pipe under it. Then when the guys came over they were able to roll it out of the fireplace not damaging the hearth. Good thing I listened to my wife and put a sheet of plywood down on the wood floors. They got it off the hearth and could not hold it and it took a hard landing on the plywood.

They called another two guys and between 5 guys and my two wheeler they got it out of here. When they set it down on the plywood one guy found a sharp edge and it cut the tip of his finger, I grabbed some gauze and medical tape and patched him up. it reminded me of the time I was moving a 200lb tv and set it down on the tip of my middle finger and it slid tearing the skin apart.

I don't think I will ask these guys to help me out getting the new insert in. I will just hire the movers, the mover said they move stuff that heavy all the time and on top of that they have heavy duty dollies and carts. The neighbor's friends did not seem to know how to handle the size/weight. It did manage to bend my two wheeler which is rated for 600lb so I now wonder how heavy that old insert was.

Thanks for all the ideas, this is a great forum.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks for all the ideas guys. None of my friends seem to be interested in helping me with this one, I don't blame them. . . .

Time for some new friends . . . or at least file that away in the old memory box in case they ever need a favor.

 

[FyreBug]

If all else fails call a local chimney sweep. they should have all the gear and you can shop around for a reasonable fee.

 

[lfunk11]

I rented a stair climbing dolly - worked decent once we got it strapped on.