How am I going to get the stove in position

[Mikelly]

I've been lurking here for sometime but this is my first post. So much good information on this forum.

I want to purchase and install a freestanding wood stove. I'll probably mail order the stove. I think (hope) I've collected enough info to make good decisions on all aspects but I'm wondering how to get this 500 lb. monster in the house and up on the raised hearth.

I have an engine hoist and can probably configure a dolly. I guess I'm wondering how others did it.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[firefighterjake]

Invited a bunch of friends to come over . . . promised them pizza afterwards. Surprisingly I never even had to resort to offering them beer . . . pizza was enough of an incentive apparently. I also lightened the stove up as much as possible by removing fire bricks, doors, etc.

 

[Sawset]

Lighten the stove by removing as much as you can - doors, brick, grate etc. A furniture dolly works to make it maneuverable and more stable. Planks and plywood come in handy for getting on and off a truck, into the house, and protecting floors. Go slow, very slow. Think each move. Have a friend holding it steady. If it seems iffy, stop, and reconsider before moving ahead. Stoves can be kind of off as far as center of gravity - low, out away from the cart, easy to go sideways and get away from you, so hold on and keep it steady. Dollies are great for making clumsy heavy things well within movable range. Don't let the weight scare you.

 

[EbS-P]

Was reading a thread where the gentleman used pvc pipe rollers and I thought that was a slick solution. I have often wondered if one could use an air bag or Inner tube under (exercise ball? That might be a stretch) the stove to lift it. If you had a 10”x20” lifting area you would only need 2.5 PSI. In the end food and beer for 4 friends is the simplest.

 

[webby3650]

I typically borrow the lift and roller board from work. When I moved my Fireview in I just set it on the deck with my tractor and used a hand truck from there. Got it on the hearth by myself.
Once it’s on the hearth, set it on furniture sliders, until it’s all lined up. Use 2x4’s for leverage Whenever possible.
What stove are you considering?

 

[Dataman]

Professionals use Dolly that can climb stairs. They removed my old B King (430lbs) and put in new Harmon XXV that way. 1 Guy can do it that way. Might be able to rent it. They are expensive to buy. They will have battery.

 

[Ludlow]

I shopped with weight in mind!

Oh and yes on the removing the door and firebrick. Every pound counts.

 

[toddnic]

I've used a number of tricks. If the stove is on 2x4s, I've used wooden dowels to roll the stove to the hearth (Egyptian roll). I've also used a floor jack on wheels to do a final adjustment. I've also gotten 4 guys with two 2x4s under the stove and used the 2x4s as handles and just pick it up.

 

[John B]

My wife and I moved in our Absolute steel by ourselves.

I used an engine hoist with straps to get the stove and pallet out of my truck and I dropped it onto a large dolly. Then we used my truck atv ramps with plywood laid on top to get it up the stairs on my deck. We used the winch on my atv to pull it up the ramp.

Once on the deck we layed down plywood as we rolled it into the house and in front of the hearth. I then laid out 2 sheet metal pieces on each side of the hearth with rubber draw liner underneath and little by little we walked the stove into place. The sheet metal lets you slide the stove without damaging the hearth if done carefully. Once in place I lifted each side and pulled the sheet metal out.

 

[Mikelly]

All good suggestions. Thanks a bunch for responding. I think just knowing Ya'll did it gives me some degree of confidence.

As for what stove to buy; I've been all over the place. Although I've collected enough info to make a good decision I haven't been able actually do it I have a little bit of information overload. I want to have it installed by next fall so I've got a little bit of time to think on it.

I need a rear vent and had pretty much decided on the Hearthstone Shelburne then I saw the Jotul F400. The Blazeking stoves are less expensive....but I'm not sure I want to mess with a catalytic convertor so then there's the Ideal Hybrids. I've read good things about all of them including the catalytics and although it isn't always right I may just let my wallet make the decision. My wife doesn't so much care what my wallet thinks and she likes the enameled stoves. I agree they look good and since I'll probably use it for years the extra cost isn't such a big deal but I wonder about the durability of the finish.

Our new place is about 2300 sq/ft. The stove will go in the great room which is about 1200 sq/ft. Since the cold air intake is in the great room fairly close to where the stove will go I'm hoping to circulate the heat using the fan only setting on the existing furnace.

Appreciate any further insight...and thanks again for the earlier responses.

 

[Ludlow]

I think the code is that the return air intake has to be 10 feet away minimum. Something like that. Or maybe it was in my stove instructions. I saw it somewhere.

 

[Mojappa]

Was reading a thread where the gentleman used pvc pipe rollers and I thought that was a slick solution. I have often wondered if one could use an air bag or Inner tube under (exercise ball? That might be a stretch) the stove to lift it. If you had a 10”x20” lifting area you would only need 2.5 PSI. In the end food and beer for 4 friends is the simplest.

I used pvc rollers to move my wood furnace off it’s pallet and across the basement by myself (for reference I’m only 5’6 and 140lbs. but I do have a physical job). Getting it around the house to the basement door took some teamwork though. Had it strapped to a heavy duty cart from work and used some scrap plywood pieces to build a road around the house. Once we got so far we’d chock the wheels and move the plywood around to build the road as we went, like you would do with rollers.

 

[Mech e]

Just installed a Drolet Escape 1800 (a little over 300 lbs.) onto a raised hearth using a refrigerator hand truck with my son-in-law. Also used it to remove the old stove. Took our time and it only took about an hour to swap the units.

 

[Highbeam]

They’re easy to move. You never need to lift the stove. Lean it over and slide a board under one side, then lean it the other way to slip a board under the other, walk it up to hearth height that way and then slide it onto the hearth. Same thing for sliding it onto the 10$ dolly from harbor freight to roll it around your house.

A whole bunch of guys dead lifting is possible but I like slow and steady.

 

[MAD MARK]

I walked mine up these blocks 1 side at a time the way Highbeam said.

Took 1 hour and did it myself with the door off, bricks in.

 

[Ludlow]

Mine was 320+lbs. and after the door and bricks were removed my brother and I just lifted it off the tailgate and put it on a flat dolly. Didnt really even think much of it.

 

[Highbeam]

I walked mine up these blocks 1 side at a time the way Highbeam said.

Took 1 hour and did it myself with the door off, bricks in.

View attachment 241517

Cool. Looks familiar.

 

[kyguylal]

I was nervous when we got our stove delivered on a pallet to the driveway. It's 450lbs and I was able to get out off the pallet myself and onto a dolly. Once on the dolly, it was easy to move around. I did strap it to the dolly with a ratchet strap.

Up a couple stairs was difficult by myself,, but I just set it on each step one at a time

I'm about 145lbs soaking wet too, though still young, under 30. The dolly makes it easy. Mine is just a cheap harbor freight one rated for 600lbs or so

 

[FPX Dude]

dang, dunno how you got it UP a couple steps by yourself, but nice goin, glad you got it.

 

[wooduser]

LOTS of good ideas here!

Personally, I remove the door, firebrick, baffle, whatever will come off. Then I just roll the stove around like it was a beach ball.

If you continue to have anxieties about this, I'd go to a rental shopp and see what they have to offer you in terms of equipment and ideas.


Also----- keep in mind that the wood you burn is at least as important as the stove you burn it in. May I ask what you plan to do as a source for wood, drying the wood, cutting, splitting and hauling the wood?

All too often we get posts from new stove owners who are getting very disappointed stove performance because their wood is wet or some other wood related issue. The time to think about this is before your stove goes in!

 

[Mikelly]

I agree, lot's of good ideas. Good point about the source of wood to burn wooduser. We had to take down a big oak tree last spring in order to build my shop building. It's been split and stacked just waiting for the stove to arrive. Dry hardwood is plentiful here in East Texas.

 

[begreen]

A few geezers moved our 600# stove from truck to in place using a decent hand truck. Covered the stove in a mover's blanket, then ratchet strapped it to the hand truck with pneumatic tires so that it acted as one unit. Once there are good wheels under the stove moving it was easy.

 

[kborndale]

I agree, lot's of good ideas. Good point about the source of wood to burn wooduser. We had to take down a big oak tree last spring in order to build my shop building. It's been split and stacked just waiting for the stove to arrive. Dry hardwood is plentiful here in East Texas.

Hate to tell you but oak split and stacked last spring probably wont be dry enough even next winter.

 

[Ludlow]

Hate to tell you but oak split and stacked last spring probably wont be dry enough even next winter.

What if split smaller now?

 

[Woody5506]

500 lbs is a lot but we had 3 able bodied people and only had to lift up a 4 or 5" tall hearth. Much easier than I expected. We did remove the bricks though which cut a good amount of weight. This is also where it's nice to have at least 36" doorways.