How do you move heavy stove into place ?

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Kent Rogers

New Member
Nov 20, 2020
5
California
Can any of you give me insight into how you (or your installer) move a heavy stove into your home and into place ? I see something like the "Woodstock Fireview" weighs 485lbs. That's more than a couple folks can just shuffle around. Any insight would be very helpful, thanks.
 
Friends.

Beer.

Pizza.

Combine in equal ingredients . . . more or less.


Other folks have also used dollies, moving rugs, moving straps or lightening the stove by removing bricks or other easily removed items. I still find the aforementioned use of friends, beer and pizza to work quite effectively.
 
If you have an appliance cart with straps ,that works,mines rated to 700lbs. Or a couple of furniture dollies on wheels like you find at Harbor freight for $10.
 
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I just use the stair climbing stove cart. Hahaha.
 
I used an appliance dolly.
Backed the truck to the back door, planks off the truck to the house, plywood on the floors to roll on, tilted it down onto the hearth pad.
Get a friend to help guide and steady the thing. I did it by myself, but could have used someone to hold it steady, and to lower it into position. The center of gravity can be a bit high and unwieldy, and tilting it up or down can be a bit of a strain. I did it ok alone, but help would have been a wise choice.
 
+1 for the appliance dolly. Remove anything possible to lighten up. A friend on the other end to assist with stairs, if any.
 
My T5 weighs over 500 lbs. Three of us got it into place easy enough, up onto my hearth which is maybe 8" high. It wasn't really as hard as I had anticipated.
 
The force.

This is the way.


JK I paid someone this time. Prior houses it was all muscle and then back pain for days after.
 
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Two men and a boy moved our heavy T6 in place. Use your head, not your back. If possible, ratchet strap the stove to an appliance dolly. Once it has wheels on it, it is much easier to move.
 
Wheels under it like others mentioned. You can improvise rollers by using a few sections of dowel rod, plastic pipe, or similar. Rollers work better than just about anything, but limits you on manuverability. Disassembly to reduce weight can be a fun way to learn how your new stove is made!
 
When I brought my BK princess in I had a special tool called a "big Bryan" throw in a 12pack of bud light and the big Bryan scooped that stove up and gently set her in place after ripping it off the pallet and turning the pallet to a tooth pick like consistency.
In all seriousness, when moving heavy objects like a wood stove, its best to first layout your path, some people have rented dolly's or appliance hand carts, others were able to get the stove into the house then slide the stove on 2 sheets of cardboard so the floors dont get marked up.
 
By myself I moved the insert from the back of my pickup onto the front porch. Raised it one step into the house onto a four wheel dolly using a floor jack. Rolled it over my protected wood floor in the living room used padded drop cloths and 1/4” plywood.
Detached it from the pallet then grabbed 2 step ladders, a 4x4, come along and a 1/2 drive 12” extension. Put the extension into the smoke outlet hooked it and picked it up. Slide out the pallet and lowered it onto the floor.
 
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moving rugs
Is this actually a thing?
It did get me to thinking though...if one needed to move the stove across finished floors (like not concrete) you could have the stove sitting on some plywood, to spread the weight out more evenly, the plywood laying on top of a piece of large scrap carpet, face down, would probably slide easily on wood, tile, or laminate floors...a "roadway" made from large pieces of cardboard might allow things to slide across carpet better (but, it might be a crapshoot as far as if the cardboard wants to slide on the floor, or the stove "sled" slide on the cardboard?)
 
Glad my little Lopi was a bit under 300 pounds. Remove just over 60 pounds of bricks. Around 220 pounds to move. Did it myself with a hand truck from Lowe's.
 
Glad my little Lopi was a bit under 300 pounds. Remove just over 60 pounds of bricks. Around 220 pounds to move. Did it myself with a hand truck from Lowe's.
I agree, take off anything you can of any weight--bricks, door, and in my case the baffle system. Not sure how easy it is to take the door off your stove, but with mine it just lifts off. I don't have to worry about breaking the glass and it gives me another place to get a good grip. At least one other person, preferably 2-3, that can handle some weight is a plus but not necessary. Like others have implied, slow and purposeful execution of a plan is preferable to the opposite. The better the planning, the less people you need. For instance, the last time I moved my stove, me and my 10 yr old daughter managed it. I had a furniture dolly from harbor freight, some plywood, 2 X 4s, cardboard, and a solid plan for my situation.
 
I guess your popular at the local pubs by you?

Just my hands apparently! We don’t go to bars. Too old for that.

Remember that you’re not lifting the stove so weight doesn’t matter that much. You’re maneuvering it. Rocking it to one side to shove dunnage under it. Sliding it. Rolling it. If there is a dead lift required then it’s time to stop and think about better ways or get several people for that step.