How To Remove Boiler From Pallet?

[velvetfoot]

The pellet boiler (BioWin 100/150 is on a pallet in the basement. I can move it around with a pallet jack. I want to ultimately put it on some of those 4" thick patio blocks, or whatever they're called. A 2x4 can barely fit (1.5" clearance) under the front and back edges (not covers). My current plan is to put a 2x4 in front and back, jack up the pallet/boiler, put wood blocks under end of 2x4s, lower pallet, remove pallet, raise boiler with pallet jack, place boiler on patio blocks (space left for forks), hoping for the best throughout.

Any tips?

 

[cityboy172]

The pellet boiler (BioWin 100/150 is on a pallet in the basement. I can move it around with a pallet jack. I want to ultimately put it on some of those 4" thick patio blocks, or whatever they're called. A 2x4 can barely fit (1.5" clearance) under the front and back edges (not covers). My current plan is to put a 2x4 in front and back, jack up the pallet/boiler, put wood blocks under end of 2x4s, lower pallet, remove pallet, raise boiler with pallet jack, place boiler on patio blocks (space left for forks), hoping for the best throughout.

Any tips?

Don't know exactly what it looks like, but assuming there's no way to pick it from the top. I would try to pick it up and block it some how with your pallet jack or a floor jack and some blocks, being careful that you place them in a manner that when you set it down it can be on your permanent blocks.

 

[velvetfoot]

There are lifting eyes, I believe, but then the floor joists above would most likely get involved.

 

[velvetfoot]

I found this from weil-mclain:

4. Remove boiler from pallet:
a. Tilt left side of boiler up and place a
board under left legs.
b. Tilt boiler the other way and place a
board under right legs.
c. Slide boiler backward off pallet and
into position.

 

[arbutus]

Make sure those edges are boiler, not sheet metal. If so, your plan sounds good.

 

[Clarkbug]

I got my boiler mostly into position, and used a combination of a floor jack, blocks, and boards to sort of lift it in place, then pulled the pallet, then set it back down. Worked ok, just took some time.

 

[velvetfoot]

That's basically what I plan, only with a pallet jack. Not sure if the two flat 2x4's will be up to it. With the pallet jack underneath, it won't have too far to fall if cracking noises occur, lol.

 

[maple1]

Sounds like you have a workable plan - or at least the start of one. You might have to make some adjustments part way throuhg, depending on unexpected things cropping up. As mentioned make extra sure that you get the 2x4s under part of the structure itself.

If you're leery about the 2x4s breaking, a couple pieces of flat bar the right size would work too. Plus you could slide the boiler on steel easier than wood (or steel on boiler I guess) when it comes time to getting them out from underneath it.

Just how much does it weigh exactly?

 

[velvetfoot]

a couple pieces of flat bar the right size would work too.

Where do you get that stuff?

I stopped by at a friend's house this morning and he had some unistrut for building beer brewing stands, or something like that. That looks like it might fit too, but doesn't have as much are to distribute the load as the 2x4 would.

 

[granpajohn]

For a similar situation, I used a floor jack, (not too different from your pallet jack), and instead of getting the stove off the pallet and onto 2x4s...
...after positioning the jack, I cut the nails holding the cross pieces on the pallet, and then they become the support. (Used a sawzall for this).
- Lift it higher than the remaining pallet.
- Place blocks under the timbers...lower onto the blocks and roll out the jack
- You can now slide out the pallet.
- Working with higher and lower blocks; (stack pieces of 2x6), you can use the jack to lower the unit onto new supports.

Make sure it is at/near the final location first.

We used to routinely do this with VW engines (the air-cooled type). 2x4s do support those.

Don't know if that explanation can be visualized, but hope so.

 

[maple1]

Where do you get that stuff?

A local welder buddy?

 

[__dan]

what I did:

Drill a hole in two floor joists, in the joist center, and slip a pipe in the holes. Tie a come-a-long onto the pipe and attach to the boiler lifting eyes. Crank the thing up into the air. Position onto the rated movers dolly or cement blocks and lower. Repeat as necessary.

 

[maple1]

what I did:

Drill a hole in two floor joists, in the joist center, and slip a pipe in the holes. Tie a come-a-long onto the pipe and attach to the boiler lifting eyes. Crank the thing up into the air. Position onto the rated movers dolly or cement blocks and lower. Repeat as necessary.

Could also stick a couple of jack posts under the joists if worried about the joists. Temporary like.

 

[velvetfoot]

what I did:

Drill a hole in two floor joists, in the joist center, and slip a pipe in the holes. Tie a come-a-long onto the pipe and attach to the boiler lifting eyes. Crank the thing up into the air. Position onto the rated movers dolly or cement blocks and lower. Repeat as necessary.

I might go that route if I have to. Still in thinking stages. I might take some of the shrink wrap off and open/fool with the sheet metal some. Tuesday I plan on drilling holes through the concrete basement wall as part of the fuel oil tank relocation sub-project, but thinking about this is more interesting. .

 

[velvetfoot]

For a similar situation, I used a floor jack, (not too different from your pallet jack), and instead of getting the stove off the pallet and onto 2x4s...
...after positioning the jack, I cut the nails holding the cross pieces on the pallet, and then they become the support. (Used a sawzall for this).
- Lift it higher than the remaining pallet.
- Place blocks under the timbers...lower onto the blocks and roll out the jack
- You can now slide out the pallet.
- Working with higher and lower blocks; (stack pieces of 2x6), you can use the jack to lower the unit onto new supports.

Make sure it is at/near the final location first.

We used to routinely do this with VW engines (the air-cooled type). 2x4s do support those.

Don't know if that explanation can be visualized, but hope so.

I'll have to think about this. I originally thought in situ disassembly could be a solution, but there's not much overhang on the pallet, there are three rails and slats only on one side, so it might be a little different. I'll still think about it though-maybe some variation could work. Access to the middle rail will be a problem.

 

[__dan]

Could also stick a couple of jack posts under the joists if worried about the joists. Temporary like.

Did that at the second location, where the boiler would sit. I thought it might hang a while so a wedged a stud and block under the two joists adjacent to the boiler.

I have TJI 9.5" I joists. At the first location where I skidded the pallet into the basement I just went quick, up, swap the pallet for a movers dolly, down.

Deflection of two joists is an issue with that kind of weight.

 

[heaterman]

Get yourself a couple swarthy lads and just tip it off the pallet.
I am blessed with Andrew (6'2", 245#) and Matthew (6'7", 278#) They make it look easy.
They'll tip the boiler back, walk it to the back of the pallet, slide one corner off and onto the floor, then the other. At that point Matthew just holds it there while Andy goes around and pulls the pallet out from under it and then they set it down (on steel pipe) and roll it into place.

 

[velvetfoot]

Lol, the swarthy, and knowledgable lads prolly won't happen.
I was looking just now and the places where I thought I'd fit the 2x4s are sheet metal, so that's a no go.
Can the whole unit sit elevated (1") on those four levelers?

 

[heaterman]

If you're talking about the "feet" under the boiler, the answer is yes. That's their purpose in life.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks. I thought maybe they's just be for, like, stopping rocking, like a table at a restaurant.

 

[mustash29]

Know anyone with an engine hoist?

For my 950 lb Empyre Elite 100 I used a combination of the following:
- landscape timbers (angle cut on one end) bolted to the boiler feet.
- engine hoist.
- small & large floor jack.
- four 3 wheeled furnature dollies.
- several pieces of 1" diameter steel pipe.
- 42" x 48" plastic pallet to bridge the 4" step from the garage floor to the (walk out) rec room floor.

5.5 hrs to get the boiler out of someone else's walkout basement, drive it home & get it into my walkout. The hardest part was getting a 28" wide boiler through a 30" door jamb.

http://s23.photobucket.com/user/Mustash29/slideshow/Empyre?sort=3

Description of pics in this thread, page 2, post #38:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/gasser-about-to-pull-the-trigger.111869/

 

[tjvt]

Can you cut away the corners of the pallet (when slightly lifted) and then set the exposed corners of the boiler down on the blocks? Basically what I did, just w/o the pallet jack. I ran a 2x8 through one side of the pallet (basically functioning like a pallet jack), leaving enough room on the end of the pallet to cut that portion of pallet away and slide my blocks under, and jacked (car/floor jack) under the 2x8 in order to lift one end of the boiler/pallet. Repeated on other end. Worked fine. Where I could, I did keep plenty of blocking underneath the whole time so it didn't have far to fall, but nothing ever threatened to give way.

 

[velvetfoot]

No, I cant' get to the edges. There's a plate that has a leveler on each corner that sits under the pellet hopper/boiler unit. The plate is currently flush on the pallet. I'm sure that flushness would help several brawny guys to slide it onto the pallet jack, but there's currently just me. The levelers might come into play.

 

[velvetfoot]

Well, I did it using the levelers. They're not made for it though and I had problems with 2. Now I will do oil tank relocation stuff since I got this out of my system. More info and a pic here: My Windhager BioWin 100/150 Install Thread