Looking for tips on moving boiler

[Tony H]

Any wise words on the best way to move an EKO 40 (1350lbs) I have it on the metal skid sitting next to the pad I have built with 4" thick cinder block so it only needs to move a few feet. The space is outside but as little tight with a garage, swing set/fort and trees on 3 sides within a short distance and I need to get it off of the skid as the shed is not all that tall.
What do you think?

Thanks
Tony

 

[leaddog]

You can move anything with rollers and pry bars. pieces of pipe make good rollers and you can use pry bars to lift and move things. Thats the way I moved my eko80 and set it up. Just go slow and think safety,safety,safety. I used to watch the millwrites move 100ton machines at work that way. Good Luck
If you need something solid to put the pipe on to roll put down some plywood or planks
leaddog

 

[Tony H]

Thanks
That's one idea I was thinking of trying. Maybe I can recruit my buddy that used to be a locksmith and moved safes with that method

 

[Eric Johnson]

My friend carpniels borrowed a pallet jack from work and we used that to move my EKO 60. I had to jack the boiler up with a car jack to get the steel skid off, and then we had to set the boiler down on a special wooden framework that allowed the pallet jack to get underneath. A standard pallet jack measures 27 inches wide. The EKO 60 has about 26 inches between the straps. You can rent pallet jacks at Taylor Rental for about $30 a day. I second leaddog's suggestion about the pipes. Or, you can scoot it across smooth concrete or asphalt with a couple of prybars placed in strategic locations and manipulated by muscular he-man types. Or pull it with a comealong.

 

[Tarmsolo60]

"Give me a fulcrum and a long enough lever and I can move the world"

At least thats how I raised my Tarm, I actually rolled it into place on 1 1/2" PVC pipe.

 

[Grover59]

I moved my boiler about 25 ft with pipes, once I got it on the pipes I could push it with one hand. It weighs about 1500 lbs I set it in the basement with a boom truck but everything from there on was pry bars and pipes, not really that hard just had to use my head.

 

[Tony H]

Thanks for all the ideas! Sounds like a floor jack and some pipes, levers and a come a long should do the deed. If the weather is ok maybe the next day or two I can get it in position then the shed and plumbing can begin.

 

[webbie]

I delivered many 100's of Tarms with the following implements:

1. Our stake body flatbed had one of those coffin truck I beams and a trolley and chain hoist (manual). We used that for getting the things off the truck, or down an outside basement stair.

2. Other than that
A. Pry bars
B. Rollers - preferably solid steel about 1", but heavy steel pipe is OK too. - at least 3
C. Two very heavy oak dollies, which had a platform of about 2" thick, by 16" wide, and by 28" or so long. These had 4 wheels (large casters) with one on each end in the center and two in the middle near the edges.
D. Metal sheets -
The metal sheets are very handy for a number of things, such as placing on top of the oak boards and across door sills.
C. Misc Oak boards for laying down over stairs, etc.

The dollies were used for long outside and inside runs and also on top of the oak boards.

There are lots of safety issues, but the main one is never put yourself between the boiler and something else......or in any position where you can be trapped or pulled by anything.

BTW, even an 1800 lb boiler can be moved off the dollies by two people! We would lean if over one way until one edge of the boiler base hit the slab, push a little more and then kick the dollies out, then lower it relatively slowly (until gravity took over). Watch your toes, of course!

Never got hurt myself, but someone I know in the same biz had his leg broken in MANY places when a chain wrapped around a his leg - attached to a boiler which ended up falling down the basement steps.