Shop crane for placing stove?

[Darl Bundren]

We're finishing off a room in the basement, and I have purchased a Woodstock stove to install down there. The final placement of the stove will be after the tile is down, and I fear that the weight of the stove may be more than my "volunteer helpers" and I can manage without jeopardizing the stove and/or tile.

I'm thinking I might be able to buy one of those folding shop cranes from Harbor Freight or somewhere (or maybe borrow one), a couple of towing straps, and lift the stove and set it down fairly gently onto the tile in its final location. I'd then resell the shop crane and straps as I probably won't need them anymore.

Has anybody done something like this?

Or, if you've had a very heavy stove, how did you place it? I'm not sure brute strength is an option.

 

[Darl Bundren]

The stove is already in the basement--I wheeled it off the truck with an appliance dolly and we placed it on a furniture dolly so we could see how it looked in different places (and because it was lots easier to move around). Lucky for us it's a daylight basement since I doubt the current stairs slated for replacement would support its weight.

I need to get it off of the dolly and the pallet it came on into its final home.

 

[fossil]

What is the weight of the stove? Is the stove already in the basement? Are there stairs involved? Will the stove sit on the same level as the floor, or does it need to be lifted up onto a raised hearth? Rick

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't obsess over it. 4 people should be able to do the job. That's all it took to get our monster in place off the hand truck. Once it is on the tiles it will slide fairly easily. One person can nudge it into final position.

 

[fossil]

Be careful how you "nudge" it. If it's on a pedestal, no real problem, but if it's on legs ang a leg wants to stay put in a grout joint, you can damage it by continuing to try to nudge without lifting. Rick

EDIT: Sliding it can also scratch/damage the floor. Put some cardboard or something between the stove & the floor, get the stove positioned, then pull out the cardboard with a little help from the lifters.

 

[pinewoodburner]

Remove the top of the stove. That will reduce some of the almost 500 lbs. Be careful removing the top, it is heavy. Are you talking about an engine lift for picking up the stove? That may work, but I would use two spreader bars to keep the presure of the straps off the side of the stove.

 

[Darl Bundren]

The stove is a Woodstock Keystone that weighs 440 lbs. It is on legs, and when placed, it will sit at floor level. The lifting off and scooting may be a good option--I'll have to scrounge up manpower to get it down to floor level.

I might put some Magic Sliders under the legs while it's on the tile to protect the floor and then remove them when it's in place.

I am thinking about getting one of these and reselling it, or maybe trying to rent something similar:

Harbor Freight Shop Crane

Of course, there's a pretty good chance I'm overthinking the whole deal and just ought to bribe some of my coworkers to come over and help me tote it.

 

[begreen]

Pay some local high school football team members $20 each for helping. Or have a case of beer on hand for your colleagues. (after the stove is in place ) Our stove weighs 585 lbs and four of us moved it onto the hearth. It will be done faster than it took to answer this thread. (I'm a slow typer.)

 

[fossil]

It's still not at all clear to me whether or not this stove is already in the room where it's to be installed, or if it needs to change elevation...stairs. That's a whole different ballgame. Rick

 

[begreen]

It's on the dolly in the basement. FWIW Darl, I obsessed over this too. In the final process, with 4 hands - 2 men and 2 strong boys, it was heavy, but not a big deal. If you can have a 5th person to hold down the palette and get things out of the way it will be done in seconds.

 

[tkirk22]

I have that crane. Don't leave it outside even when covered. ;-) The chinese 'chrome' on the ram rusts like crazy.

Notice where the front wheels are at. They are made to roll under a vehicle and drop an engine on something that fits between the wheels. That may be a problem depending on your hearth. The crane would be useful to take the stove off a truck but it's very sketchy to roll it any distance while it's supporting any kind of weight.

I would look into doing it a different way since you just need to lift the stove up and drop it down..

 

[fossil]

It's still not at all clear to me whether or not this stove is already in the room where it's to be installed, or if it needs to change elevation...stairs. That's a whole different ballgame. Rick

try reading thru all the replies.

Thank you very much, Mr. Sawdust...I did, indeed miss that bit of information from the OP. Something about that incredibly distracting avatar of yours. %-P Rick

 

[fossil]

...sorry, cant upload my own & greg aint helped. its a hearth avatar so complain to him. i bet i can use your pic. as avatar, u mind?

Just bustin' yer chops. Try e-mailing me a pic you'd like to use and I'll fiddle around with it in Photoshop and send it back...who knows, just might be able to make it work. [email protected]

 

[fossil]

...The crane would be useful to take the stove off a truck but it's very sketchy to roll it any distance while it's supporting any kind of weight. I would look into doing it a different way since you just need to lift the stove up and drop it down..

I have a similar crane I use for lifting, moving, and lowering...well, engines. Kirk's got it exactly right. Also metal wheels (not tile friendly), not particuarly easy to maneuver, requires a lot of working room, and when that 1/2-ton baby gets to swingin' on the hook, just stop everything and hold yer breathe. Dolly's the way to go for rough placement of a stove, then subtlely applied brute strength for final precision. Rick

 

[begreen]

It's still not at all clear to me whether or not this stove is already in the room where it's to be installed, or if it needs to change elevation...stairs. That's a whole different ballgame. Rick

try reading thru all the replies.

Thank you very much, Mr. Sawdust...I did, indeed miss that bit of information from the OP. Something about that incredibly distracting avatar of yours. %-P Rick

sorry, cant upload my own & greg aint helped. its a hearth avatar so complain to him. i bet i can use your pic. as avatar, u mind?

Send me your proposed avatar in a PM. I'll get it working for you.

 

[WoodMann]

So enough people and you'll have this thing done in no time..........................

 

[Darl Bundren]

Brute strength it is! I am going to start recruiting tomorrow.

Thanks for the help, everybody!

 

[fossil]

Good luck with it, Darl...let us know how it works out, and post a pic of it in its landing zone. Rick

 

[fossil]

...beauty is only avatar deep,eh?

Oh, not in your case, sawdust...you're a beautiful person through and through.

...RICK, couldnt find your pic. to use as avatar but if i dug deep enough i'd bet u look like a big hippie on a motorcycle. or maybe its a little bike & u aint that big= perspective...

Not really a hippie, never really was, but the bike and I are probably both somewhat bigger than we need be, no trick photography involved. :lol: Rick

 

[fossil]

...thats what i remember, thanx. is that a red tie? are u jewish, per cap? not capt. . bike is definitely 22222big, i'd think, u aint but bicycles & exercise...u know

Not a red tie, it's my T-shirt. Not Jewish, or anything else (non-theist). Capt comes from the fact that I'm a retired US Navy Captain. Yes, I could definitely use some exercise...being a woodburner sure does help. Rick

 

[BJ64]

That does it. I need to loose some weight to. I say we let Darl bribe us with beer and $20 and we help move the stove. By the time we get done with the beer we will have a proper thought up for avatar for Mr. Sawdust.

 

[begreen]

Man, there's a ton of avatars out there. I grabbed a few for Pook, but ran out of time.

 

[Rich L]

We're finishing off a room in the basement, and I have purchased a Woodstock stove to install down there. The final placement of the stove will be after the tile is down, and I fear that the weight of the stove may be more than my "volunteer helpers" and I can manage without jeopardizing the stove and/or tile.

I'm thinking I might be able to buy one of those folding shop cranes from Harbor Freight or somewhere (or maybe borrow one), a couple of towing straps, and lift the stove and set it down fairly gently onto the tile in its final location. I'd then resell the shop crane and straps as I probably won't need them anymore.

Has anybody done something like this?

Or, if you've had a very heavy stove, how did you place it? I'm not sure brute strength is an option.

Hi Darl,since you've considered to purchase a crane to move the stove look into an Escalera stair climbing hand truck.These have a winch which can lift 600-1200lbs.I'll be using mine to move my Woodstock Fireview which arrives this Friday.I'll be using the hand truck by myself with no problem since I moved my Woodstock Classic with it with ease.

 

[brogsie]

I used an old office chair floor protecter plastic pad on my hearth to protect it while positioning my stove by myself.
The stove is over 400#. I was able to slide the stove around like it was on ice and protected the hearth no problem.