Lifting/Moving boiler

 
Trumpeterb
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Post by Trumpeterb » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 11:26 am

Hi all—another question regarding the AHS 130 I am picking up this week—how to lift and move it. I believe it will be on a wooden pallet, and I have access to a pallet jack, so moving it off my landscaping trailer shouldn’t be a big deal. I have no stairs to worry about, so no big deal there either. Once I have the boiler on the concrete slab that it will call home, I need to lift it off the wooden pallet and place it exactly where it needs to go...what suggestions do you have for doing this? My tractor had a bucket, but the lift capacity is 750 pounds...not enough to lift the boiler (I understand there is a lift hook on the top that I need to use). My neighbors tractor has the lift power, but his tractor won’t fit in the building...strike two. I wondered if an engine hoist might do the trick. Any suggestions?


 
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 11:38 am

Engine hoist isn't a great option. Can you use a chain fall or come along? Is there something overhead that that can suport it?

 
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Post by Trumpeterb » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 11:42 am

No rafters available above unfortunately. The ceiling is drywalled.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 12:00 pm

You should be able to lift the corners with a prybar and get some pipes under it, then you can roll if off the pallet and onto some blocking.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 5:08 pm

If you have some long 2" by 12"s etc. you can create a floor with them from the edge of your trailers deck to the point where you are sure you will set it and then you could lift the boiler off the trailer outside and unbolt the skid from underneath it, then pull the skid out from under it and then and lower it on to some pipe blanks and roll it into the building all the while using a heavy wheeled pry bar and slide it into place.

1. take the outline length and width of the boiler and spray paint the floor to make an outline of it with some cardboard cut the size of the base.
2. make sure you have marked on the floor the ash pit door location on the open side with the most room
3. unbolt the skid from the bottom of the boiler and lift it off the skid.
4. make sure you have enough 2 by 12's to make a floor to roll it into place using 2 inch pipe blanks
5. plan on having extra help to move the 6 pipe blanks from the back to the front quickly to be sure it rolls easily
6. you need to have enough pipe blanks on hand to support the base as it rolls as the ash pit door cannot
be allowed to bind up or it will not seal.

==========================================================================================

Option 2 would be to rent an engine hoist to move it where you want to place it.
Make sure the leg extensions are fully extended on it and locked before you do anything else
1. unbolt the boiler from the skid while its on the trailer
2. have your neighbor lift it up from the skid using a heavy nylon strap to avoid bending the lifting eye or some 1/2" chain heavy chain and two new shackles with good hooks.
3. move it as close as possible to where the entrance is
4. lower it on to at least six 2 inch pipe blanks that are on some 2 by 12's to make a floor for it to roll on in to the building
5. roll the boiler in to the building using a wheeled prybar where you can reach it with the engine hoist
6. hook up the engine hoist with the same chain and shackles
a. remove the six 2" pipe blanks and set them aside out of the way
7. move it to the point where your paint outline is making sure you have the ash pit door on the correct side to
slide the loaded ash drawer out of the way and away from the ash pit door as it will be hot and slide the
empty one in to place.
a. Make sure you have room to keep the spare ash pit drawer near the ash pit door.
8. lower it into place
9. beer and pizza time

(make sure the six 2" pipe blanks are 6" wider than the boiler base on both sides) to avoid having it slide off to one side(NOT GOOD).

 
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Post by Trumpeterb » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 5:15 pm

The other thing I thought of was to get it into the room with a pallet jack and put it in place while attached to the skid. Then stack some cement blocks on either side of the boiler, run a 4x6 across the top, attach a come along to that, lift it up 1-2 inch, detach and remove the skid, then set it straight down.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 5:23 pm

They still ship those things with a 42 by 48 pallet from what I remember seeing of one on the skid at that so called dealers place.
The problem is still one of how are you going to lower it into place. If you have it rolling on 2 inch pipe blanks you can roll it into place and then gradually remove one pipe blank at a time to lower it to the floor exactly where the paint outline is as it is only 2 1/2 inches from the floor.

You have to keep in mind AT ALL TIMES that there is no base plate in the ash pit to keep the frame square. The boiler base is completely open and it needs to be sealed properly and if the metal walls are bent............................. ………………………... )(*&^%$#$%^&*()(*&^%$#

The large number of pipe blanks that roll under it support the entire base as long as the ash pit door is closed tight.

You could bolt a 2 by 6 on both sides length wise and roll it on the 2 inch pipe that way and use the engine hoist to keep it raised while you unbolt them from the base.


 
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Post by Scottscoaled » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 6:44 pm

You have a pallet jack and your trying to get it off the pallet? Hmmmmm. You have a tractor that lifts 750 lbs and you don't know how to get it off the pallet? Doesn't a AA130 weigh less than that? Why not use both at the same time,if nothing else?

 
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Post by Trumpeterb » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 7:01 pm

Pallet jack will get it into the room. I still have to get the boiler off the pallet once there, as it can’t remain on the pallet. To do this you are supposed to lift the boiler by the lift hook on the top. A pallet jack can’t do that part. Lift capacity of the tractor is 750 pounds...boiler weighs 900. It is an AHS, not an AA.

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Mon. Jun. 10, 2019 7:42 pm

Put in place on pallet...
Cut hole in drywall directly above lift eye...
Use chain fall...
OR...
Build A-Frame to support weight...
Use chain fall...

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Tue. Jun. 11, 2019 6:53 am

Just move aside and hold my beer. Ceiling joists are on 16" centers. One piece of 3x5x8' fence crap or 4x4" into three joists with lag bolts. An eye ring can then be exactly placed where you want it.

 
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Post by Pacowy » Tue. Jun. 11, 2019 8:29 am

The OP started by asking whether an engine hoist would work. Having successfully moved several boilers of comparable size with an engine hoist, my answer to that would be yes. They are designed to handle lifting and positioning of heavy stuff, so it's a generally safe and effective option. If folks talking about other methods could clarify whether they have had bad experiences with engine hoists, or whether they see particular advantages in the alternatives they discuss, it might help the OP figure out which way to go.

Mike

 
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Post by Trumpeterb » Tue. Jun. 11, 2019 9:29 am

Part of the issue with using the ceiling trusses is that the ceiling is 13 feet high. Getting up there and securing something and then repairing the drywall would be a pain. I was hoping an engine hoist or other simple option would work to avoid having to tear into the drywalled ceiling. Again, if I get the boiler in place on the pallet using the pallet jack, I really only have to lift it straight up 1/2 inch, just enough to remove the pallet and then set it straight down.

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Tue. Jun. 11, 2019 11:32 am

Blocks and a big bar will take it down. They just aren't that heavy.

 
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Post by McGiever » Tue. Jun. 11, 2019 8:41 pm

A big enough engine hoist can do the job.

Rent a gantry crane if the geometry doesn't suit for the engine hoist.

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