Getting furnaces up and down stairs in one piece?

I'm just wondering how you guys manage to get furnaces and boilers (big heavy mofos), up and down stairs, in one piece.

We always take them apart and break the cast iron blocks apart to remove them in manageable pieces.

Thing is though, I've seen these things at the scrap yard, and occassionally they'll be left outside for us, and I can't figure out how anybody manages to get these things in and out in one piece?!

How do you do it? Some kind of special dolly? If so what dolly do you use? Or do you have a regular dolly that you've modified to make this work?

I'd love to be able to pull these out in one piece without having to dismantle them in the customer's basement before pulling them out, it would be faster, more efficient AND cleaner this way. I'm hoping we don't have to spend $1000 on some kind of specialized dolly but if that's the only option I'm not going to turn it down.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I brought this boiler up from the basement using two sheets of plywood on the stairs, just make sure the bottom sheet lays on top of the top sheet so that the tasistion goes smoothly as the furnace passes from the bottom to the top sheet.

Then on the upper floor lay a strip of old carpet top side down, to slide the furnace outdoors. If the furnace is located some ways from the stairs you can use 3 short pieces of pipe, I've found that plastic works just as good as metal pipe. Using a jack lift the head end, insert one pipe, push the furnace ahead.

Just before the furnace over balances itself insert the 2nd pipe, push the furnace ahead, then insert the 3rd pipe the 1rst pipe used will now be free to use again continues until you have the furnace in location.

While the furnace is near the over centering point on that center pipe you can adjust your direction that you want to travel, before inserting the next pipe.

The stairs are a bit trickier to negotiate, planks or plywood certainly helps. From the top floor if there is a window that opens, I open the window then set a couple of 2 x 4s across the open window frame to anchor my come a long. Make sure the anchor is located at the lowest part of the window frame.

This waste oil hot water boiler came up from the Birnie house basement with out help, next week its going back down.

http://www.columbiaboiler.com/waste_.../KWOBurner.gif

Cool, thanks for the idea. You're a smart cookie. Still open for other brilliant ideas as well :)

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Originally Posted by MetalRecyclingBiz

Cool, thanks for the idea. You're a smart cookie. Still open for other brilliant ideas as well :)

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Just paid attention during history class, this is how the Romans built their Pyramids. We to day have the advantage of block and tackle, come a longs and other small types of winches.

I've never owned a tire dolly, these are used when the rear brake shoes on a Semi need changing out. You can remove the bolts holding the axle in then the bearing nut using the tire lift you can slide the tandem wheels away from the axle housing to access the brake shoes.

The tire dolly is on wheels so moving the rims with tires and brake drum as a complete unit is a snap, I use a greased sheet of plywood to do the same job.

In my above suggestions gave you economy class,,, Air bearings and casters have been around for years, American Solving Inc - Air Bearings, Air Casters and Air Pallets for Heavy Load Handling

Third time is the charm, you should be tired of moving this thing around by now..:) In your 1st post about taking them apart is about the best way to get an old one out of a basement. At least you know the wireing by heart now. :) Give me a call if you run into a problem again.

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Originally Posted by BarrenRealms007

Third time is the charm, you should be tired of moving this thing around by now..:) In your 1st post about taking them apart is about the best way to get an old one out of a basement. At least you know the wireing by heart now. :) Give me a call if you run into a problem again.

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Taking them apart definitely works, and we'll continue to do so probably until we cough up the $$ for a stair climber dolly. There's one around here on craigslist for $500 we might invest in it.

I figure, if we can get furnaces/boilers out of basements for our clients in one piece, FASTER, QUIETER, CLEANER, and yield more PROFIT by decreasing the man power and time required to get these jobs done, it's totally worth it to invest in the equipment. Until then, it's take them apart, use Gus's advice, or utilize another brilliant idea that might stroll on into this thread via another member.

The reason I ask is because we just had a job, (furnace removal) and the client had the furnace out of the basement sitting outside ready and waiting for us. We were thinking, how the hell did these guys get this thing out of the basement in one piece?? I don't know if they had the power dolly around or what but **** was I jealous!

That would take the time for a furnace/boiler removal down from an hour to more like 10 minutes! and without the mess, noise and extra work.

Stair climbing hand truck in Hand Tools - Compare Prices, Read Reviews and Buy at Bizrate.

Maybe something here that might help;

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Originally Posted by BarrenRealms007

Third time is the charm, you should be tired of moving this thing around by now..:) In your 1st post about taking them apart is about the best way to get an old one out of a basement. At least you know the wireing by heart now. :) Give me a call if you run into a problem again.

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When I moved this thing from Birnie left the liquid to air heat exchanger installed in the plenum. Is there a more modern fan relay to kick on the fan from my forced air furnace which I'm going to leave in place.

Next year I'll install hot water heat under the floor, all I really need to complete this is the PEX expander. But I've been a bad boy robbing the piggy bank for my camera project.

How did I gap that, disassembling the furnace would be the most economical way of removing a furnace from the basement. Just hope that its an old gas and not an oil oil furnace. That black soot finds its way into everything and clings worse than **** to a blanket.

Think I would pass on an oil furnace at any amount of money offered.

Good link Mechanic. I've used a StairKing model for quite a number of projects, around 600 lbs/load (although I believe they still make models with a 1200 LB. capacity). Well worth the money for going UP stairs. If the machine is overloaded, a brief break will allow the DC motor to cool down and resume working. The batteries hold a charge for more than a reasonable amount of use. There are much better/faster options for going DOWN, however.

if the person has an outside entrance to the basement you can tie a rope around it hook it up to your truck and pull it up on some plywood worked for me many times. make sure you have a 4x4 thou or else the wheels will just spin

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Originally Posted by gamedayron

if the person has an outside entrance to the basement you can tie a rope around it hook it up to your truck and pull it up on some plywood worked for me many times. make sure you have a 4x4 thou or else the wheels will just spin

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Although I'm sure that would work, it probably wouldn't be the best show of professionalism for our customers haha! Good idea though git er done

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I brought this boiler up from the basement using two sheets of plywood on the stairs, just make sure the bottom sheet lays on top of the top sheet so that the tasistion goes smoothly as the furnace passes from the bottom to the top sheet.

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Oh...... My...... Gosh. *smacks forehead*

What a stupidly beautifully simple idea that never entered my mind. Unbelievable. *Shakes head*

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Originally Posted by gustavus

When I moved this thing from Birnie left the liquid to air heat exchanger installed in the plenum. Is there a more modern fan relay to kick on the fan from my forced air furnace which I'm going to leave in place.

Next year I'll install hot water heat under the floor, all I really need to complete this is the PEX expander. But I've been a bad boy robbing the piggy bank for my camera project.

How did I gap that, disassembling the furnace would be the most economical way of removing a furnace from the basement. Just hope that its an old gas and not an oil oil furnace. That black soot finds its way into everything and clings worse than **** to a blanket.

Think I would pass on an oil furnace at any amount of money offered.

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I wouldn't worry about the pex expander probably for as few connections as you will have just get the brass slip on connectors. They are more expensive but they don't leak either and a lot faster to work with.

The last boiler I had to take apart and remove was 5' tall and about 12' long. I think each section weighed about 500-600 lbs. Forklift time...

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Originally Posted by newattitude

Oh...... My...... Gosh. *smacks forehead*
What a stupidly beautifully simple idea that never entered my mind. Unbelievable. *Shakes head*

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You have to quit smacking yourself or your going to end up with brain damage,,,lol

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Originally Posted by newattitude

Oh...... My...... Gosh. *smacks forehead*

What a stupidly beautifully simple idea that never entered my mind. Unbelievable. *Shakes head*

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Forgot to mention tag two nails halfway into the corners of your top sheet to keep it in place, also for tugging and pulling you could build a windlass out of wood.

Build the windlass in an A-Frame, instead of using this apparatus vertically as seen on old water wells place it horizontally against the door frame as the rope becomes taunt it will hold the windlass in place. Make sure to pad the bottom with old carpet.

If you lay a loop of rope under the object your pulling so that it may attach to the rear of it, essentially you have built yourself a portable rail line as the rope or cable becomes tight the heavy object being moved has no chance to dig in. The object being moved will ride on top of the tight rope or cable.

When ever I had to winch a car onto my trailer I would hook the cable under the car as far back as I could, this way those ugly cross members would ride the cable onto the deck instead of snagging onto the deck. When using a winch truck this procedure allowed me to double deck two cars.

Sometimes it is difficult to get my head bent to the problems you folks run into as I have always dealt in heavy scrap, anything heavy coming out of a basement the house was set for demolition and taking out a wall was of no consequence.

Windlass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I removed a big one years ago with a HD hand truck and a come along. Afterwards I thought about the "what if's".
What if the cable snapped or come along came loose and that thing let go?
What if the stairs collapsed under the large amount of weight?
The stairs turned out to be the biggest concern. After I did it, I checked the stairs and saw how old they were and with no real support under them.
Be careful.

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Originally Posted by gamedayron

if the person has an outside entrance to the basement you can tie a rope around it hook it up to your truck and pull it up on some plywood worked for me many times. make sure you have a 4x4 thou or else the wheels will just spin

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The art of moving heavy objects is akin to Goliath and the giant, the little man wins. Anyhow with the proper rigging using one or more blocks in your tackle you could use a riding lawn mower instead of a truck.

Sled dogs are capable of pulling seven times their body weight all day long, now for the champions.

Some Dog Bytes: The heaviest single pulls recorded in Alaska occurred at previous Fur Rendezvous events. Two St. Bernards in the heavyweight class, Susitna (the father) and Kashwitna (the son), pulled an incredibly 5,220 pounds each.

Alaska State Championship Dog Weight Pull

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Originally Posted by JPete

I removed a big one years ago with a HD hand truck and a come along. Afterwards I thought about the "what if's".
What if the cable snapped or come along came loose and that thing let go?
What if the stairs collapsed under the large amount of weight?
The stairs turned out to be the biggest concern. After I did it, I checked the stairs and saw how old they were and with no real support under them.
Be careful.

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Good point, if the stairs look weak, use some pieces of 2"x4"cut to length to brace the stairs at midpoint from underneath. Doesn't have to look fancy as it's only temporary.

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Originally Posted by gustavus

Sometimes it is difficult to get my head bent to the problems you folks run into as I have always dealt in heavy scrap, anything heavy coming out of a basement the house was set for demolition and taking out a wall was of no consequence.

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Those are the best jobs! Last two cleanups I did were homes that were purposely burned to the ground. Then I came along with the skidsteer, fork attachment, fork extension and chain. Slid the extension on while my helper got down in the basement and hooked onto scrap and I lifted it out.

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Originally Posted by gamedayron

if the person has an outside entrance to the basement you can tie a rope around it hook it up to your truck and pull it up on some plywood worked for me many times. make sure you have a 4x4 thou or else the wheels will just spin

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We have a boiler that we are planning to do this with. It is unlike any I've ever seen. It's not a sectional, and we tried sawzalling, torching, you name it. Nothing cut all the way through it. My only question is, how do you get it up into the truck? We were thinking of using a hydraulic lift (the kind for taking motors out of cars.)

An Engine Crane might work if You have a friend with a Large One , or know someone with a tow truck .
When installing or removing a Large Air Compressor in a basement , I just hire a tow truck , average $ 50 to $ 75 if You are all ready ( Slings on Both Units ) and don't waste there time .
Old one at the bottom of the stairs , and new one at the top , pull out and drop in .
Bandit
Ps
For the cost to rent an engine crane for 4 hours , You can get a tow truck for 1/2 hour and it's less work for you .
Are You near a Harbor Freight ? ( If You plan on doing a Lot of Heavy Lifting )
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-hal...nch-37555.html
Foldable Shop Crane - 2 Ton
Telescoping Gantry Crane - 1 Ton