Our PE T5 was delivered and placed on the hearth. It's in a frame style crate. Does anyone have any advice on geting this stove out of the crate? We should have thought to ask the delivery guys if they'd do it for a fee. I'm kicking myself. Now, I feel I might have to ask a few neighbors - all very nice but busy folks. I'd hate to have to ask three guys to get here at a certain time on a weekend to lift this 515lb stove. No friends or family close, either. I'd like to think there is some hydrolic tool to rent that would allow my husband to do it with perhaps one helper. Anyone ever rent an engine hoist for this purpose? Any other ideas? I called PE. They said to make sure not to lift from the sides, and that it's best done with four people using some kind of strapping under each leg and lifting. I asked about a jack and was told to not have a single point of leverage from below due to the ash pan. Thanks for your advice.
Any creative uncrating ideas?
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1. Ask 3-4 good friends for help in lifting the stove into place.
2. Provide tasty snacks and refreshing beverages afterwards.
2. Provide tasty snacks and refreshing beverages afterwards.
As it happens, I did this just last week, by myself, on a new cookstove that weighs over 800 lb. I removed the top and sides of the crate, which left a pallet-like bottom of the crate under the stove. Getting the pallet out was the problem. I eventually found that I could jam a long screwdriver under the stove....I mean, between the bottom of the stove and the top of the pallet. Then, by leaning on the screwdriver, I created a small gap between the bottom of the stove and the pallet. It was mostly a matter of the wood top of the pallet mashing down a bit, but it was enough to stick the end of a crowbar in there. It wasn't a huge crowbar, about 30" long. With the crowbar, I was able to push it down and swing it sideways enough to move the stove a bit. A tiny bit. I was moving the stove maybe a quarter to a half inch at a time. Then I'd go to the opposite end of the stove and do the same thing. Half inch at a time.
Now, you don't want to get the stove moved enough off the pallet [or bottom of the crate] to drop it off onto the floor. I had a bunch of 2 x 4 ends handy, and I stacked them up to about the height of the pallet. As the edge of the stove began to come off the pallet, I blocked it up with those pieces of wood. Eventually, the stove was sitting on several stacks of the wood blocks. At that point, I used a five-foot pry bar as lever [but any strong item would work, piece of steel or iron pipe, etc., long enough to give adequate leverage] to lift one end of the stove at a time, just enough to remove a block from each stack on that end, then lowering the stove onto the remaining blocks. So, in other words, I was lowering each end of the stove one and a half inches at a time. That went fast. Before I removed the last of the blocks, I made double sure the stove was set exactly where I wanted it on the floor.
The process took me some hours. I was ill with a flu and had to keep taking breathers. But it is something one wants to do very slowly and carefully in any case. An I celebrated by burning the pallet in the fireplace.
Now, you don't want to get the stove moved enough off the pallet [or bottom of the crate] to drop it off onto the floor. I had a bunch of 2 x 4 ends handy, and I stacked them up to about the height of the pallet. As the edge of the stove began to come off the pallet, I blocked it up with those pieces of wood. Eventually, the stove was sitting on several stacks of the wood blocks. At that point, I used a five-foot pry bar as lever [but any strong item would work, piece of steel or iron pipe, etc., long enough to give adequate leverage] to lift one end of the stove at a time, just enough to remove a block from each stack on that end, then lowering the stove onto the remaining blocks. So, in other words, I was lowering each end of the stove one and a half inches at a time. That went fast. Before I removed the last of the blocks, I made double sure the stove was set exactly where I wanted it on the floor.
The process took me some hours. I was ill with a flu and had to keep taking breathers. But it is something one wants to do very slowly and carefully in any case. An I celebrated by burning the pallet in the fireplace.
I've been working on a menu, although the burn-away option sounds tempting.
Any comments on straps? I googled around and found Teamstraps and wonder if they would be useful. Here's a link to them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Teamstrap-Mov...X7VO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292339388&sr=8-1
Any comments on straps? I googled around and found Teamstraps and wonder if they would be useful. Here's a link to them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Teamstrap-Mov...X7VO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292339388&sr=8-1
SteveKG, that sounds just like something my husband would do. How did you prevent the pry bar from damaging the stove?
SteveKG said:
While reading this ,, all I could picture was Wiley Coyote manning the crowbar.
Good job,way to use your head.
BEEP BEEP!
bakedpotato said:
I had a plan for this, but when I got the stove, turns out the base is a continuous plate of cast iron in my case.
The plan had been to use a similar method but place a thin piece of scrap wood--1/8 inch ply or some panelling--as a cushion between the pry bar and the stove bottom. Once off the pallet and onto the blocks, I used another stack of wood ends to act as fulcrum for the long pry bar, plus an extra piece of wood between the end of the bar and the stove bottom. It sounds more arduous than it was. It would have gone much faster had I not been ill. It worked beautifully and was very easy to do by myself. It just takes slow and patient care and not dropping the pry bar or something and scarring the floor!
I have heard of people using appliance- or piano-moving dollies to do this, but that leaves one with the problem of getting the stove onto and then off of the dolly. For me, with no assistance, that would be a larger problem than the method with which I came up.
If you have porcelain or chrome or other nice [and scratchable] metal on the base of the stove, this will still work fine as long as you keep a small piece of wood between the lever and the stove so the bar never contacts the stove. If my stove had been like that [and I didn't know beforehand as I was unable to see one, except in photos, prior to its arrival] it would have been more difficult to get the crow bar beneath the thing, between the pallet and the stove, to get things off to a start. I was planning to cut out a hole in the pallet with a saber saw or chisel one out, if I had to do that, with a chisel and small hammer. Crude, yes, but I would need an opening beneath the stove large enough to stick in a crow bar with a piece of wood to protect the stove. I figured I could chisel out a hole beneath each end of the stove in maybe five minutes per. In my case, that turned out to be unnecessary.
We just installed our T5 last weekend, we love it. Getting it off the crate can be tricky if you don't have enough help. The stove shop we bought it from let us borrow their lift. We removed all the boards from the top and side. If it is packed the same way as ours there are 2 short pieces of 2X4 on the side that go under the stove. We then rolled to stove over to the hearth pad, removed the 2X4 sides and bottom pieces of the pallet and then slid the skid/stove onto the hearth pad. We then lifted the back of the stove slightly and placed 2X6s under the legs (2X6 were laying on their side and stacked on top of each other, they were about 12" long). We then tipped the stove back to remove the remaining part of the skid. Now, we had to tip the stove back pretty far to get the rest of the blocking out. I should have checked before we did that to see how the legs were attached. If you can get some help and lift the stove straight up, have someone remove the pallet and then set the stove back down, that would be the safest way. Had I know it was going to be such an ordeal I would have lined up some help. Good luck.
SteveKG said:
I did something similar to this (I think). Cut away the nails holding the critical boards to the pallet with a sawzall, and then jacked it up about 6" leaving the outer part of the pallet in place. Replace the remaining pallet with the blocks, as SteveKG mentioned, then jack again to remove the center boards. Then one more jacking cycle to remove the blocks and put in place. Oh, and the sawzall wasn't really required to bust loose a packing nail, so dont' worry if you don't have such a tool. Just get those nails cut with a hacksaw or anything handy.
Used scraps of plywood and cardboard to protect floor etc.
I looked very seriously into using an engine hoist, but it just wouldn't fit my hearth.
Bottom line is...you can do it with patience and care. I am handicapped and can't lift anything much heavier than the jack, and was able to do it.
bakedpotato said:
Greetings tater friend and welcome to the forum.
You need help to lift the stove and 3 or 4 neighbors will work out nicely. They also will be able to uncrate it for you. Don't worry a bit about it but you might make it known to them beforehand that they have to remove the crate too.
In our case, we had to move the 500 pounder up the steps onto the porch and then up into the house. Then we set the stove right in front of the hearth, which is 16" high. There were only 3 of us but it was done really fast and not that difficult. We also had to uncrate the stove but did it when we got it right in front of the hearth.
Good luck.
Trktrd said:
I will Tell you how I did mine. A few buddies of mine cam over because we had planned on splitting a bunch of wood up and enjoying pleanty of beverages and a bonfire in the process. sometime during a drink break I showed them all the progess I had done on the house....oh real quick can you help me lift this...Since I provided the beer, wasnt much they could do. Sneaky sneaky I know, but even the tempt of beer for lifting might have turned them off. but get a few in them and everyone's a He-Man.
Neighbors are assets. Worst possible case senerio you could call a moving type company and ask for big dudes to help, I'm sure for some fee they would come and pick up etc.
Beer is cheaper I might add
Thank you all so much for the detailed advice as well as your good humor. I'll post back to let you know how it worked out.
We're having an impromptu cocktail party with great food Saturday afternoon. All are welcome, especially strong men!
We're having an impromptu cocktail party with great food Saturday afternoon. All are welcome, especially strong men!
I moved mine by myself. I removed the door and all firebricks. I managed to slide it off the pallet onto a dolly. I wheeled it up an 8 foot ramp made of 2 - 2x4s and some plywood to get it up 3 exterior steps. Wheeled it through the house to the hearth. Not easy but can be done...and watch your toes.
Don't have a T-5, but do have a T-4 and it was a sumagun to get uncrated. After manhandling it in place with my 25yo son for a trial fit I decided to take it apart for further movement. Removed bricks, both sides, door, "plate warmers" and the rear top piece, probably 150-200 lbs. total. So so much easier to move. Once I got all my chimney stuff in place I set the stove in place and reassembled it. And might I add I did a much nicer job than the factory did aligning the panels and getting them tight. If I ever have to move it again it is coming apart again.
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