A Capital Dream - 400g SPS build
- Thread starter rockworm
- Start date
It has been a week and it is time for an update. I received the tank a week ago on Friday. I called a number of different movers and explained that I had a heavy aquarium to lift on to a stand. Most declined, primarily because they did not have insurance to cover glass. A couple offered to try but could not insure the tank if anything happened. I declined their offer because I wanted the movers to be insured. Two movers said they would come and take a look. At the end of the day, I could not hire any movers. This left me on my own to figure out how to get the tank on the stand.
I had a eureka moment on Sunday. I had been trying to figure out how I could get the tank on the stand and realized that maybe I should figure out how to get the stand under the tank. The former method would mean lifting the tank and sliding it onto the stand. This would be difficult because of the light rank and somewhat limited space to work with. I would still need a few strong people to manually hold and slide the tank over. The latter method (stand under tank) would only require me to lift the tank and slide the stand under it. Later I could figure a way to just slide the tank and stand into position.
I spent the week building a hoist frame. The hoist frame would be built around the tank and I would use two chain hoists to lift the tank. I used two because of the 8 ft tank length and safety was first and foremost the most important thing.
Behold, the hoist frame.
I am not an engineer, nor a physicist. But I do love solving problems and I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express one day. I also watch those home improvement shows so had a basic understanding of weight transfer.
I started by laminating three 2" x 6" to form the posts for each corner. I then made a header using three 2" x 10" framing lumber for each end of the hoist frame. The bottom of each post was joined using a single 2" x 4". It's role was to help in squaring the end and keep the bottom of the posts from spreading apart, or together. The ends and the 2" x 4" were joined together to build the box around the tank.
I did not want this box to fall, tilt, slide or anything else. I used the walls of the room to "brace" the box.
This was done on 4 sides before the next step, which was to create 2 beams that would support the hoists.
I again laminated three 2" x 10" to create each beam. You can see the end of the beams in the picture.
After the baems were in place, I added diagonal braces and corner braces all round the bix frame. This was done to ensure that the whole hoist frame was rigid and would not move under the weight of the tank when it is lifted. I was concerned that if the frame moved in any direction, the inertia of any tank movement would bring the whole frame down.
I hung the hoists using 3/4" steel rods.
I used short lengths of 2" x "4 on each beam to sandwich the rod so it would not roll. I used 1 ton hoists even though I could probably have used 1/2 ton. I was not taking any chances, so went a little overboard. It only cost $10 more for the one ton and I felt that it was cheap insurance.
Here is a better view of how the hoist sits on the beams.
I was almost ready to do the lift. There was one last thing to do and that was cut 2 lengths of 2" x 6" slighter longer than the tank is wide to act as pressure points where the lift straps meet the top of the tank. A eurobrace is great at prevent a tank from bowing out but I am not sure of its strength if the tank was squeezed at the top. The tank is exactly 36" wide, so I cut them to 36 3/8" long.
It is not easy to see, but as the tank is lifted, the straps will tighten at the top and they will try to squeeze the top most point on each side. The wood now replaces the top of the tank and any squeezing takes place on the wood. The bottom of the tank does not need pressure point replacements because A) the bottom is a solid pane of glass and B) the tank is glued on top of a 1/4" piece of plywood.
I was now ready. I called on two neighbours, who have asked a few times if they could help, and three of us did the lift. The tank was raised 2 inches above the height of the stand, the stand slid under the tank and the tank dropped onto the stand. It took one hour because there was a lot of finagling to get the straps under the tank then out from under the tank after the stand was in place.
The sense of relief and accomplishment is almost indescribable. This was, and I expect will be, the most demanding and complicated process of the build.
The next step of the build is to fix some of the plumbing rough in that I had to take apart in order to move the stand. The tank sits about 3/4" over one end of the stand so this will have to be fixed. I have a ratchet "pull along" that I will use to slide the tank over. I will then use it to move the tank and stand back into place.
Unfortunately, my beautiful hoist frame will be dismantled and thrown out except for the 2" x 6" which will be used by a neighbour. I have no use for the 2 x 10 and it will only clutter up space.
That is it for today. Thanks for looking.
I had a eureka moment on Sunday. I had been trying to figure out how I could get the tank on the stand and realized that maybe I should figure out how to get the stand under the tank. The former method would mean lifting the tank and sliding it onto the stand. This would be difficult because of the light rank and somewhat limited space to work with. I would still need a few strong people to manually hold and slide the tank over. The latter method (stand under tank) would only require me to lift the tank and slide the stand under it. Later I could figure a way to just slide the tank and stand into position.
I spent the week building a hoist frame. The hoist frame would be built around the tank and I would use two chain hoists to lift the tank. I used two because of the 8 ft tank length and safety was first and foremost the most important thing.
Behold, the hoist frame.
I am not an engineer, nor a physicist. But I do love solving problems and I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express one day. I also watch those home improvement shows so had a basic understanding of weight transfer.
I started by laminating three 2" x 6" to form the posts for each corner. I then made a header using three 2" x 10" framing lumber for each end of the hoist frame. The bottom of each post was joined using a single 2" x 4". It's role was to help in squaring the end and keep the bottom of the posts from spreading apart, or together. The ends and the 2" x 4" were joined together to build the box around the tank.
I did not want this box to fall, tilt, slide or anything else. I used the walls of the room to "brace" the box.
This was done on 4 sides before the next step, which was to create 2 beams that would support the hoists.
I again laminated three 2" x 10" to create each beam. You can see the end of the beams in the picture.
After the baems were in place, I added diagonal braces and corner braces all round the bix frame. This was done to ensure that the whole hoist frame was rigid and would not move under the weight of the tank when it is lifted. I was concerned that if the frame moved in any direction, the inertia of any tank movement would bring the whole frame down.
I hung the hoists using 3/4" steel rods.
I used short lengths of 2" x "4 on each beam to sandwich the rod so it would not roll. I used 1 ton hoists even though I could probably have used 1/2 ton. I was not taking any chances, so went a little overboard. It only cost $10 more for the one ton and I felt that it was cheap insurance.
Here is a better view of how the hoist sits on the beams.
I was almost ready to do the lift. There was one last thing to do and that was cut 2 lengths of 2" x 6" slighter longer than the tank is wide to act as pressure points where the lift straps meet the top of the tank. A eurobrace is great at prevent a tank from bowing out but I am not sure of its strength if the tank was squeezed at the top. The tank is exactly 36" wide, so I cut them to 36 3/8" long.
It is not easy to see, but as the tank is lifted, the straps will tighten at the top and they will try to squeeze the top most point on each side. The wood now replaces the top of the tank and any squeezing takes place on the wood. The bottom of the tank does not need pressure point replacements because A) the bottom is a solid pane of glass and B) the tank is glued on top of a 1/4" piece of plywood.
I was now ready. I called on two neighbours, who have asked a few times if they could help, and three of us did the lift. The tank was raised 2 inches above the height of the stand, the stand slid under the tank and the tank dropped onto the stand. It took one hour because there was a lot of finagling to get the straps under the tank then out from under the tank after the stand was in place.
The sense of relief and accomplishment is almost indescribable. This was, and I expect will be, the most demanding and complicated process of the build.
The next step of the build is to fix some of the plumbing rough in that I had to take apart in order to move the stand. The tank sits about 3/4" over one end of the stand so this will have to be fixed. I have a ratchet "pull along" that I will use to slide the tank over. I will then use it to move the tank and stand back into place.
Unfortunately, my beautiful hoist frame will be dismantled and thrown out except for the 2" x 6" which will be used by a neighbour. I have no use for the 2 x 10 and it will only clutter up space.
That is it for today. Thanks for looking.
I did that. All of them declined. Why? Because not one of them is insured to move glass. They are insured only for glass they damage as a result of the move. Any other post move suggestions?
Thanks Jerry. I am just glad it worked. I hope to take a break from it all today and go visit Marinescape. I have not been there in 2 weeks and am going through withdrawal. [emoji2] I am sure they have something I " need".
At first I was saying to myself this isn't going to end well. Then I was thinking that it was a brute force moment rather than grace. Then I started to think of the cost.
Then I took a step back and thought to myself the sheer satisfaction you probably had, and sense of accomplishment, once you finished. That is priceless and pure gold.
Super cool what you did. Honestly, damn cool.
Workin' on it...
Hey! You could have rented a car engine hoist and saved the frame build.
Dave.M[/QUOTE]
I actually thought of that. [emoji6] I was worried that only using one might be a risk because of the single point harness and the 8' length of the tank. My belief was that I would need two and I did not have the room(One probably would have worked, but I was a little chicken, lol). I went through the full catalogues of all rental shops, looking up manufacturer specs for hoists, lifts and jacks. They were either too big, or were too light.
Your advice on the piano mover is sound. It is too bad that they could not because it would have been so much easier for me.
Thanks saf. My thinking at the start was not much different than yours [emoji3], so I spent a lot of time planning the job. The total cost of fabrication and hoists was just under $500 Cdn. I can sell the hoists and will get back around 100, so I don't feel bad about it. One of the movers who came over said it would cost around $800 because he would need 6 or 7 movers. In the end, he decided not to do it.
You are welcome. I was going to say if you are working, you could almost add that has an example of your problem solving skills on your resume! If you are retired or otherwise not working, still note it down and take pictures. That is really some grade A ingenuity there.
I am 3 years away from retirement. I am so looking forward to it. I am a CPA and have been using computers since the punch card days. This has allowed me to use my problem solving skills on the job. I love woodworking and will get back to it when I retire. I have never used a plan, but have built bedrooms suites and dining room suites for a few people. I get my hands dirty at home doing manual work. I have always loved problem solving, right back to my elementary school days and planless woodworking fills that role. However, I really suck at arts skills, such as language, history, philosophy, etc. LOL.
percula99
New member
I just read through this thread and I am super impressed with your determination and ingenuity. Congrats on getting the tank up there. I watch "Tanked" (yeah I know, they're knuckleheads) but they do move very large tanks all the time. They use hydraulic carts with pedals you pump to raise the tank to the right height, then you just slide it onto the stand. Not sure exactly where you would rent that, maybe Robertson's Rent All or some other industrial tool rental place, but that is a moot point now since it's in place. Just another congrats and will be following along to see how it all goes. I live on Ottawa also so if you need some light lifting help, consider asking.
Thanks Percula. Robertson and Simplex have all kinds of stuff to rent. I was quite amazed with what is available and have thought of other home projects to do, just so I can rent some things and play with them.
I too have watched the knuckleheads on Tanked. One thing they have that we don't is access to such a large assortment of fish. Makes me jealous.....sometimes.
I appreciate your offer of help. I will get in touch if I need some. I think I may have a get together for the Ottawa folk after the setup is complete. I had one years ago when MASO was active. It was fun then, and I am sure it would be fun now.
Cheers, Ward
I too have watched the knuckleheads on Tanked. One thing they have that we don't is access to such a large assortment of fish. Makes me jealous.....sometimes.
I appreciate your offer of help. I will get in touch if I need some. I think I may have a get together for the Ottawa folk after the setup is complete. I had one years ago when MASO was active. It was fun then, and I am sure it would be fun now.
Cheers, Ward
A pyramid? Count me in. [emoji3] Today the tank gets moved to its final resting place. Then I can get back to mundane things like finish the plumbing, tap water leak test, blah, blah blah. Lots of fun, though the pyramid sounds like more fun. lol
percula99
New member
Hey Ward. I was one of the originating members of MASO, along with Dave (TruePerc), Johnny (JohnnyRock), Ivan, Stig and Sean. I have kept in touch with Dave, but have lost track of the others. I would guess that you and I have probably met at one of those meetings, although I don't recognize you user name. A get together would probably be fun. If you have one I would definitely attend.
Similar threads
