I saw a few posts regarding moving large tanks down stairs so I thought I'd share my experience using a pickup truck, straps, chainfall, pvc pipe, some wood, and 2 people. At the end of this post I also list lessons learned.... worth readng before you attempt to try this. Its a rather long post but I tried to be as detailed as possible. Use this information at your own risk. *** At no point should anyone stand under or behind the tank!!.
I purchased a used glass tank very inexpensively. I stumbled across the tank and was not quite ready for to purchase one however the deal I was too good to pass by (my opinion) at $1200. The tank is a glass (non-starphire) custom built 550g 84"x36"x42" and weighs an estimated 900-1000 lbs. I plan to set it up in my basement. Steel for custom stand is currently on order and should be here next week, I will be welding then sending out for powder coating.
This move was accomplished with 2 people. If I had paid more for the tank I probably would have had an aquarist shop move it as they're insured.
These are the stairs I need to move the aquarium down. My rough estimate was that I had about 48" of height, at the angle of the steps to work with. The tank is 42" tall and the pallet adds another ~4".... close fit.
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/bilcostairs.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://imageshack.us/scaled/thumb/854/bilcostairs.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" border="0"/></a>
Here is the rigging setup I made. Important to note that this setup worked only partially. The point at which the chainfall attaches to the truck was too low. I had to call a tow truck in order to utilize their "boom" as an attachment point. This was necessary to achieve the steep angle of the stairs.
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/41/halfwayi.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://imageshack.us/scaled/thumb/41/halfwayi.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" border="0"/></a>
Step1) Reinforce pallet and build box frame.:hammer: Since I bought tank on an undersized pallet it needed to be widened to the width of the tank. Ideally the tank should also be set on foam to protect against any nail pops from the pallet planking. ** Strap tank to pallet in front and rear. Not too tight but enough to hold it in. These straps can be light duty straps. Cut 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood the same size as the tank ends. place the plywood against the tank ends and then box in the tank. Secured 2x10 (2x12=even better) using long 5/16" lag bolts around the whole tank. The box should be constructed so that the ends of the box are the same width as the tank and the sides would then be cut 4.5" longer than the tank. This allows you to use 7"+ lags from the side 2x10s to reinforce the box frame. Take caution not to screw into the glass or at a downward angle lower than the bottom of the pallet. I would not use nails and definitely do not use drywall screws.
Step2) Setup ramps. Backup truck squarely to the stairs and position as needed for ramps. I opted to use ramps but an equivalent wooden ramp could be made. The aluminum ramps are rated for 1500lbs when utilizing both ramps and even thought they "should" be capable I opted to add a supporting 4x4 and wide bottom base under the center. The ramps were strapped the the bumber to prevent falling off as the tank rolls back on them. Ensure that the ramps are placed securely on the ledge of the concrete of the bilco/basement stairs (see pic). Make certain there is enough of a ledge that the ramps wont fall off if things shift an 1" or 2.
Step 3) Plywood stairs. Screw a sheet of 1/2" plywood over the stairs. Simply lay the sheet flat on the stairs. push plywood up the ramp edge and ensure they make good contact and leave no gap and a smooth transition. Each situation is different but this is very important. Only a few screws are needed to secure the plywood to the stairs. The plywood should cover the entire width of the pallet including box frame.
Step 4) Put PVC pipes under pallet. Cut and place 1.5" PVC pipe under the pallet. You will need about 6 of these a few inches wider than the finished sized of the pallet and box frame.
Step 5) Attach straps and chain fall/come-along. Secure The straps are 3" wide, old and ideally new straps should have been used. Straps should be capable of at least 1500lbs. Place the straps around the box frame (this way does apply as much tension to the tank) and loosely tighten. Remember the hook of the chainfall will need to attached here without contacting the tank. The chainfall and/or come-aloing should be rated much higher to ease the amount of force and strain required to operate them. I opted to err on the side of safety and used 2 straps and also attached a 2nd come-along and strap as a safety should the first one fail. You will also need to attach the come-along and/or chain fall to a secure place on the truck.... The higher up the better..... (more on that later) I used a tow strap under the frame of the truck and over the bed and attached to the chain fall . Placing blanks under it to prevent damage to the truck. If you can find secure places in the bed then use them.
Step 6) Go SLOW!!. carefully roll the pallet to the back of the truck and attach the chain fall to the strap over the box frame. Operate chain fall to apply tension to the straps. The strap should be tight at this point. push the tank back. Now loosen the chain fall SLOWLY and then push the tank back again. IT helps to have 2 people 1-pushing and 1 operating the chain fall/s. As the tank moves back you will need to continually check for alignment with the stairs and check pipes so that as one comes out you reinsert it again.
Step 7) Pivot point, Again GO SLOW!!. This is where you'll really begin to get nervous!! :uhoh2: You will get to the pivot point where the tank starts to tip. You may see the pipe get bound up on the pallet bottom planks. Apply common sense!! some pallets have thicker bottom planks and will require some finesse and possibly some prying/shimming to get over some hangs ups. The pipes ease the pushing, disperse the load, and help the pallet slide. The pivot point will probably make you very nervous make you sweat. Go slow and loosen the chainfall until the tank is resting on the stairs plywood. Once the tank is on the plywood and at the same angle as the stairs its soo much easier. If your angle isnt improving then you need to attach the chainfall at a higher attachment point (truck side).
Step 8) Almost there. When the tank is almost at the bottom, take a few pipes into the basement and position so that the pallet will land on them. If the angle of the stairs is steep, you will likely need to setup a chain-fall, come-along in the basement to pull the pallet in. I used a house carrying beam as an attachment point, just be sure not to pinch wires and pipes.
Now wipe the sweat and calm your nerves :wildone:, its Miller time...LOL :bounce3:
******** LESSONS LEARNED **********
- It is waaay easier to hire out the move if possible.
- In my situation a flat bed would have been ideal :idea: as the stairs were steep and the flatbed could have matched that angle while provide a winch. I didn't think of this until I was already well underway.
- before you start line up a failure plan,, lots of people, tow truck, riggers, movers, etc.... know who to call and what they're lead time is.
- Don't start this late in the day....LOL it takes TIME
- I needed a tow truck to finish my move. My tank sat outside on the ramp for 2 days before I was able to get the tow truck there. Before you start spend time figuring out the pivot point (where the flat surface from the bad of the truck will change to an angle of the stairs. Be sure to allow enough room so that the tank doesnt hit the wall of the house as it pivots down. This is why I needed the tow truck, See once I opted for using ramps instead of building ramps the pivot point became too close to the house for the height of my chainfall attachment. The higher the attachment point the more drastically the tank will angle on the pivot point. The lower the pivot point the more the tank will cantilever before angling down.
I purchased a used glass tank very inexpensively. I stumbled across the tank and was not quite ready for to purchase one however the deal I was too good to pass by (my opinion) at $1200. The tank is a glass (non-starphire) custom built 550g 84"x36"x42" and weighs an estimated 900-1000 lbs. I plan to set it up in my basement. Steel for custom stand is currently on order and should be here next week, I will be welding then sending out for powder coating.
This move was accomplished with 2 people. If I had paid more for the tank I probably would have had an aquarist shop move it as they're insured.
These are the stairs I need to move the aquarium down. My rough estimate was that I had about 48" of height, at the angle of the steps to work with. The tank is 42" tall and the pallet adds another ~4".... close fit.
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/bilcostairs.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://imageshack.us/scaled/thumb/854/bilcostairs.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" border="0"/></a>
Here is the rigging setup I made. Important to note that this setup worked only partially. The point at which the chainfall attaches to the truck was too low. I had to call a tow truck in order to utilize their "boom" as an attachment point. This was necessary to achieve the steep angle of the stairs.
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/41/halfwayi.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://imageshack.us/scaled/thumb/41/halfwayi.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" border="0"/></a>
Step1) Reinforce pallet and build box frame.:hammer: Since I bought tank on an undersized pallet it needed to be widened to the width of the tank. Ideally the tank should also be set on foam to protect against any nail pops from the pallet planking. ** Strap tank to pallet in front and rear. Not too tight but enough to hold it in. These straps can be light duty straps. Cut 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood the same size as the tank ends. place the plywood against the tank ends and then box in the tank. Secured 2x10 (2x12=even better) using long 5/16" lag bolts around the whole tank. The box should be constructed so that the ends of the box are the same width as the tank and the sides would then be cut 4.5" longer than the tank. This allows you to use 7"+ lags from the side 2x10s to reinforce the box frame. Take caution not to screw into the glass or at a downward angle lower than the bottom of the pallet. I would not use nails and definitely do not use drywall screws.
Step2) Setup ramps. Backup truck squarely to the stairs and position as needed for ramps. I opted to use ramps but an equivalent wooden ramp could be made. The aluminum ramps are rated for 1500lbs when utilizing both ramps and even thought they "should" be capable I opted to add a supporting 4x4 and wide bottom base under the center. The ramps were strapped the the bumber to prevent falling off as the tank rolls back on them. Ensure that the ramps are placed securely on the ledge of the concrete of the bilco/basement stairs (see pic). Make certain there is enough of a ledge that the ramps wont fall off if things shift an 1" or 2.
Step 3) Plywood stairs. Screw a sheet of 1/2" plywood over the stairs. Simply lay the sheet flat on the stairs. push plywood up the ramp edge and ensure they make good contact and leave no gap and a smooth transition. Each situation is different but this is very important. Only a few screws are needed to secure the plywood to the stairs. The plywood should cover the entire width of the pallet including box frame.
Step 4) Put PVC pipes under pallet. Cut and place 1.5" PVC pipe under the pallet. You will need about 6 of these a few inches wider than the finished sized of the pallet and box frame.
Step 5) Attach straps and chain fall/come-along. Secure The straps are 3" wide, old and ideally new straps should have been used. Straps should be capable of at least 1500lbs. Place the straps around the box frame (this way does apply as much tension to the tank) and loosely tighten. Remember the hook of the chainfall will need to attached here without contacting the tank. The chainfall and/or come-aloing should be rated much higher to ease the amount of force and strain required to operate them. I opted to err on the side of safety and used 2 straps and also attached a 2nd come-along and strap as a safety should the first one fail. You will also need to attach the come-along and/or chain fall to a secure place on the truck.... The higher up the better..... (more on that later) I used a tow strap under the frame of the truck and over the bed and attached to the chain fall . Placing blanks under it to prevent damage to the truck. If you can find secure places in the bed then use them.
Step 6) Go SLOW!!. carefully roll the pallet to the back of the truck and attach the chain fall to the strap over the box frame. Operate chain fall to apply tension to the straps. The strap should be tight at this point. push the tank back. Now loosen the chain fall SLOWLY and then push the tank back again. IT helps to have 2 people 1-pushing and 1 operating the chain fall/s. As the tank moves back you will need to continually check for alignment with the stairs and check pipes so that as one comes out you reinsert it again.
Step 7) Pivot point, Again GO SLOW!!. This is where you'll really begin to get nervous!! :uhoh2: You will get to the pivot point where the tank starts to tip. You may see the pipe get bound up on the pallet bottom planks. Apply common sense!! some pallets have thicker bottom planks and will require some finesse and possibly some prying/shimming to get over some hangs ups. The pipes ease the pushing, disperse the load, and help the pallet slide. The pivot point will probably make you very nervous make you sweat. Go slow and loosen the chainfall until the tank is resting on the stairs plywood. Once the tank is on the plywood and at the same angle as the stairs its soo much easier. If your angle isnt improving then you need to attach the chainfall at a higher attachment point (truck side).
Step 8) Almost there. When the tank is almost at the bottom, take a few pipes into the basement and position so that the pallet will land on them. If the angle of the stairs is steep, you will likely need to setup a chain-fall, come-along in the basement to pull the pallet in. I used a house carrying beam as an attachment point, just be sure not to pinch wires and pipes.
Now wipe the sweat and calm your nerves :wildone:, its Miller time...LOL :bounce3:
******** LESSONS LEARNED **********
- It is waaay easier to hire out the move if possible.
- In my situation a flat bed would have been ideal :idea: as the stairs were steep and the flatbed could have matched that angle while provide a winch. I didn't think of this until I was already well underway.
- before you start line up a failure plan,, lots of people, tow truck, riggers, movers, etc.... know who to call and what they're lead time is.
- Don't start this late in the day....LOL it takes TIME
- I needed a tow truck to finish my move. My tank sat outside on the ramp for 2 days before I was able to get the tow truck there. Before you start spend time figuring out the pivot point (where the flat surface from the bad of the truck will change to an angle of the stairs. Be sure to allow enough room so that the tank doesnt hit the wall of the house as it pivots down. This is why I needed the tow truck, See once I opted for using ramps instead of building ramps the pivot point became too close to the house for the height of my chainfall attachment. The higher the attachment point the more drastically the tank will angle on the pivot point. The lower the pivot point the more the tank will cantilever before angling down.
