Best way to move a stove...

[buggyspapa]

...or in this case, two stoves?. So, I would like to move the landlord's stove to the basement for a refurb, and mine to the first floor living room. His is a VC Encore 2550 and mine is an older Jotul Alpha that I took completely apart last year and recemented. The easiest way to move is out the walk-out basement door, up a gentle grade on the lawn to access the porch door of the first floor. Not really too many obstacles, just distance over the lawn. The ground is pretty soft here in the marshes of Maine. The interior stairs have lousy turns and treads so that is out.



Obviously, six friends and two cases of beer is easiest, but probably the most I can drum up is two at one time. The weight of the Encore is 350lbs, and the Jotul is 400lbs. I am looking around for a dolly or handtruck with pneumatic tires, but no luck so far. Considering buying such wheels and renting a fridge dolly, putting my wheels on for the moves. Solid wheels worry me. The Encore has legs and doesn't have a solid bottom, but I am hesitant to try turning it over. The Jotul has a decently solid pedestal. I am concerned about jarring and shifting the plates and breaking the stove cement that makes everything airtight. Next year, I will have to reverse the procedure, so I'd like to think that an equipment purchase will be justifiable.



Any input would be helpful. I realize that most stoves make two moves in their lives, in and out. These specimens will be going above and beyond.

 

[PEKS]

I get my son and his football buddies for the heavy lifts..
(They do not drink beer, only protein shakes)

 

[Patrick62]

4 man plan

3 would do, if one of them is a gorilla.

Go to the lumberyard and pick out two nice looking 2x4's about 8 feet long. Grab some rope, and make a sling for the respected stoves to "sit" in. 4 guys means only about 100# a piece. Nothing gets shook up, banged up.

 

[wagz]

if you're doing the landlord the favor of moving it, perhaps he could pony up to buy you a nice hand truck. a tree cart would likely work as well (make sure you strap that stove in with ratchet straps). many hands make for light work when moving...

 

[turnkey4099]

If you do move it over soft ground with a dolly, try to scrounge up a batch of ply or hardboard to build a path to roll on. Even 1/8" hardboard makes a huge difference.

Harry K

 

[Walt41]

Get a good set of padded lifting straps like professional movers use, the go over your shoulders and wrap around your forearms, literally tripling your lifting capacity. Once you have them you will find a lot of other uses around the homestead for them.

 

[brenndatomu]

If you do move it over soft ground with a dolly, try to scrounge up a batch of ply or hardboard to build a path to roll on. Even 1/8" hardboard makes a huge difference.

Harry K

+1 ^ Get a piece of plywood, roll those babys right down the plywood highway 8' at a time

 

[Whitespider]

Heck, to me that sounds like a piece-of-cake (but I ain’t there to “see” either). I’d likely make that move myself, although one helper might make it go smoother.

As has been said, you’ll need something to make a hard path across the yard. I have plenty of old “stuff” always laying around, but worst case you could by a 4’x8’ sheet of whatever’s cheap and cut it into two 4’x’8, four 1’x8’, or six 8”x8’ pieces (whatever you’re comfortable with)… just keep moving the “boards” as you clear them (don’t forget to save ‘em for the move back). Then I’d drive to town and rent an appliance cart for 15-bucks (one of those “hand truck” like things with the built-in ratchet straps)… they have a ton of leverage and control; one guy can move an awful lot of “appliance” with one of those, and never break sweat. You’ll need one more piece of lumber (or something) to lay across the cart’s bottom foot so two of the Encore legs have a place to “rest”. Probably have the “move” completed in less than two hours (including picking-up and returning the cart).

Something to think about… often the rental fee on something like an appliance cart will be by the hour, or ½ day, or full day. If you get as much prep-work done as possible before picking-up the cart you may have it back in an hour (save the finish work and clean-up for after you return the cart).

 

[Fyrebug]

Well, if you are willing to spend a few buck, go to your local hearth shop and ask them if they have an 'Escalera'. That's a motorized cart that can climb stairs and has an electric lift as well. It cost about $4,000 for the unit and while you may have to spend $100 to have them moved you will save yourself a bad back, hernia or worse.

 

[Fifelaker]

I was a mover for 15 1/2 years. I would get a refer dolly strap em in with 1 other guy and move away. As far as outside get a magliner with air filled tires wrap a strap around the axle of the cart pull the hand truck and the guy on the strap balances the stove with the strap.

 

[Somesawguy]

Plywood is your friend on soft yards. You could also use it to slide up the stairs. You could use some straps and a com-along to work it up the basement stairs to the outside.

 

[Encore]

Well, if you are willing to spend a few buck, go to your local hearth shop and ask them if they have an 'Escalera'. That's a motorized cart that can climb stairs and has an electric lift as well. It cost about $4,000 for the unit and while you may have to spend $100 to have them moved you will save yourself a bad back, hernia or worse.

This^

It's honestly the safest and fastest way to move a stove. The stove shop we bought ours from dropped it off with one of those and it was pretty slick

 

[JFerg65]

I have had to move three stoves in the last few years. The "CAT'S ASS in moving equipment are a couple 8-10 foot sections of skate conveyors or AKA "speedways". I purchased mine for 39.00 a section from an industrial surplus store. Lay these on the ground put the stove on some plywood get her up on the skate conveyor and you can pretty much move it with one hand. For going a distance just flip the sections end for end as you move. I just had to get a stove from the ground into the back of my suburban. Put the skate conveyor on a couple of 2x6 ramps, scooted the stove onto the conveyor and my wife and I pushed the 300 lb stove up to the back of the truck. It took a little bit of shifting to get it into the truck but it was over in two minutes.

 

[terryknight]

i was a mover for 15 1/2 years. I would get a refer dolly strap em in with 1 other guy and move away. As far as outside get a magliner with air filled tires wrap a strap around the axle of the cart pull the hand truck and the guy on the strap balances the stove with the strap.

this^^^

 

[stihly dan]

Sam's club has a nice dolly with 1000lb load. and air tires. $89 I have moved 4 or 5 stoves, an indoor wood boiler and many oil boilers with this. The cart and a nice set of ratchet straps would be $100 once you have them, you will be using them all the time. Its like having a pickup truck. You don't realize how much you use it till its gone.

 

[Mac88]

Save the "refreshments" until AFTER the move. You want everyone involved to be clear-headed.

 

[stihly dan]

Party pooper. Ya need those cans of courage.

 

[zogger]

make a dolly the easy way

Can you get your hands on a cheap junk riding mower? If you strip those down,(pull the engine and sheet metal and rear pulley jazz) they are simple box frames (most of them) that aren't all that large, but should be just about right for your purpose (a little tape measure action first for this to make sure). Leave the axles and wheels on of course, mash the thing into push gear (before losing the shifter lever stuff) or setting whatever that is. Lose the steering wheel and shaft. You'll need to slap some rope on the front axles then..... You should then be able to lever or jack up the stove and roll the box frame and wheels under it, let it down, maybe a rug or something on it to keep it from getting scratched, then push or pull it to where it needs to go.


I once had to move a combo electric/wood cookstove with water tank (that dude was *heavy*) by myself from out of the jeep station wagon (a 59), and into the house. I used wood log rollers, then once at the door, got it on an old rug and just pulled the rug across the wood floor. The overhead warming rack came off, so it was two pieces, but the main chunk of it was dang stout. They made stuff out of LOTSA STEEL in the olden days.

Nastiest appliance I ever did was a mambo and mean mambo zerocool fridge/freezer. What a unit! That's how stuff should be made! Wish I could afford one now... Anyway, I got it cheap for a hundred bucks because no wanted to try and move it once they actually saw it! Geez loweez that was nice..but I left it there when I moved, too (rental house). That was a four guy, dollies and take the front door off the hinges install, and I wasn't about to harangue them guys again to come help me do it again.

 

[Mac88]

Party pooper. Ya need those cans of courage.

Nah, not me. I like the courage AFTER the fight...at that point I don't need a clear head. How's things, Stihly?

 

[stihly dan]

To be honest, a bit rough. Life changing events happening around here.