Thread: Winching up heavy items - could this possilbly go wrong

Originally Posted by Tonyz

please please just let us know when delivery is taking place, it needs to be professionally video taped for broadcast on Youtube.

I think its too late now but the manufactures/suppliers should have looked at all options when you placed the order. I presume they took the measurements.

No, the usual way the process works is the initial quote is done on your measurements and assumptions are made based on a couple of questions about access. So the quote is conditional on measures being accurate (unlikely) and access being acceptable (likely). We got several of these - actually 5 or 6. Some were ridiculous - just companies hoping they had found a fool.

After you Ok one a site visit is made, a check measure is done, and access is checked. There are a lot of things buyers don’t consider like bookmatching and the role of light and shadow so they can add value from their expertise. Then adjustments to the price are made if required and a final quote is signed and deposit paid.

Arron

I suspect you have now made your decision based on the foregoing advice. Leave it to the benchtop supplier. The benchtops are usually only 20mm thick apart from the edge thickening pieces and over their length quite fragile. lifting on a crane could be risky even if it was all approved/certified/insured/etc and at the very least would require a spreader bar for the lift. Three or four strong young men will probably be the way for them to go. They probably have those straps used for moving fridges too.

I hope it all goes well.

Regards
Paul

Well, the company man turned up to do the check-measure. He was very experienced and added a lot of value - which reminded us of why we used this same company previously. When it came to access, he took one look at the winch, asked me how many kgs , and said they wanted to use it. I had some misgivings based on the discussions on this thread, but said yes anyway. I will get something written into the contract that any use of the winch is their responsibility. I’ll be keeping right away from it.

Our staircase is wide and high so I think they will carry it up anyway.

End result, for those still interested, was I hired a crane truck.

It was expensive, and came with its own raft of problems.

Problem wise - the crane driver refused to take his truck onto the lawn because it was raining and he said he would get bogged. That left him working from the driveway but the pieces of balcony balustrade that had been removed were aligned with the lawn, not the driveway. We couldn’t remove more of the glass balustrade because the top rail is fixed on with adhesive. Then the foreman and crane driver decided to lift the larger slabs up on the A-frame on which they were delivered, which I guess was the only practical way to do it, but it weighed 1.5 tons and couldn’t be swung over through an oblique angle onto the strongest part of the balcony but could just with patience and exactitude be balanced on the very edge of the cantilevered part. Then manually unloaded by four people struggling with one slab, but willing workers and very cheerful types they got it done with no obvious damage. Then it was discovered one had been cut wrong and was not salvageable so would need to be replaced at the factory (their cost).

I kept out of it and left it to the people who seemed to know what they were doing.

Anyway, it is all now in place and I think it was worth it.

Cheers
Arron

Thank you for the update. Sounds like your hoist may not have been up to the task in any case.

I just transported a 400kg + mill/drill for my BIL. No issues loading my end with a fork lift, but difficult, well not really, just slow his end with a gantry and chain hoist.

We looked at quotes for a crane truck with a Hiab, Franna crane, or hiring a portable gantry from Coates or Kennards to DIY. Surprisingly it was cheaper & more efficient to use the truck or crane @ min $265 hire. In the end my BIL chose to partially disassemble the mill / drill so he could use his repurposed 'gantry' - an old swing set frame. They certainly don't make them like that these days.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

We looked at quotes for a crane truck with a Hiab, Franna crane, or hiring a portable gantry from Coates or Kennards to DIY. Surprisingly it was cheaper & more efficient to use the truck or crane @ min $265 hire. In the end my BIL chose to partially disassemble the mill / drill so he could use his repurposed 'gantry' - an old swing set frame. They certainly don't make them like that these days.

Yes, the crane trucks sound cheap per hour but beware of thinking this is what they are going to end up costing. In our district they charge travel time and some minimum number of hours, plus when you get them onto established sites the unforeseen problems arise which blows out the time.

Yup - they always charge travel time, plus time on-site, so I try not to use Hiab trucks for work stuff unless someone else is paying . Moderate-sized Hiab trucks can laos have very restricted load limits at full extension. Franna would be even more expensive, but often quicker on the job.

Glad to hear the operation was a (qualified) success, and you almost have a complete kitchen!