Averroes

Hi guys, I have recently purchased a paper guillotine which weighs approx 300kg

Now there isnt much of an issue lifting it as 4 guys can pick it up quite easily however I need to get it up onto the first floor of my premises and in order to do so you have put it on its side.

Thsi is where the problem occurs. Once you put it on its side it becomes ever so difficult to lift since most of the weight is on one side and its hard to grip. We attempted to get it up the stairs but to no avail. When we tried resting it on each step it would damage the step. We then tried using a plank but the bugger would hardly move up to start with and when it did move it would slide back down.

Now I have been looking around and realised there are these automatic stair climbers which look like standard sack barrows but with some mechanics involved.

HSS Tool hire and Speedy Hire offer them for hire but they are well expensive. Speedy is the cheaper out of the two and even that is 125 pounds a pop and i would only need it for 5 minutes.

Likewise guys, any of you know of a cheaper alternative or a cheaper tool hire company that offer this stair climbers for hire at a better price?

Your help would be much appreciated guys

thanks

David Lock

What about using some heavy duty luggage straps, fixing them around the unit and then lifting up by the straps? Or tieing to the plank with a strap at the front end of the plank and then lifting it up step-by-step if you see what I mean.

Or use a big pair of scissors instead

Hope you checked that that 1st floor will take the weight

HankScorpio

I once worked in a university and we had to move an optical table (V heavy and awkward) up a flight of stairs and could do nothing with it despite trying various things over a week. So called in the local removal company expecting them to come in with loads of fancy equipment but as above, it was 4 burly guys with webbing straps, less than five minutes and it was done.
We all felt quite puny after that.

Averroes

Dave Ive not quite thought about whether it would handle the weight to be honest but surely 300kg for a full floor cannot be excessive?

regarding this guillotine, what i also forgot is that the staircase is a tad narrow i.e. you can just about get two people on the staircase side by side

now I am wondering whether this idea of strapping the guillotine to the plank and then lifting the plank would work. mostl likely it would be easier to lift as the length of the plank would kill some of the weight off but im wondering whthere the guillotine would stay attached with the straps?

HankScorpio

Cherry picker through a window?

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

Couple of the blokes at the local gym are shoulder pressing more than that .. give them a shout.. they'll run up the stairs with it for you

David Lock

Yeah I think the weight should be no problem. You are only talking about the weight of 3 largish people together and you can always put a plate under if it has feet which might do some local flooring damage.

I think I'm coming around to Hank's thinking i.e. get some removal people in to do it for you. If you struggle on your own in an amateurish way you can see the thing slipping and then one of your helpers puts his back out or the worse case when you get nearly to the top and it decides to fall right back down A sort of Frank Spencer scenario.

Can it be temporarily dismantled so you only have 3 or 4 bits to carry up?

dl

Averroes

David, its German engineering i.e. a pure **** to dismantle hence the reason i have an engineer friend on stand by incase i cant find a solution he is ready to dismantle and rebuild for me

Pimmo, id love to see some guys shoulder pressing 300KG, I rarely see guys bench around 180KG on their chest nevermind shoulder press :P

As I said, the weight of the guillotine generally isnt bad. To be honest even three of us have picked it up with pretty much easy. Its strange that as soon as it is on its side it feel much heavy

MrRA

Shoulder pressing ⅓ of a tonne?

To squat that amount is an impressive lift.

fast bloke

build a frame for it out of 4*2's. Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes and a tenner for the timber. Make sure the bottom lengths stick out a couple of feet beyond the end of the machine. You should be able to carry it up the stairs in single file then, two at each end

Averroes

Lol fast if i could allow for the timber to stick out a couple of feet, i could just take the guillotine upright without a problem. The staircase is very narrow hence the problem we have

fast bloke

is it a straight staircase? I mean stick out front and back, so you get two at the front with a handle and two at the back with a handle

fast bloke

A diagram would be easier, but think of a mountain rescue team carrying someone on a stretcher.

David Lock

who happens to weigh 47 stone........

MrRA

Has anyone actually bothered to read the first post properly? This thing weighs 300kg!!!

David Lock

So how many stone do you reckon that is?

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Is it 32?

David Lock

Did you have to use all ten fingers for that?

And no it isn't .......

harry flatters

The CoG is probably making it feel heavier, as Hank said a scissor lift and a window, although that may be more than £150!

MrRA

It is 47 stone. Point is this, have ever even been to the gym and felt how heavy half that weight is?

Try deadlifting 150kg. I think you'll find that will pop a vessel or two.

David Lock

I don't do gyms

I struggle with a case of beer

PaulC72

Your best option is not lto lift it manually, reason being if you have 4 blokes lifting it and it weighs 300kg the health and safety issue kicks in, if someone dropped it and it hurt a person the HSE would be all over you and as you sound like you ar ea business it wouldn't bode too well for you as they like things like this to make examples of people.

Personally I would spend the £125 get the right equipment and know it will be safe and you will be insured after all, what did the machine cost you? and it is a small price to pay to sleep at night.

As far as the floor upstairs taking the weight, I would check it out as it'll hurt if it comes through the floow, but you need to calculate the point loading through the feet {if it sits on them} and include for when the machine is loaded up and working as during the guillotine process there would be an additional load going through the floor.

However spreader plates {can be say 18mm plywood or metal} can be used to help spread the load.

Good luck eitherway.