moving and installing an RSJ

diymk · 29 Sep 2008

Hi folks

Does anyone have any tips as to how to move a 5.2m long (about 0.4 tonnes) RSJ round to the back of my house. It's going over the driveway, paving slabs, and a small piece of lawn, and then subsequently lifting the RSJ into place over a new opening at the back of the house??

Many thanks for any suggestions.

diyisfree · 29 Sep 2008

Well, if it were me, I'd be getting a few mates to give me a lift.

Or if you have plenty of spare cash, call in a crane.

Option 1 for me though

gangman · 29 Sep 2008

You can move it on rollers, then hire a lifting genie to lift it into place. You'll still need to manhandle it though.

That's a hefty steel, what does it need to hold up, are you sure of the weight.

diymk · 29 Sep 2008

DIYISFREE

Moving it using bodies alone is bloody hard work. We moved it using 8 of us off the lorry onto the ground and it near killed us. The problem with this is all moving at the same time. It's not too bad lifting (using straps around the beam and a fella each side) but the moving is a pain in the behind. As for lifting it up, it would only need one person to slip and it could spell disaster!

GANGMAN

The steel is holding up the whole back of the house, we're knocking the living room through into one big room! The steel is 73kg/m, so weight is there or thereabouts. Problem with moving it on rollers is that some of the ground is uneven (stones) as well as grass and when I think about rollers I don't know if these will roll over this type of ground?

Thanks for replies folks!

gangman · 29 Sep 2008

Use the rollers on scaffold boards.

Or, eight of you should be able to lift it, stand astride the beam and move it a foot at a time.

^woody^ · 29 Sep 2008

LOL - get the stupid engineer out there to lift the thing, and then he may use a lighter steel in future or at least do it with two bolted togther instead of one monster one

It will move on rollers no problem - think of stonehenge and get some 3" round timber posts

Hire a small hydraulic lifter, or do it the old fashioned way and inch it up on two piles of blocks

noseall · 29 Sep 2008

we have used off cuts of 110mm plastic underground drainpipe as rollers in the past.

you will need at least three and will leapfrog the rollers along. don't get carried away as a lump of heavy steel may be difficult to halt even on a gentle slope.

you can steer by pivoting on the middle roller and alter your course by bashing the roller in the desired direction.

as woodster says, it is best to trestle your way higher. at least you can have a rest and re-organise, whilst the steel sits on the trestles. we use the adjustable metal builders trestles.

gangman · 29 Sep 2008

or do it the old fashioned way and inch it up on two piles of blocks[/quote]

Done that a few times.

Lifted some real heavy steels on two piles of blocks near the centre. Push the steel down one end, add a block, then push down the other side and so on.

A couple of times we've raised steels up to ceiling level in one room, then "walked" them on four acros through a hole into the next room. That takes a bit of concentration.

The trouble with a heavy steel is if it goes wrong, it goes wrong quick. If you're not used to steel work, hire lifting genies, they are easier and safer. Just be sure to have a good base to work off, you don't want it tilting with a steel 10ft in the air. Remember only one guy calls the shots when moving steels, the last thing you want is everybody trying to do it their way.

diymk · 30 Sep 2008

Many thanks for all your replies...some great ideas there and some that just seem down-right scarey!!!

Cheers all!!

diynot

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moving and installing an RSJ

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