Lifting 100Kg beam off lorry

[johnny2007]

Hide behind the curtains when he arrives and he might just chuck it off and leave.

Yes, seen this done.
However, no guarantee that it will happen this time.
Drivers should not lift anything off the back of their vehicle unless they've been instructed to.
That's a GOOD h&s rule.
Imagine a driver doing his back in to help you, then many other customers will not have anything delivered.
You'll need to find bodies to take this beam in its final position, ideally in one go.
When I had to do certain jobs requiring multiple hands, I would lure my friends and family with a bbq and unlimited beer.
When there's no space for a crane, that's a great incentive.

 

[catlad]

2 able bodied men should easily move that beam off a wagon, having a couple of rollers would be good, once one end is on the ground then its half the weight.

 

[blup]

My local timber merchants helped unload long heavy timbers when delivered. So it does still happen. 100kg is probably a one man job because at any given point one end will be on the wagon or on the floor, so you wont be taking the whole weight. Its just the last bit that's tricky. Get a mate in and an old mattress or similar to prevent damage when its being pulled off.

 

[Deluks]

What I have done in the past with beams...
Fish an old shopping trolley out of a river, cut the top off and strap the bottom part to the beam, this will enable you to move it into position single handed.

 

[stevie888]

Yes, seen this done.
However, no guarantee that it will happen this time.
Drivers should not lift anything off the back of their vehicle unless they've been instructed to.
That's a GOOD h&s rule.
Imagine a driver doing his back in to help you, then many other customers will not have anything delivered.
You'll need to find bodies to take this beam in its final position, ideally in one go.
When I had to do certain jobs requiring multiple hands, I would lure my friends and family with a bbq and unlimited beer.
When there's no space for a crane, that's a great incentive.

I'm glad my local timber yard's driver doesn't subcribe to this notion!! We drop wood and insulation staight off the side of the truck into the garden on my current project but the plasterboard gets carried inside between me and the driver.

 

[johnny2007]

I'm glad my local timber yard's driver doesn't subcribe to this notion!! We drop wood and insulation staight off the side of the truck into the garden on my current project but the plasterboard gets carried inside between me and the driver.

I pray for them never to do their back in.

 

[Brigadier]

What I have done in the past with beams...
Fish an old shopping trolley out of a river, cut the top off and strap the bottom part to the beam, this will enable you to move it into position single handed.

 

[robinbanks]

I would lure my friends and family with a bbq and unlimited beer

Hiab would perhaps be cheaper!

Well I'm half tempted to chuck an old mattress on the ground, rope up the beam to a tree or a neighbour's fence, then ask him to drive away fairly quickly!

It's not actually a terrible idea but I would do it to a tree or your own car rather than a neighbour's fence

Find out more about the vehicle? If it's lying flat on a bed with drop sides, just levering it off the side of the truck using a shovel or two, and letting it fall on the old mattress would be fine

Screw a cheap skateboard to it, half way along, flip it over and drag into position

You can also make quite effective manual cranes using 3 bits of wood in an A shape, stand the A next to the truck with the feet of the A a short distance (so it is leaning on the truck), rope over the top of the A, round the middle of the beam, and when you pull the other end of the rope away from the truck, the A will stand up towards vertical (don't pull it all the way over; maybe you can put feet on the A so it stops at the vertical), lifting the beam with little effort from you. The driver can guide the beam by holding one end and you can get it onto the floor just by letting the rope run through your fingers
The more vertical the A starts off at, the less effort required from you but the less distance the beam is lifted (levers are force/distance multipliers; less distance ). For a lever starting off at 75 degrees your pull on the rope is about a quarter the weight of the item. If you go this route you can always practice your technique before the delivery turns up..

I'm also struck that you might be able to find someone else to sell you the beam who will turn up with a hiab.. if it's 20 quid more expensive from builders merchants X than timber yard Y, it'll be worth it if the BM's vehicle is a hiab. Might have to double check though that the BM isn't going to just take your money, place the order with the timber yard and it's the timber yard's truck that turns up

 

[jj4091]

Hiab would perhaps be cheaper!

Didn't realise you knew my family