Brutal tub install

[David Meiland]

We need to get a cast iron drop-in tub into its hole, and I am trying to figure out a smart way to do it. This sucker is HEAVY, at least 250 pounds. It's 5'-6" long and is going into a 6'-0" alcove. There is no room for men at the ends or on the other side--access is from the front only. We can get it up on top of the hole on temporary bridging, but getting it down is another story.

Idea #1. Borrow my friend Mark's engine hoist. It will just barely fit in the room, but it will. If I extend the boom by clamping a 4x4 to it, it will have the reach. It is a mofo in its own right and I'm not sure I can even disassemble it enough to get it up the stairs. We would get bonus points for this because the owner and architect both enjoy such foolishness.

Idea #2-a. Build some sort of temporary "gantry" over the opening and find a way to lower the tub, coffin style. There is probably room on the far side of the hole to land a couple of 2x4 legs. The part I'm not sure about is the lowering. I can sling and pick the tub with some webbing, but lowering it in a controlled way is another story.

Idea #2-b. Erect scaffolding outside the window and extend some 4x lumber into the room, with some legs under it inside the room, to create a couple of sturdy pick points above the tub. Same problem as above... how to lower it.

Idea #3. ____________________________________ (write your answer here)

[Jerrald Hayes]

Would I be correct in guessing you're doing this job on a Cost Plus basis since you hadn't figured on or anticipated this degree of difficulty in placing the tub?

Is the ceiling still opened or can it be opened? We've done the gantry technique securing our lifting rigging from above.
__________________
J. Jerrald Hayes
Quietly Re-Thinking Out Loud

[David Meiland]

Jerrald, when there is no tub specified going into the project then I don't concern myself with figuring out how to move it. If it were acrylic it would be an easy two-man job. Since they chose cast iron it is not. It's one of a hundred details that have made this a great cost-plus job.

Ceiling is not open, and I don't want to open it. If I had a ready overhead pick point I wouldn't be wondering how best to do this, I'd just use a couple of come-alongs and it would again be an easy two-man job.

[rogerg]

To get the webbing out after you lower it(however you do that) get bags of ice and put under the tub which will keep the tub high enough to pull the webbing out then the ice will melt. Of course if you have a finished room below the water could be a problem. You could get some inner tubes which will act like the bags of ice but puncture the tubes and leave them there. Mind you old tubes stink.
Years ago we had to take out a boiler in a small room and we screwed 2x to the walls and bridged it with a small I beam and put one of those wheely things which allowed the boiler to move along under the beam. We did that in two locations to get it out and the reverse putting the new one in though the new one was not quite as heavy.

roger

[resiewdub]

I'm assuming you've got a box that this is dropping into? Is the finish surface already applied or are you looking at framing?

[David Meiland]

Roger, I'm not worried about trapping the webbing. We can lift the rim slightly with a flat bar to get it out around the edge. The tub sits on feet so there is room underneath it, in fact there is about 5" that is accessible from one end.

BW, yes we're dropping in into a hole. The tub deck and backsplash already have stone on them.

[resiewdub]

I'm not sure if you have access from below or the sides, and how deep this thing needs to be dropped. Could you use two of these and some blocking? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...446&pricetype=

[Allan Edwards]

David, we had a delivery today of a tub that is solid stone. Weighs in at 1,800 lbs.

[David Meiland]

BW, those might do it. The 4-5/8 minimum height is really close. Maybe I could just leave them in there?

Allan, naturally you have already created an accurate estimate for all phases of handling and installing this tub. Right? I can imagine scenarios where your tub will be easier to set than mine will.

[Allan Edwards]

Allan, naturally you have already created an accurate estimate for all phases of handling and installing this tub. Right? I can imagine scenarios where your tub will be easier to set than mine will.

I'm watching a video of how the Egyptians built the pyramids, I think that will help.

[StephenS]

"We would get bonus points for this because the owner and architect both enjoy such foolishness."


Dave
Attach a ledger to the far wall and hinge a couple of two by fours to it that span back over the tub. Attach the webbing, straps or better yet rent/borrow a couple of vacume cups and secure them to the bottom of the tub. Have a couple of trustworthy helpers to lever the two by four's up, pull the bridging and guide it down.

If you don't want to screw the ledger into the wall. build a Knee wall type structure to rest the two by fours on to lever off of.

I used 8" woods vacume cups and they held up on my cast iron tub.

[SteveC]

Dave,
If access is available at the front. Could you build a 2 stacks of cribbing out of 2x4's and lower each end 1 level at a time ?
OR
Stack bags of sand, sit tub on top, open small hole to let sand leak out, tub lowers, shovel out sand. (Thank you History Channel)

[scott_w]

This will work fine with a small beam or square tubing. You will have obviously rig up the beam overhead. Possibly an A-frame on one side and a mount on the wall. Use lifting straps to attach to the hoist.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47549

scott

[resiewdub]

Lots of ways to do it if you could post a picture of the area, so we can see where you have access it'd be easier to tell you how we would all do it.

[Joe Adams]

Forgive me for joking about what is obviously a serious conundrum but...

It sound like what you really need in this situation is a crane.