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Hot tub

Tradesman

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I got my first call for hoisting a hot tub over a garage it is 2,700 pounds. If all the info he gave me is correct it will be a 60 foot reach I'm good for 4,200 pounds. What is the best way of rigging it, I'm guessing there are no attachment points
 

Twisted

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Oct 29, 2007
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MN
They loaded it somehow. Either lifting tabs on the crate or use the pallet with some spreader bars. It shouldn't be that tough.
 

Knepptune

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Nov 22, 2012
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Indiana
Most times they just run two straps under it.

Hot tubs in general are some of the most interesting jobs. My brother showed up to set one and the homeowner was an eagle scoug. He had the hot tub all rigged up with ropes and all the fancy knots he knew. Guess it dang near broke his heart when my brother told him he couldn't lift the hot tub over his house with ropes.

Had one on a rainy spring day that just needed to go 10ft up on this guys deck. I wanted to set the crane up in his driveway and reach over but he wasn't having it. I explained that if the crane didn't get stuck his beautiful yard was gonna have some serious ruts. I had our crane with 6x6. He signed the waiver and I told him he was paying the tow bill if I got stuck. I got the tub set in the pouring rain and as soon as I pulled the outriggers up the crane sank to the axles. His poor yard was tore to shreds and I left huge chunks of mud on his driveway but he was tickled to death. I felt awful.

But ye the rigging part is usually not complicated. Dealing with the homeowner usually is.
 

td25c

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That's interesting Tradesman , We chart about the same load @ 60 feet on the old Grove 25 ton .

That's a good question , how to rig it ? Like Twisted mentioned it's more than likely setting on a wood / pallet of some kind so I would also lean to a spreader bar set up .

Have to ask , Is there no other way to get the hot tub behind the garage ? Off road fork truck , farm tractor with loader & wagon .

I know you are inside the chart but we generally look at all options on something like this & go with what is simple . If that means we tear up the grass getting the tub in then fix ruts with top soil & throw on grass seed .

Just random thoughts , been there before bro :)
 

Tradesman

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Haven't seen the sight but looking at map quest its in a small subdivision so I'm guessing theres no room. I haven't had anything to do with hot tubs before but 2,700 # sounds like a big ass hot tub. I might take a Sunday drive and look at the sight I hate showing up and can't do the job or worse have some-one try to talk me into something I shouldn't be doing.
 

td25c

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I'm the same way Tradesman . If not familiar with job site take a Sunday drive over to have a look at it . Have a walk & talk with customer & feel it out beforehand . Do that all the time on something like this .

After that you will know what to do , or what not to do .

Good luck with it .
 

lantraxco

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Watched a utube video somewhere of this procedure. Not sure what failed, the machine, the ground, or the operator, but the boom cleaved the garage smack in two nicely. Operator was rather incoherent when he bailed out of the cab.
 

td25c

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Yeah lantraxco, this one came to mind . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7MfHsLT9hY


I try to avoid reaching out & over something unless there is no other option . Sometimes it's more cost effective to tear up a little lawn & drive in .

Would want minimum of two dedcated spotters on something like that with one on the roof .

Tadesman knows all this , just something to think about .
 

td25c

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Something else we do is scope the job out beforehand and actually measure the radius with tape & put paint on ground where to set up . Do that on every air conditioner set , want to know exactly where we stand chart wise .

Also take every advantage , jam crane right up against the building if possible , bring plenty of wood to set up on .

Sometimes even do a dry run with the ball just so I have good perspective where the final set actually is .
 

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hetkind

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Unicoi, TN
Heck, we bought a low weight hot tub, 6" across that you can roll on the side through a doorway. The hardest part of installation was finding a level place to put it. The entire hot tub was probably cheaper than the crane bill.

Howard
 

lantraxco

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Heck they just didn't know your not supposed to fill it with water first.

I think I saw somewhere that the crane op had the wrong counterweight configuration entered in the computer. The crane thought he had the full stack of weights and he only had half on it. Don't know if that's actually true but that makes sense and would be a really easy mistake to make.

That covers two problems, first operators begin to rely on the computer to keep them out of trouble rather than how tight a grip you have on the seat. Second, juice booms at a high angle and way out, when the ass starts to get light, it's already too late, just a couple inches at the back outriggers can be a couple feet of extension as the boom angle comes down.... been there done that, managed to get the load on the ground before the RT crane went over center.
 

movindirt

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Thats a big hot tub! Set a 14'x32'x6' deep fiberglass pool last week that weighed 2,700lbs. Might be a bit bigger of a hot tub then you're thinking. If it is closer to a Jacuzzi pool or something they come should from the factory with a few pieces of chain molded into the fiberglass that you can strap to.
 

crane operator

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sw missouri
Not out of line for a hot tub. A lot of the ones I set have all the wood trim/frame around the outside, plus all the pumps mounted. The square hot tubs (7'x7') I like to basket 2-20' 3" nylons underneath the tub (evenly spaced), then hang my 14' 4-way 1/2" cable spreaders with hooks from the ball. Squeezes the tub enough it won't fall out, yet not too much that it damages them, and easy to hook and unhook. Any of the longer rectangular (7'x16') tubs, or swim tubs, or fancy/fragile exterior tubs, I use a spreader bar so it won't squeeze them too much.

Some of the swim tubs are heavy on one end b/c of the drive pumps, just offset the straps. Some also have reinforcing on the bottom only in certain spots to keep the frames from collapsing so watch for that.

The thing I hate about hot tubs, is people buying a used tub from the neighbor/craigslist, then being upset that it costs them $500-800 for the crane. I drive out there and usually look at it. Come, set up in their driveway, risk dumping it all on there house or busting their driveway, bring the rigging, operator and fuel, and I'm s#$%#ing them. I tell them if they can find another way to get it on their back deck, nothing would please me more. They act like I should be there for $100, and maybe just happy to have somewhere to go that day, its so fun I should do it for nothing.
 

Tradesman

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Thats a big hot tub! Set a 14'x32'x6' deep fiberglass pool last week that weighed 2,700lbs. Might be a bit bigger of a hot tub then you're thinking. If it is closer to a Jacuzzi pool or something they come should from the factory with a few pieces of chain molded into the fiberglass that you can strap to.
I gave him a call and re-enforced the importance of me having all the correct info,the tub is 17 ft long 8 ft. wide and 5 ft. deep and it would be closer to a 70 ft. pick, and the only people there would be him and a truck driver. So... I called a friend with a small mobile crane, he's going to do the pick and i'm going to rig for him. On paper I'm still in chart but with something that big 20 ft. in the air over a house not much would have to go wrong to get real nasty real fast.
So I'm going to treat it as a good opportunity to learn from someone with a lot more experience than me.
 

lantraxco

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Good idea. A little soft spot or a wind gust can ruin several days. I think you're making the right call.
 

td25c

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On paper I'm still in chart but with something that big 20 ft. in the air over a house not much would have to go wrong to get real nasty real fast.
So I'm going to treat it as a good opportunity to learn from someone with a lot more experience than me.

That's a good way to look at it Tradesman .

I'm old school on jobs like this. 50 years ago if a homeowner wanted something installed / built in the backyard they would not try to take it in one piece over the roof of the home or garage . Worst case would have to go ask the neighbor if they could go though their yard or take down a section of fence in order get it around to the final destination . Pretty simple .

I don't put any more boom out then I need and if we can avoid reaching over a home or any other object unless there is no other way to do it , and most times there is another way to get a hot tub in the back yard .:)
 

stumper120

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Jun 11, 2007
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newhampshire
Smart move bringing in a bigger crane. Factor in a spreader bar and rigging you may end up closer to cap than you want. I find if they measure70' its really78 cause they measure how close you can back up to the house, garage ur whatever. Not to your center of rotation
 

Tradesman

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Got it done a piece of cake. Could have done it with my own outfit, but better safe than sorry.
TD you would have been proud it was a dead ringer for yours the guy has owned it from new and has over 40 thousand hours on it. Man was he smooth.
 
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