Working on your own - DICEY but FUN!

[e-tek]

I'm sure most of us have done things single-handledly that others would think would need 2 or more guys to accomplish. Like when I was younger, I moved 3 fridges into my basement - by myself. Off a trailer that I backed up close to the door, down 4 stairs and across the basement.

This week I removed the front and rear bumpers off my Galaxie. They weigh 200 pounds each with rebars and the car was up on the lift! I put a ladder under the centres, cut off half the bolts with a cut-off wheel and balanced them on the ladder until I could bounce it down the rungs to the floor!

I know for sure many of you could one-up me with some harrowing one-man heroics....let's hear them!

 

[tcianci]

Well I'm not sure if this qualifies as heroics but I did indeed disassemble (to the extent that I could) and carry an Enco mill down the stairs to my basement shop. I'm guessing that the various pieces weighed between 70 and 250 lbs,and since I couldnt lift the head high enough to drop it back onto the mast, I had to assemble the machine lying down and then hoist it back up using a 2x4 into the mast as a lever. It was a challenge but the machine went together fine and no one was hurt. Actually this was easier than the time I had to carry a smallblock Chevy short block UP the stairs.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I once replaced the clutch in a '65 F250 Ford pickup by myself, without a jack - dropping that big old truck transmission on my chest, crawling out from under the truck with it, and then later on bench pressing it back up into place was a lot of fun.

 

[ultimatesooner]

I can throw a football over them there mountains

 

[Kjbakke2]

i work at a well drilling company.....everything we do is dicey haha

 

[ddawg16]

I built my 2-story garage by myself.....

The ONLY help I had was setting the roof ridge beam.....other than that, I lifted EVERY single sheet of plywood up onto it.....

The easy one was the 1st floor PSL beam....650 lbs....lifted into place by myself.....

E-Tek....so how about some pics of those bumpers? With your wife standing next to them of course.....

All you need is a couple of 1000lb come-alongs......

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

When I was a kid, I can remember getting my 65 mustang on "ramps" and dropping the C4 out of it, onto my chest, and then sliding it off myself. I had it out several times trying to figure what was wrong with it, I had cracked the case and it would bleed line pressure after it go warm.

My old man is not "inclined" so I'm self taught, I was tearing apart automatics when I was 15. Did not know they had "tools", like a jack, to make removal easier... I'm 42, this was before the interent, for those of you who grew up with it, it has not always been around! I also didn't have access to shop manuals, hell, I didn't even know they existed.

I built the 289 in my folks basement, myself and a buddy carried it out assembled. Wasn't room in the garage to build a motor, things I would not dream of doing today!

I also didn't have an extra hand around one day to help me get the hood off my 68 Chevelle SS, so I stood on the fenders, unbolted the hood, and then jumped off the fenders with while holding the hood, the load hitting the floor screwed up my right foot, but I got the hood off by myself without damage! Try standing on a new cars fenders these days and doing that!

 

[Chris83]

I have done lots of stuff myself that should have been done by 2 people.. the standard transmission re and re with out a jack has been done far too many times.. have also changed lots of very large OTR tires by myself when I probably should have had help..

 

[Brad54]

Someone recently told me a Ford 9-inch, complete with center section and drums, weighs about 200 pounds. I got a pair of them for free when I was in college, but I had to get them out of the barn's basement. I picked them up (one at a time) and set them in the trunk of my '72 Buick Centurion. Drove home, and lifted each out of the trunk.

A couple months ago I was cutting up some wood from a tree that fell, and there was a piece about 14 inches in diameter I thought would make a good chopping block. (actually two of them). I left it about 2 feet tall. 14-year-old Boy Wonder was helping. We've got a pretty decent hill in the back yard that more than one neighbor has slid down on their ***. I picked up the chopping block, put it on my shoulder like a sack of feed, and carried the chainsaw up the hill in the other hand. Got to the top of the hill, told Boy Wonder to stand clear and chucked the wood off my shoulder. He's in weight training in school, so he's got a fairly decent grasp of weight. He tried to move the block and SWEARS it weighs at least 200 pounds. I think it's probably closer to 120 or 140, but the more he thinks I carried up that hill, the tougher he'll think his ol' man is, so I'm not gonna set him straight.

The only thing better than impressing the ladies is impressing your son.

-Brad

 

[Garys Garage]

A few years ago.

 

[Jack Olsen]

This guy has us all beat:

I love moving heavy stuff by myself, and I've documented a lot of it on this site.

510-pound bench top:

760-pound cabinets:

I didn't say I was especially good at it. I managed to drop one of those cabinets on my vintage Porsche 911.

No injuries yet.

 

[Kevin54]

A few years ago.

Been there done that many a time, although the time we lifted a 455 Buik engine out of the back of a truck just about did me in Those beast are super heavy. Now a few years later I am paying for all that I did in the past. You don't think about it until the time comes that the mind says you can do it but the body says you can't

 

[Nuit Damnant]

Well, I'm certainly guilty of this one as well. Due mostly to my stubborness I work alone quite often, and most recently on my Ford truck project. Not only have I wrestled the nose (fenders, and core support assembled) on and off numerous times while trying not to dent the sheet metal, I also got into a fight with the 5.9L cummins motor, complete with transmission and transfer case... while the weight was supported with the engine hoist, I attempted to move the hoist and motor and hold it steady enough not to destroy the firewall. I'll call the fight a tie. The motor is in, and the newly painted firewall is unscratched, however when that big b*tch starts swingin on the chain...watch out. I resorted to actually moving the truck back and forth to get it in the motor mounts after that scary scary stupid move.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

I was just reading the latest posts, and it reminded me, not too long ago, I took a T18 4 speed to UPS to ship it ground to someone one in CA. So I gets all boxed up nice, walk into the UPS customer counter at the local terminal, drop it on the scale, and the girl's eye get big, she looks at me and tells me I cant ship it? I'm like, "what?" She tells me its around 175 pounds, their limit is 150 lbs, so I'm standing there, thinking, "that's why my back is sore...."! My scale at that time went to 125lbs, so I knew it was north of that, but didn't know how much.

Ive got an 18 year old, 6'4" step son that weight trains, and its funny, he will come out to the shop, and I tell him to move something, and he will be struggling with it, I walk over say, "set your purse down, Princess"... knock him out of the way, pick it up and move it. And he just stands there and looks at me dumbfounded....I laugh and walk away....

 

[nate379]

That's freaking awesome!

I bought some tractor weights last week and 4 of them came in. The post office was treating them like they weighed 500lbs. They wanted to forklift them into my truck!

I grabbed them two at a time and tossed them in the bed. The post office worker about ****. They were only 42lb weights.

Need to seriously rethink who they hire if they can't handle even ONE 42lb package!

 

[boseefus402]

I did the transmission without a jack twice now. Also unloaded a 60" Knaack piano box from the back of a truck myself. The wife got it off of Craigslist for my birthday. The company she bought it off of loaded it for her and she left it in the garage as a suprise. I had to lift the end towards the front of the truckbed with a crane, and I lift up the other end myself and pulled it and the crane from the side of the bed out the back of the truck and down.

 

[mikester]

Yeah, in the old days when we're young, strong, and stupid we all lift big heavy ****. Cause we're real men. Then one day something snaps or pops and we're done. With 4 blown cervical discs at 56 Im lucky I can lift a big gulp of soda to my mouth on a hot day. So much for my projects...

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Yeah, in the old days when we're young, strong, and stupid we all lift big heavy ****. Cause we're real men. Then one day something snaps or pops and we're done. With 4 blown cervical discs at 56 Im lucky I can lift a big gulp of soda to my mouth on a hot day. So much for my projects...

That *****...sorry to hear that. So how did you take yourself out? In one event, or was it series of events to blow 4 discs ?

 

[troublemaker427]

My father lifted a 390 shortblock out of the engine compartment of a '61 Starliner by himself when he was about 23 years old. He said he lifted it up off of the motor mounts and sat it on top of the core support, jumped out of the engine compartment then sat it on the floor. I must have heard that story 100 times growing up.......lol He is now 68 and I think he could still do it....

 

[X1 Mike]

The most dicey/fun/stupid/dangerous thing I have done like that was carrying a cast iron tub upstairs. I was helping my stepdad remodel a bathroom and had to move a cast iron tub that weighed over 400 lbs. up a set of narrow steps and around a corner. The corner was so tight we had to move this thing basically vertical. I finally told my stepdad that all he had to do was guide it from the top and I would rest the tub against my chest and squat it. I psyched myself up just like I would before squatting big weight at the gym, I was stomping around breathing hard and my stepdad is looking at me like WTF. After I horse this thing up and start going up the steps I’m losing a little gas and my stepdads friend, a guy that helps him build cabinets who is about 70 years old starts helping me. Big deal right? Well he was helping me by pushing on my ****. So I’m in a narrow staircase squatting an awkward 400lbs. trying to keep from laughing while yelling at this guy not to help me. After I safely got it upstairs I ask the guy WTF he was doing and he just says he thought I needed help, my stepdad is laughing his **** off and my mom is mad at me for doing something so stupid.

 

[mustangmccance]

My wife constantly reminds me of the many dumb things I have done.

swapped the transmission in the mustang several times.

when I moved into my house in desmoines I did not have any help or a dolley and I was to stubborn to ask for it so I carried the washer and dryer down the stairs to the basement with no help and no dolley. it was more awkward than heavy but still that was a challenge.

when I lived in nebraska I wanted to put my air compressor up in the attic of my garage so I tied a tow rope to it and lifted it hand over hand (I didn't have a winch or pulley) up into the garage then over the edge of the floor attic trus. almost lost it at that point.

toted my new 9 inch currie differential complete with 31 spline axles and brakes into the garage and then loaded it into the back of my pickup later to take it to the body shop and install it.
lots of other stories of doing things I should not have done.

 

[dulmer]

I loaded an uprite piano in the back of my 99 ford superduty 4x4, while my uncle was saying "I wish I could help you, but I have a bad back".

 

[uhcrandy]

I took a 7oolb+ gun safe of a trailer, up three steps, down 7 to a basement alone, It was on a appliance dolly. I did use a come-a-long to lower it down the stairs.

 

[Bulldog13]

Saw your article in that "Wood Magazine" garage issue...Your Porsche is sweet....the garage aint bad either.

 

[Kjbakke2]

Yeah, in the old days when we're young, strong, and stupid we all lift big heavy ****. Cause we're real men. Then one day something snaps or pops and we're done. With 4 blown cervical discs at 56 Im lucky I can lift a big gulp of soda to my mouth on a hot day. So much for my projects...

ive seen this happen alot....my parents are chiropractors
sorry to hear about it man =[
have you been to a chiro?

 

[lawfarm]

Yeah,

All of the above. T-18 bench press (with a Dana 20 transfer case attached, nonetheless) into my 77 CJ-5. A 600# gunsafe up 2 steps, and then down 11 steps (straight shot, on an appliance dolly, didn't use a come-along). Then, there are the things I've done alone that I've cheated on (removed said gun safe up the steps, on an appliance dolly, hooked to the winch on the aforesaid 77 CJ-5, and have done a ton of things with forklifts, loaders, etc.).

At the ripe old age of 31, I find myself evaluating projects and looking for ways to accomplish them in a safer and easier fashion. Jack's projects are emblematic of the approaches I've tried to take, of late...less muscle, more leverage, ropes, etc. Despite my not having damaged any Porsches, I feel that these latest undertakings (more brain, less brawn) have been a success.

Some of my best and worst moments have been working alone. I think I've previously related the story on here about installing a locking differential by myself, where I found out that the I.D. of the hole for the cross-shaft was just about exactly the O.D. of my index finger. It was a press-fit...I put my finger in (can't remember why...possibly aligning the side gears?) but it would not come out. And I was on the floor of the shop, on a Friday night, not expecting to see anyone for a few days and with no way to reach a phone. That's definitely the dicey part.

 

[mikester]

That *****...sorry to hear that. So how did you take yourself out? In one event, or was it series of events to blow 4 discs

Sad to say but I think it was just abuse over time. No car wrecks. No sports injuries. No mud wrestling with naked women. I guess it was just ******* heavy stuff by myself when I should have had help. Live and learn right ? Now the trick is to stay one step away from the surgery.

 

[mikester]

ive seen this happen alot....my parents are chiropractors
sorry to hear about it man =[
have you been to a chiro?

My cervical spine is such a trainwreck the neurosurgeon said no stretching or manipulation. It could put me in a wheelchair forever. And this guy is one of the best at what he does. Believe me, I shopped around as far as MDs. Hes not knife happy. He also didnt push PT because he knows it may make it worse. Now I just take one day at a time. I really dont lift anything. I mow my lawn on my rider in the warm weather. My kids empty the bagger. I can wash my vehicles once and a while. I just mess around. Nothing like I did 3 years ago. It was a huge change of life. Ive got a pile of unfinished projects, unfinished dreams. Im just trying to get all my stuff finished with a lot of help from friends. ****, I cant even drive far without getting severe headaches. Im bored stiff, I miss the guys that I worked around. I worked for the same place for almost 33 years. In the spring of '08 I found out that I had prostate cancer so I had it removed. All the neck **** happened when I was out from the prostate surgery. I woke up one night and couldnt open my hands all the way. That all got better but it was the start of my neck saga. I know I sound miserable but I know it could be 100 time worse for me and I know theres people that actually have it that much worse. Gotta keep looking forward !!!

 

[ZRX61]

About 23 years ago, for a VERY brief amount of time, I accidently supported a 1700lb RR Merlin AND the crate it was in.


Ask me about back pain sometime..

 

[BerBer5985]

We work at a carpet store and we were moving around some racks. Now my father was helping me, but instead of taking the time to unload the fully loaded vinyl tile rack, we decided to move it across the showroom. Well during the process, the whole thing was top heavy and tipped over on top of my father. He was stuck under and in pain so full of adrenalin and not knowing what else to do, I dug my feet in and lifted the whole thing off of him. I know that rack fully loaded weighs close to 800 lbs. I don't know if I could do it again without the adrenalin pumping.

 

[e-tek]

There are some C-R-A-Z-Y MO-FO's on here!!!! Not sure if I should use: or !!!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Agreed. My rule for lifting heavy objects is this: never actually lift anything. Levers, rollers, cables. Let them take the abuse.

And get out of the way when things start to go wrong.

Knock on wood. I've never had any back pain at all, and I'm a pretty old man.

I'm either smart, lazy or lucky. Probably just the last two.

 

[ZRX61]

Agreed. My rule for lifting heavy objects is this: never actually lift anything. Levers, rollers, cables. Let them take the abuse.

I have a similar rule for welding stuff:
"If I can't lift it onto the welding bench with one hand, someone else is going to weld it"

 

[G-force]

My only help are my hydraulic pistons, but damn they are good workers.

I've been known to get some stuff done through a series of pullies too, usually some junk wire I have laying around. Takes some planning, but works in a pinch.

 

[i4ni]

A friend Air nailed his hand to the wall in a closet while working by himself one night and ended up having to knock a stud out and drive himself to the hospital with an 8' 2x4 stuck to his hand.Funny thing is they had to use carpenter tools to remove it so they sent for the maintainence man to assist in the removal.

 

[Kevin54]

Agreed. My rule for lifting heavy objects is this: never actually lift anything. Levers, rollers, cables. Let them take the abuse.

And get out of the way when things start to go wrong.

Knock on wood. I've never had any back pain at all, and I'm a pretty old man.

I'm either smart, lazy or lucky. Probably just the last two.

I don't know about the pretty part

You're lucky to never had had back pain. I never known what it would be like NOT to have it. And if you never pain in your back, then that is all the more reason to take care of the back.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have a similar rule for welding stuff:
"If I can't lift it onto the welding bench with one hand, someone else is going to weld it"

That's exactly why I have always had a hoist rail over my welding table.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I would have to say that one of the best things I ever paid attention to and learned in life was leverage and wheels and the use of them. I am 57, worked with machinery and heavy items all my life, and I don't dead lift a DAMN thing I don't have to. That's why I own a forklift and a pallet jack at home. Pallet jack is a real cool mobile lift for changing tires on a golf cart. Jack Olsen and I would work together real well.

 

[RacerX]

I had some buddies meet me at a sellers house when I bought a spa/hot tub. They helped me get it loaded onto the rented trailer. They then went their ways and I drove it home, unloaded it and moved it across the back yard and up onto my deck. By myself, but using my head instead of my back. I used various pipe I had laying around. Stood the thing up on its' side and rolled it across the backyard on the pipe. Came to the deck, laid it onto the deck and continued with the pipe under the corners to get it into place. They all thought I was nuts ! I know I am and I'm comfortable with the voices in my head.

 

[monte433]

My wife always has big ideas and its up to me to get them done, since it was her idea I always use it as an escuse to get the propper tools or equipment I need even if I have to rent them.

When I was younger I would horse anything around without a thought to myself after I was married and had a daughter I got to thinking what would happen to them if I screwed myself up, so I started working smarter not harder.