MemX Posted November 9, 2017 Report Share Posted November 9, 2017 So, joy of joys, I'm going to have to move house in the near future. Currently in a first floor apartment, I got my (handle-less, veneered) 11 cubic feet, dual-18" subs in using sheer grunt, with me and a friend taking bottom corners and walking them up the stairs. IIRC they weigh about 15-16' each, and they have nothing to actually grab hold of to move them (bad planning on my part!). However, since then I've slacked off from the gym for ages and am now weeeeeak, and I fear we'll drop them down the stairs and/or do me an injury if we attempt to carry them out. Has anyone got any recommended moving techniques / equipment? The missus alerted me to these, which are apparently rated up to 650lbs(!): http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Moving-Supplies/Moving-Straps-Mover-Bands/Teamstrap-NEW-IMPROVED-Furniture-Moving-Straps but just one single strap underneath seems to invite whatever you're carring to slide out to one side, especially when it's 200lbs+, very dense and very smooth-surfaced... The only other option appears to be one of those stair-climbing trolleys: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Costway-Wheel-Truck-Trolley-Climber/dp/B07676YF5S/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/capacity-trolley-extendable-OT1001-REVIEWS/dp/B00Y3PAD1O/ but the main issue with those is that the subs are too wide to fit down the stairs sideways, meaning only about a third of the box is actually on the bottom tray when it's on it long-ways, making it very unstable and near-impossible to get it leveraged off the actual ground! Perhaps they would be ok with the box tightly strapped to it?? Any recommendations very gratefully received! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgage Posted November 9, 2017 Report Share Posted November 9, 2017 I have some experience moving large subs unfortunately. Get yourself a decent hand truck (not the stair climbing gimmicks) and a ratchet strap (endless or continuous would be best so you don’t have to deal with the hooks). Just strap the thing down vertically and then you can pull up with the truck handles and the other person can lift the sub or the bottom of the hand truck to go upstairs. Or pay someone to move them for you, which would be my vote. Lol! EDIT: would probably recommend a second ratchet strap vertically to strap the sub to the bottom support tray, which would then allow the lower person to lift the sub more easily. And rubber coated gloves grip smooth veneered surfaces well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SME Posted November 9, 2017 Report Share Posted November 9, 2017 I don't envy you. My D.O. 21" subs are about the same size and weight. Is it possible to remove the drivers? That's what I plan to do if I ever have to move mine. Then I can box and move each driver separately in their shipping boxes. I actually built the subs in the basement and then got a friend to help carry the empty cabinets (only 120-130 lbs each) upstairs. Then I loaded them in the living room, using a specialized loading platform I built with heavy duty feet in the right place to allow me to tip the cabinet on each end without squishing the surround for the driver there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3ll3d00d Posted November 9, 2017 Report Share Posted November 9, 2017 Removing the drivers will help alot IME as the weight will be more evenly distributed which makes them much less of a bear to manage (and also means the driver is safe if you do have an accident with the box) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemX Posted November 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2017 Many thanks for the replies, chaps Good idea on the rubber gloves, didn't think of that! I think (hope) they are pretty good in terms of weight distribution - drivers being in the centre (side-to-side, top-to-bottom and front-to-back) means the weight is concentrated in the middle, but that doesn't make them any less heavy lol I'm somewhat loathe to remove the drivers - James said they were a massive PITA to fit due to screws being right up against the back of the slot, plus I fear stripping the holes, and it hurts my head thinking about getting them wired in again correctly... I think I will look at wheeled trolleys... perhaps something like this (he says, hoping that trying to hold up all the weight through the handles won't pull the bolts out of the base when attempting to get it down stairs gently...): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charles-Bentley-Platform-Warehouse-Delivery/dp/B003U9P9FE/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilmike Posted November 10, 2017 Report Share Posted November 10, 2017 Those lifting straps? I've tried them, they're OK for some things like couches and beds, but not something I would use on a sub. I have a little bit of experience moving big subs. We used an appliance dolly when we had to get the pair of LilWreckers down a flight of stairs and into a basement theater. Definitely took two of us, and I'm not a small guy. LilWreckers are ~32 cubic feet and about 300 lb if I recall. Google appliance dolly images You should be able to rent or borrow an appliance dolly without too much trouble. I moved the F-20, MicroWrecker, and a number of other unnamed tapped horns with my 2-wheel dolly, but I didn't have to climb too many stairs. No matter what, using some straps to secure the sub to the dolly is a fundamental. A second person can be a huge help too. Of course, if you have another stout person handy (looking at you, @Ukko Kari) , you just pick the cabinets up and carry them, like we did with the AlpineGeists. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgage Posted November 10, 2017 Report Share Posted November 10, 2017 MemX - that cart is not designed for stairs and I expect would quickly break. Like LilMike mentioned, you want an appliance dolly like you’d use to move a refrigerator or washer. And then strap horizontally around the dolly just below the handles. And then strap vertically around the sub and appliance dolly support plate so the person below the dolly can help lift the sub going up and down. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northwind Posted November 12, 2017 Report Share Posted November 12, 2017 Last time I moved my box downstairs I rented a self climbing dolly from the rental place. It was like 40 bucks for the day and it did all the work you just balance. Ive used the same rig for moving gun safes around 1000lbs. Last safe I helped move we sat around laughing about how nobody was sore or hurt. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemX Posted November 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2017 Awesome replies, thanks chaps IIRC I bought one of these when I got the subs: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charles-Bentley-Pneumatic-Industrial-Warehouse/dp/B01N9NW0QX/ but we couldn't get it to work - I think the lack of straps was the issue (we couldn't stabilise the boxes by hand, which is not really a surprise, d'oh!) and it also just about ripped the pneumatic tyres off it lol If I actually pump the tyres up a bit more and then order some straps, hopefully that combination will work... An automatically stair-climbing one sounds amazing, though - that is genius! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted December 1, 2017 Report Share Posted December 1, 2017 On 11/9/2017 at 9:13 AM, MemX said: So, joy of joys, I'm going to have to move house in the near future. Currently in a first floor apartment, I got my (handle-less, veneered) 11 cubic feet, dual-18" subs in using sheer grunt, with me and a friend taking bottom corners and walking them up the stairs. IIRC they weigh about 15-16' each, and they have nothing to actually grab hold of to move them (bad planning on my part!). However, since then I've slacked off from the gym for ages and am now weeeeeak, and I fear we'll drop them down the stairs and/or do me an injury if we attempt to carry them out. Has anyone got any recommended moving techniques / equipment? The missus alerted me to these, which are apparently rated up to 650lbs(!): http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Moving-Supplies/Moving-Straps-Mover-Bands/Teamstrap-NEW-IMPROVED-Furniture-Moving-Straps but just one single strap underneath seems to invite whatever you're carring to slide out to one side, especially when it's 200lbs+, very dense and very smooth-surfaced... The only other option appears to be one of those stair-climbing trolleys: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Costway-Wheel-Truck-Trolley-Climber/dp/B07676YF5S/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/capacity-trolley-extendable-OT1001-REVIEWS/dp/B00Y3PAD1O/ but the main issue with those is that the subs are too wide to fit down the stairs sideways, meaning only about a third of the box is actually on the bottom tray when it's on it long-ways, making it very unstable and near-impossible to get it leveraged off the actual ground! Perhaps they would be ok with the box tightly strapped to it?? Any recommendations very gratefully received! I for one am firmly now under the philosophy of cutting up subwoofers into smaller ones and just using multiples. 2 single 18's vs 1 double, etc etc. or 3 12's vs one single 18 sorry, that does not help you here 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemX Posted December 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 On 01/12/2017 at 9:39 PM, Kyle said: I for one am firmly now under the philosophy of cutting up subwoofers into smaller ones and just using multiples. 2 single 18's vs 1 double, etc etc. or 3 12's vs one single 18 sorry, that does not help you here LOL No, it doesn't but thank you for replying! In the end we found some fairly thick carpet and slid it under the subs, then slid them down the stairs with a man underneath them to hold the carpet in place and control the speed of descent. Worked pretty well! Still got a few dings here and there because, well, it was inevitable, but hopefully they will come back out of storage without too much damage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peniku8 Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 @MemXI love anything that distributes weight across your body evenly, like a good backpack would. I use round slings to move heavy stuff. I built the SKHorn in the basement so I had to move it up a staircase. There is a motorized crane above it, which is good for payloads up to 5000lbs, so I didn't have to worry about it, but moving large MDF sheets has proven to work really well with a round sling over the shoulder, like you'd carry a bag. I moved a 100lbs sheet of MDF like that with ease (with a friend ofc). Straps especially help with unwieldy things like big subs with no handles 🙃 Just secure it well so that it doesn't slip off. You don't want a 150lbs sub to become loose halfway up the stairs. Especially not if you're the person further down the staircase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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