Curbside Delivery

[John Quincy]

Just spoke with the Allied Vanline driver and my new tub will be delivered tomorrow (Monday) morning at 8 am.

Scenario:

The packed weight of the tub is 690 pounds.

It is packed on a standard pallet upright (it will be tall and as wide as the pallet).

There are some slight inclines, particularly the drive, and slight tilts.

It snowed yesterday (Saturday) but I shoveld and it has almosted completely cleared the cement and driveway. The snow on the grass is a couple inches and crunchy.

The driver said he would be willing to try wheeling it into my backyard on a pallet jack provided I supply two pieces of plywood to put on the ground to keep the jack from sinking in the turf. We will do a plywood relay until we reach the cement patio.

Here are pictures of the obstacle course into my pack yard:

First obstacle, the gate (It is 42 inches so I am assuming that I will have to dismantle the fence. It looks like it will involve a few nut and bolt plus knocking the top cross bar off):

Second obstacle, the terrace (tip to myself: empty bird batch before water freezes next time) :

Questions:

Should I just use a moving service to get it from the curb to my backyard (plywood and tipping the driver will probably cost a bit)?

If not, is two people enough (I do not know if the driver is alone) just to wheel it into my backyard? I can probably get one or two guys from work to come over in the morning.

After we get it into the backyard, I need to get it off the pallet and lay it down. I plan on doing this later when I can rustle up a crew of friends. At 690 pounds shipping weight/520 pounds spa empty weight, how many guys do I need (4, 5, less or more)?

Your suggestions would be most appreciated.

[RickJ]

Use the driver to get the tub into your back yard. Tip him well. It's Christmas, and he could use the money. Plus, the tip will much cheaper than the damage to your hot tub, or the medical bills if you were to drop the tub trying to move it yourself.

Get some friends/coworkers to help get it into your yard. You'll want some people to help push the tub, and some other people to help move the plywood sheets. Besides, by having coworkers help, you can show off your tub.

Not sure how to tip the tub and place it in your yard. Have lots of help, and use some wood blocks to brace the bottom edge of the tub against something solid (like your house) while you are tipping it. That way, the bottom of the tub won't suddenly slide out away from you, causing your tub to drop.

[Chas]

Hire a pro. You will never regret it.

Correct tools and experience with moving the exact item you have.

[John Quincy]

The driver with Allied Van lines had a lot of experience moving tubs. He was very helpful and got a hefty tip for all his assistance getting the tub through the backyard and onto our patio. With a buddy and myself relaying plywood in front of him and keeping the tub steady, we got it in place with just a little bit of effort in no time flat.

The next step will be laying the tub down long ways. I just spoke with the manufacturer and they said that most of the weight is already on the pallet as all the heavy equipment is packed pallet side down. They said four people should be fine for laying it down. I plan on having six people just in case.

Thanks for the suggestion about bracing. I will probably have the extra two people brace it to make sure the ground end does not slide when we are tilting the tub to the ground.

The electrician is coming tomorrow to replace the whole current hook up from the prior owner. The current wiring is 8/3 and the specs call for 6/3 for my tub. The electrician is where I am taking the biggest unexpected hit. The previous owner did not install things according to my mfg specs or in a way that can pass inspections. The electrician has quoted $630 to scrap and replace everything to standard, which appears to be a pretty good deal.

With a little luck, my family may be in the tub for an early Christmas in the next few days.

[Archie]

worst case use 3'' pvc pipes (cheap) and roll the spa onto them. It work fine on soft ground. you may have to shovel the snow to the ground

N.B.; you might want to use 2x6s to give a flat rolling surface underneath the tub so you wont damage its surface.

But hireing a pro is the wisest way !!!

[John Quincy]

The pvc pipe with 2X6's is a good suggestion especially if one does not have a pallet jack handy. Fortunately, I was prepared with the plywood so the truck driver was happy to wheel it into my back yard. He said the biggest mistake people make is not having any plywood and then wanting him to wheel tubs across turf.

The mfg was right about it taking four (grown men) people to lay the tub down. It was not a strain at all. My tub is 350 gallons, packed weight 690 pounds, empty weight 550 pounds (most of the weight such as pumps was already ground side down).

Mission accomplished:

My biggest problem was getting my chain link fence re-attached. There was no way I could stretch the fence enough to re-attached the brackets that hold the fence to the post by hand (think two grown men pulling using a shovel handle). The tool used to do this by fence pros was quite expensive ($48). I was finally able to do it quite easily using some spare rope and my wife's '91 Camry Wagon:

Close up shot:

Long action shot:

Next up, the electrician then pool supply store for chemicals.

Thank you again for the advice.

[Chas]

My biggest problem was getting my chain link fence re-attached. There was no way I could stretch the fence enough to re-attached the brackets that hold the fence to the post by hand (think two grown men pulling using a shovel handle). The tool used to do this by fence pros was quite expensive ($48). I was finally able to do it quite easily using some spare rope and my wife's '91 Camry Wagon.

That's how my brother-in-law snaps his pants every morning.