Jake the dog man Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 … Ok… color me confused… If you already know you need to stand the tub on one side to get through the door… shouldn’t you just build a frame to mount to that side? The tub will be empty so it just needs to be lifted from one side, much like many professional tub moving dollies. If I have missed the whole point here, using $9 furniture dollies to move your full tub around has bad idea all over it. I’m not worried about the dolly, but tweeking the tub. A more reasonable idea, much safer & almost as cheap would be to cut 2” wide bands of ¾” Teflon in 8’ bands. Use these as runners, then just remove/store them when not being used. You will not being moving the tub full, so make it easy on yourself, your floor & your door frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeffreak Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 My wife likes to continually move furniture around (naturally, I have to do the heavy lifting)..... We have a patio table with 4 chairs; big stainless grill; two rocker lounge chairs; large live plants; cable TV; wireless computer table.... and soon, the Hot Tub.... So..."versatile space" is desirable.... There's your problem. Ditch the chairs, plants and computer table. Move the cable TV right in front of the tub where you can see it from the lounger. Put the grill on one side. Put a beer fridge on the table, right up against the other side. Tell her to take it or leave it, the tub ain't moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin777 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 ... If you already know you need to stand the tub on one side to get through the door…... Yes...I think you are missing the point/question. I'm paying for the regular 3-man moving team to move the tub from where they originally put it 2 years ago...to now be about 5 feet away INSIDE the new screened room. The issue is, do I have them put it in place on the concrete floor....and be locked to that location... or, do I have them sit it on the seven dollies.... ... Tell her.... ROFLMAO...... You must NOT be married.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeffreak Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 ... If you already know you need to stand the tub on one side to get through the door…... Yes...I think you are missing the point/question. I'm paying for the regular 3-man moving team to move the tub from where they originally put it 2 years ago...to now be about 5 feet away INSIDE the new screened room. The issue is, do I have them put it in place on the concrete floor....and be locked to that location... or, do I have them sit it on the seven dollies.... ... Tell her.... ROFLMAO...... You must NOT be married.... I'm married, and if I tried that I'd have a dent the shape of a frying pan in my head. But I can live vicariously through you :D Back on topic- if you try this (and you have a real level floor), I'd take 3-4 2x6's and mount to the bottom of the tub, and get a qty of good plate swivel casters that could hold the weight of the full tub + occupants + 20% margin or so. I think you'll find that qty and/or quality of casters required to support this weight won't be cheap. The moving dolly stuff prob won't hold up over time with 24x7 load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin777 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 .... prob won't hold up over time with 24x7 load. OK...that's probably the strongest caveat so far... Had NOT given much thought to the sustained 24x7..... (compared to just rolling around a refrigerator or piano.... and then removing the dollies...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackenzie3 Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Wow so part of me wants you to do it and take pictures. But I think you should really consider the pros & cons. While the flexibility of a "portable" tub sounds great isn't the risk of a crack in the tub dumping 225 gallons of water in your new room a pretty big con? I am not a structural engineer but without being 200% confident in your frame I would be very concerned that one night you will wake to the sound of one of those dollies cracking one corner dropping onto the concrete and tub with a large crack in it. Just imagine how happy that would make the wife. But maybe i'm just overly worried. Good luck either way. Also someones post made me think. Why wheels, maybe rails would be more stable. You could built a wooden pad on rails that slid from one side of the room to the other. In theory that would be like putting the tub on a "deck" which I know people do. Or maybe just build a "deck" set it on the floor. And when you want to move the tub, jack it up slide your dollies under and move it. Not as "easy" but seems much less risky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptones Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Mine is a 200 gallon tub and it's sitting on a deck made from 5/4x6 planks with 2x6 supports on 16" ( I think) centers. Why not just make a base for the thing? You can buy casters made for such use online - I bought some last year that were rated for 200lbs each and they were like 60 bucks for 8 casters. A hundred bucks worth of casters and enough treated wood to make an 8x8 pedestal would set you back maybe 300 bucks, and seems like it would be a lot more reliable than the contraption you've been talking about. And I just cannot resist any longer the urge to ask: if you put a hot tub on wheels, does that make them hot wheels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDfromTN Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 OR, Scrap the wheels idea. Get 2-4X8 sheets of polypropylene (sp) (or as needed for the foot print of the tub with a little extra) and set the tub on them. Before doing so.... either drill some good size holes in the ends for straps to attach or devise a handle system. Then you can slid the tub around the room on the plastic as needed This way your tub only sits 1/8 inch higer than normal and no need to get bigger steps and no worries about overhead clearance or wheels failing. Just a thought I came up with since I used this material to move my tub. Worked great. check out videos from Spa Sled, and or Slick mover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin777 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Wow so part of me wants you to do it and take pictures..... maybe just build a "deck" set it on the floor. And when you want to move the tub, jack it up slide your dollies under and move it. ..... I know....I'd like to at least TRY it... BUT I only have the movers for about a half hour at 10am Central this Saturday.... if I go the dolly route...and then later that day realize I've made a mistake... I've got a problem... The "deck" idea is interesting.... IF I ever move it, it would only be a few times each year probably.... ... if you put a hot tub on wheels, does that make them hot wheels? ... LOL !! =================================================================== * * * REDNECK HOT TUB * * * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin777 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 OR, Scrap the wheels idea. Get 2-4X8 sheets of polypropylene..... THANKS.... This is one of the best alternatives yet.... HOWEVER, I just paid $1,000 yesterday to get the new concrete sealed, pepper-spray-coated, and cool-deck-epoxy colored.... It's "curing" now with fans blowing on it, so it can be walked on Saturday when they bring the hot tub in..... SO... the "sliding across the floor" would probably mess up the finish on the floor.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awoodman Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I got a pair of the dollys Harbour Freight carries to put my pop-up camper on and the wheels were to poor quality to roll it arround ,and they were suposed to be for cars. What a joke.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDfromTN Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 OR, Scrap the wheels idea. Get 2-4X8 sheets of polypropylene..... THANKS.... This is one of the best alternatives yet.... HOWEVER, I just paid $1,000 yesterday to get the new concrete sealed, pepper-spray-coated, and cool-deck-epoxy colored.... It's "curing" now with fans blowing on it, so it can be walked on Saturday when they bring the hot tub in..... SO... the "sliding across the floor" would probably mess up the finish on the floor.... Hmmmm Then how if this finish is not dry will you avoid damage to it? If you have them roll it in and place it on the dollies, Wont the wheels possibly cause bad spots in the finish??? I dont know just asking.... If the finish will be cured enought to place something on it but not slide then have the movers place it on the Poly and leave it sit. OR, possibly just have them sit it on the floor with nothing. under it until the floor finish completely cures. Then use a lever and lift one side of the tub at a time and slide the poly under it later. When I place my tub, I use 2 pieces of 1" PVC conduit. I was able to roll the tub one direction with NO problem and slide the tub the other with a little effort. (For final placement after the wiring was connected) I then used a 2X4 board and a small block of 2X4 and lift one side of the tub and slide the PVC right out, no assistance needed from others. Then moved to the other side and did the same thing. This was while the tub was empty. If all else fails. Maybe, have the movers place it where you "think" "she" wants it and leave it there until the first drain. Then put it on the poly and slide it where ever she wants it later..... Keep us posted at to what you do and how it works! Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awitowsk Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I am with the nay sayers on the dollies. For both the logistics and safety of the tub. In my lab I have tried dollies under water tanks. It worked OK under a 55 gal tank. All the wheels bulged a little over time, but we could still move it. Under a 150 gal tank they squished out a lot over the first month (to ovals) and the idea was scrapped. Also moving water was much more difficult than thought due to it sloshing. You should be draining the tub periodically anyway, just plan the moving for then. Use any of the suggestions or even cut 1" pvc pipe into rollers. Just keep putting them in front of the tub and it rolls slick as on a conveyor belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin777 Posted October 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 ...You should be draining the tub periodically anyway, just plan the moving for then. ... This makes sense. Hmmmm Then how if this finish is not dry will you avoid damage to it? ... It is dry now (after 2 days of fans blowing on it). It will be CURED by when the movers get here Saturday morning. The "concrete coating company" said to avoid "SLIDING" anything on it..... "rubber rollers" would be OK... have the movers place it where you "think" "she" wants it and leave it there until the first drain. Then put it on the poly and slide it where ever she wants it later..... Good Luck THIS is the best suggestion so far for what to do Saturday morning. (I can always do something else later....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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