Question About Driveway Drop-off

[mike p]

My hot tub is coming in two weeks and it will be dropped off at my driveway. Obviously I will try to bribe the driver to help me carry it to the back yard and up 5 stairs to my deck. But what if there is only 1 driver. Can two people carry a 650 lb hot tub? I guess I could get some neighbors to help too. What are some options I have to get it into my backyard?

[felix6]

My hot tub is coming in two weeks and it will be dropped off at my driveway. Obviously I will try to bribe the driver to help me carry it to the back yard and up 5 stairs to my deck. But what if there is only 1 driver. Can two people carry a 650 lb hot tub? I guess I could get some neighbors to help too. What are some options I have to get it into my backyard?

An appliance dolly will work if you have a good surface to roll it on to get to the deck. With a little help you should be able to get it up the stairs on it also. You can usually rent them at a U-Haul dealer or similar. Make sure it is a commercial dolly rated for large appliances. A furniture dolly will also work but would be harder to get up the stairs. You will need to cover the stairs with plywood for this. Good luck.

[RickJ]

This looks like a pretty good article about moving a hot tub.

http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/setup.htm

Use a piano dolly, or something like that to take it across the lawn. Then you'll need several people, and probably some lifting straps, to help you get it up on the deck.

Can your deck handle the weight of the filled tub? Or are you sinking it in the deck, and placing it on a pad underneath?

[mike p]

This looks like a pretty good article about moving a hot tub.

http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/setup.htm

Use a piano dolly, or something like that to take it across the lawn. Then you'll need several people, and probably some lifting straps, to help you get it up on the deck.

Can your deck handle the weight of the filled tub? Or are you sinking it in the deck, and placing it on a pad underneath?

Thanks for the link. No we are placing it on the deck We have 4 concrete re-inforced pillars, it can hold an F-150.

[biggz]

This looks like a pretty good article about moving a hot tub.

http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/setup.htm

Use a piano dolly, or something like that to take it across the lawn. Then you'll need several people, and probably some lifting straps, to help you get it up on the deck.

Can your deck handle the weight of the filled tub? Or are you sinking it in the deck, and placing it on a pad underneath?

Thanks for the link. No we are placing it on the deck We have 4 concrete re-inforced pillars, it can hold an F-150.

'mike p', Mike, that's a pretty heavy truck. I paid $100 to get it from the curb to the back. I had to move it onto the porch with my neighbors help, but if I was better prepared ahead of time, those fellows would have probably moved it there instead. Going up steps maybe a little more, Say maybe $150?

[RickJ]

This looks like a pretty good article about moving a hot tub.

http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/setup.htm

Use a piano dolly, or something like that to take it across the lawn. Then you'll need several people, and probably some lifting straps, to help you get it up on the deck.

Can your deck handle the weight of the filled tub? Or are you sinking it in the deck, and placing it on a pad underneath?

Thanks for the link. No we are placing it on the deck We have 4 concrete re-inforced pillars, it can hold an F-150.

Just making sure. I'd hate to hear about your hot tub full of people falling through the deck.

If your deck can only hold an F-150, it might be too weak. An F-150 weighs around 4,000 lbs. One gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs. Multiply that by 500 gallons (not sure how many gallons your tub holds, taking a guess) and you get 4170 lbs of water. Now, add in the 650 lbs that the tub weighs, and a couple of people, and you get over 5,000 lbs. Plus, all of this weight is concentrated in an 8'x8' area of your deck. Not trying to be a dink, but you should make sure that the deck can support the weight of the tub, plus all of the people inside.

[Flyonthewall]

the appliance dolly idea sounds alright but the blades on those don't protrude much. on a spa with rounded corners you might not get a firm enough grip. the 4 wheel dolly is the only way i've ever moved them (crane sometimes). try to get another guy to help if you can. going up the stairs it would be a big help to have 2 sets of legs driving the spa with one person on top guiding and pulling. the 3rd person can also help shuffle plywood which makes everything quicker. be safe out there.

[Flyonthewall]

point/counterpoint the F150 concentrates all its weight on the bottom of 4 tires. probably no more than 10-20 sq. ft. a good spa supports the weight evenly. i've seen huge spas full rate at 115 lbs. that being said reinforcement is still a great idea. like the delivery better safe than sorry.