01-13-2012, 07:58 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MarkP
I recently moved a 40' high cube steel container about 100' sideways over some ripped ground. I started off with a pair of 12 ton bottle jacks and a come-a-long. I wold jack one end up several inches then use the come-a-long to make it fall off the jacks in the direction I wanted. It was pretty much as bad as it sounds. I tried rolling floor jacks on metal channels but the twisting action of moving one end at a time broke 2 jacks. I eventually graduated to skidding the container on the flat webs of the steel channels which were supported on 2 4 x 10s which were themselves supported on strips of gravel fill to make up for the uneven ground. Essential to the success of the operation were the presence of a conveniently located ohia stump and a 1 1/2 ton chain hand winch. I now think I know how the pyramids were built and believe me it took a long time and involved a lot of slave labor.
When I got it where I wanted it I used the two jacks, one on each side, and lifted each end far enough to slide those 18" x 18" x 6" foundation blocks under each corner. I got another layer of blocks in by retracting the jacks and putting them on top of more concrete or wood blocks. You could go up indefinitely this way but the piles of blocks, being built up of many pieces, would get unstable. To properly support the container so that you could walk under it you should pour solid columns then use a forklift or crane to place the container.
We moved one a short distance (different story than my previous post) by jacking it up off the ground and sliding greased metal pipes underneath it, then removed the jacks and used a come along to make it slide along the pipes. I've heard of a similar technique using a 4wd vehicle to push or drag instead of the come along.
There's a youtube video of a guy moving a 20 footer over uneven terrain like a mile using a variety of techniques. Come alongs, winches, etc.