Simple Rollers To Move 12 Ton Boiler

Agreed. Some narrow strips will probably suffice, and they can be greased.

And if you want to keep away from the mess of the grease, use bar soap for lubrication.

That's an interesting thought. Is it significantly more slippery than steel on steel?

Of course. That is why it has been suggested above.

4 of these may work

Northern Industrial Tools Machinery Mover - 12-Ton Capacity, 360° Rotation

Item# 142257

I would go with dollies...and use the hand winch and pulleys to steer and assist in moving....Jack up the machine on the end facing out, insert the rollers so that most of the weight is supported by the dollies, and the far end is sliding on the angle iron, possibly with 1/4" thick UHMW strips, if necessary....push the boiler into place, jack it up and remove the dollies....

http://moveheavystuff.com/#moving

http://moveheavystuff.com/#lifting

Build a hard surface outside from the entrance to the container up to the length of the boiler.Place steel bars(threaded, about 3/4inch dia)under the boiler as well as inside the container and push it inside. If not moving, fix a chainblock outside the container on rear side, send wire rope through an opening in container and pull it.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am familiar with skates, that's how we shift this sort of thing when it's outside the container.

The objective this time is to put something permanently in place so that the boiler can be readily shifted back to allow swinging room for maintenance purposes. It doesn't have to slide right out, just enough to open the end. Skates would certainly do the job but would require jacking the boiler every time. This could lead to problems with pipework as it's all quite tight.

The UHMW sheeting sounds like a good idea, if it's considerably slipperier than steel on steel. Simple and effective. This boiler can be manually shifted steel on steel, but it's hard work. It's not going to be shifted out every day, but it will be at least once a year. There's quite a bit of work involved disconnecting flanges etc, so anything to make the job easier has to be a good thing.

UHWM is good, you probably want to go with a prelubed UHMW.

What about making an air bearing? Put rectangular or square tubing to act as runners; have a bunch of small holes in one side; close ends and arrange to pressurize with shop air. This should make it move easily.

You beat me to it. My first thought was the rollers, but then you have the (apparent) issue of installing and removing them. If air bearings would work, you just turn off the air to set the boiler down.

Air bearings sounds a very elegant solution. It appeals to me.

My concern is the volume of air required. The surface area is there, just with the standard rails (channel iron on edge). but I don't think our air system could supply the volume, at the pressure needed.

How hard would it be to cut the sides of the container back 3 or more feet on each side.

That way, you could simply fold the side doors open for service.

For normal access,open the regular doors.

That way you don't have to move the boiler,disconnect piping, etc.

Great savings on labor and time when servicing.

Think outside of the container.

Allow me to clarify my previous post a bit:

After cutting the sides back, install metal framing and hinges so that the sides may be opened like doors for access to the boiler for maintenance.

Sorry I was so vague in my previous post.

Well done. You've actually pinged Plan B!

We wouldn't even need to cut the sides back, just use a container that opened both ends. The reason we haven't is that there's other stuff mounted up the closed end, both inside and out, which can't go on a side wall (width considerations when transporting).

It is possible that most maintenance will be able to be done at the end that can be opened in situ and moving will be a rare event, but it wouldn't do to count on this so I'm assuming annually.

Try some 100 roller chain on the floor. Several lengths and it will roll right in. Install it so that it will roll on both the floor and the bottom of the boiler. You can also use 2 inch pipe guided by your angle iron in a manner that they roll as the boiler goes in, adding them in front of the boiler as you go. I have moved many things with both of these techniques and they work.

RL Hurd

Sorry if this is a silly question, but don't the side plates on roller chain sit up higher than the rollers? Or is it possible to get chain where the rollers stand proud?

Yes, I think there are configurations with larger rollers than side plates, probably double-pitch.

Very interesting. A quick Google produced carrier roller chain. I was going to put the link (oops, sorry!) in but obviously I don't know the correct technique. Right click and paste doesn't work so I'm not trying any harder.

HKK chain; they list chain where the roller diameter exceeds the side plate height. Useful stuff indeed for those shifting heavy objects.