Hoisting Furniture to the Balcony

[GuyJean]

Hey All,

I'm buying a sofa too large to fit through the front door. I'm planning on hoisting the fucker up to our 4th floor balcony.

I figured I'd need 3 people; two pulling from the balcony. One on the 'guide rope' making sure the sofa doesn't hit my neighbors below.

Has anyone done this before? Is it easy without a pulley system? I figured it wouldn't be too difficult without pulleys; it's only a 60 kg package..

Any 'lessons learned' or advice is appreciated..

Thanks,

GJ

[IkemenTommy]

[quote="GuyJean"]
I figured I'd need 3 people]
So do you need 3 volunteers?

[GuyJean]

So do you need 3 volunteers?

:D I have two.. I'm still determining if this is possible before I ask another.. I'll keep you in mind.

I might check out Tokyu Hands for a pulley mechanism though. Sixty kilos of dead weight at the end of a rope might be too much..

GJ

[American Oyaji]

The best way to do it would be to haul it from the balcony above yours.

That way you could swing it into your balcony instead of trying to bring it up and over the rail.

[GuyJean]

The best way to do it would be to haul it from the balcony above yours.

That way you could swing it into your balcony instead of trying to bring it up and over the rail.

Yeah, I wish.. We're on the top floor.. Also, all doorways are the same size in our 'mansion'.. So if I can't get the beast in my door, I won't be able to in anyone else's..

I have a new plan though. Plan A is to remove the front door, and and take the couch out of the box. I should be able to shimmey the fucker in then.

If that doesn't work, it's Plan B; 'throwing my back out' lifting it over the balcony..

GJ

[Captain Japan]

I think your first worry should be the strength of the railing. There is going to be a lot of downward pressure and friction applied to a small area. Plus you should factor in that you live in a typical crap mansion (no offense). This guy has a pretty good outline:

First, make sure the porch railing is plenty strong and that the door is wide enough for the sofa to be angled through.
I would use 3 people pulling from the top, and one or two below with guide ropes. What I would do is wrap the sofa completely in CLEAN furniture pads or blankets and secure them with twine or packing tape or even a roll of stretch wrap. Go to a home center and get 3 lengths of rope that has a descent tensil strength and have each one twice as long as the balcony railing is high from the ground. 30' to the top of the railing should make for a rope length of at least 60'. Cut two other lengths of rope to be used as guide ropes and these will be tied off on the bottom of the left and right hoist ropes. When the sofa is lifted, someone on the ground will use the ropes to keep the sofa from swinging. Don't pull on these ropes because it just exerts more downward pressure for the people that are pulling up. As the sofa sits on the ground below the balcony (the back of the sofa facing the house), tie a rope around the left side, right side and center. Keep the rope knot just in front of the sofa top edge. If two people can lift the sofa as two people start hoisting it will take a majority of the pulling strain off. Once the two bottom people lift the sofa as high as possible, it should be held there for a minute(by the people on top) while another person runs up to the balcony and grabs the center rope. The person(s) left down below will then grab hold of the guide rope. When the sofa finally reaches the top of the railing, it should be pulled up and onto its back (feet facing over the balcony). Turn the sofa as it lays on its back on the railing. Have plenty of hands on the sofa while doing this. Align it with the sliding doors and tip it over on a 45 degree angle. It will be upside down but that is ok. Just angle it through.

[American Oyaji]

GJ, you misunderstand me. I did not mean for you to take it through your neighbors door. I meant for the floor above you to serve as the fulcrum from which you did your pulling. Once the couch was to the level of your balcony, you could swing it in easier instead of pulling it up and over from your own.

And Captain J brings up a good point and post as usual.

[GuyJean]

GJ, you misunderstand me. I did not mean for you to take it through your neighbors door. I meant for the floor above you to serve as the fulcrum from which you did your pulling. Once the couch was to the level of your balcony, you could swing it in easier instead of pulling it up and over from your own.

Ah, I see.. But unfortunately still, I'm on the top floor, and I can't get on the roof..

And Captain J brings up a good point and post as usual.

:D I was reading the same posts from the same guy]Harry Lipsky[/URL].. He provides a ton of good information on the subject. In fact, it sounds like I can get the couch through the front door.

I knew there would be a way if I removed the thing from the box. I'm ordering from Ikea, and my friend had a bitch of a time trying to convince them the couch he wanted would fit through his door. He ended up getting a different couch..

Anyway, it should be an experience with either Plan A or B..

GJ

[Greji]

Ah, I see.. But unfortunately still, I'm on the top floor, and I can't get on the roof..
GJ

Haul the mother up to the roof. Kick in the roof access door and throw it down to your bacony.

Pop the door. It'll work, but usually the hardest part is navigating it up the stairwell to the upper floors, if your elevator doesn't have a furniture access door.

Call me if you need a body to help carry it! My wife has got a lot of free time

[GuyJean]

Haul the mother up to the roof. Kick in the roof access door and throw it down to your bacony.

Pop the door. It'll work, but usually the hardest part is navigating it up the stairwell to the upper floors, if your elevator doesn't have a furniture access door..

:rofl: 'Elevator'!.. You said 'elevator'!.. ..

The only way I know to get on the roof is through this small, padlocked, submarine-style hatch in the stairwell ceiling near my front door.. I live in the projects, baby!

I think I will pop the door.. I'll make it fit.

GJ

[Captain Japan]

GJ,

A pulley system will help but what do you plan on attaching the pulley to? Certainly the mechanical advantage of the pulley (friction) will assist in hoisting the sofa but you are going to still be needing a mount (or mounts if you use more than one) to support 60 kg. Have you scoped out your balcony for potential locations to affix a pulley?

[Greji]

GJ,

A pulley system will help but what do you plan on attaching the pulley to? Certainly the mechanical advantage of the pulley (friction) will assist in hoisting the sofa but you are going to still be needing a mount (or mounts if you use more than one) to support 60 kg. Have you scoped out your balcony for potential locations to affix a pulley?

To include on the ceiling of the balcony!

[GuyJean]

A pulley system will help but what do you plan on attaching the pulley to? Certainly the mechanical advantage of the pulley (friction) will assist in hoisting the sofa but you are going to still be needing a mount (or mounts if you use more than one) to support 60 kg. Have you scoped out your balcony for potential locations to affix a pulley?

The railing looks fairly sturdy; There are multiple large bolts at each end, and the metal itself looks to be embedded into the concrete.. I've hung and crawled up on it a few times before when I forgot my keys; I'm pretty sure it'll hold.. But that has now become my Plan C.

Plan A is to use Lipsky's shimmy guidance to shove something large into something small through the front door.

Plan B is to remove the front door and shimmy..

Plan C is Hoisting

GJ

[halfnip]

GJ,

The delivery crew won't do anything for you here? In my case, although it was not a sofa from IKEA, we had a HUGE ass sofa---and I mean fucking huge and the delivery guys were smart enough to bring a hoist with them. They had to hoist it up from the side of the house, but they were able to get it in. This was at the in-laws and it was only a 2 story house, but there was no way that fucker was going in through the front door then up the narrow ass staircase, so a hoist was the only way to go.

A hoist all the way up to the 4th floor, eh? I figure the guys who specialize in piano's would do the trick, but if you figure you can shimmy it through the front door--great.

I just got a huge ass dresser from IKEA and was up until 3am putting that bitch together. Hands bleeding and all... I hate their "3 box" delivery system, BTW. But that should be saved for a whole new thread...

Good luck!

[halfnip]

[quote="GuyJean"]I've hung and crawled up on it a few times before when I forgot my keys]

Hahhahaha!

[Captain Japan]

[quote="GuyJean"]I've hung and crawled up on it a few times before when I forgot my keys]
And this was after how many beers?

[Taro Toporific]

Plan C is Hoisting

If I was back home in Colorado, I would just use the winch on my 4x4 pickup truck.
IF you have real rope (ideally a climbing rope and a few carbiners) I could stop by with my car, clip onto the towing loop under my bumper, and pull it up in a flash.

The other thing you could to is just rent a small construction winch (yes there are equipment rental places in Tokyo even your neighborhood---just fewer than the "Real World"). With a small electric construction winch you could do the job yourself.

[Charles]

You know, I saw an antique photo of Irish rowhouses, they were all built with big windows on the upper floors, so you could haul furniture in. Each home came with a wooden ramp, you could store it in the attic, it ran the whole length of the house. I thought that was pretty clever.

[GomiGirl]

We lifted the sofa in the bar through the window as it wouldn't fit in the door. We did it with 4 people and it was still tricky. The hard thing is the upward movement but we didn't have a rope and we had wires and dodgey lights on really old falling down buildings to contend with.

It went up in three movements. Up on its end long wise, then up to the person on the top of a step ladder who pushed it to balance on the window in the bar. Then the people from the ground ran up to the bar to help with the final lift through the window.

Once we had a plan it didn't take so long at all.. but again, no rope and deadweight - it was in our interest to be quick.

[American Oyaji]

[quote="GuyJean"]:rofl: 'Elevator'!.. You said 'elevator'!.. .. ]

If it don't fit, force it.

[Greji]

If it don't fit, force it.

Don't ya mean "Wad it up and shove it in"?

[American Oyaji]

Don't ya mean "Wad it up and shove it in"?

No.

I mean apply all the lube and push..

...HARD

And if it squeals or screams, you're doing it wrong.

[GuyJean]

Thanks all for the information! It's exactly what I needed - recommendations, personal experiences, sexual innuendoes..

And this was after how many beers?

Unfortunately, it was always after work. The neighborhood grandmas let me climb from their balconies, adjacent to my place.. They thought it was 'exciting'.

If I was back home in Colorado, I would just use the winch on my 4x4 pickup truck.
IF you have real rope (ideally a climbing rope and a few carbiners) I could stop by with my car, clip onto the towing loop under my bumper, and pull it up in a flash.

The other thing you could to is just rent a small construction winch (yes there are equipment rental places in Tokyo even your neighborhood---just fewer than the "Real World"). With a small electric construction winch you could do the job yourself.

Yeah, I was thinking of running the rope through my apartment and out the kitchen window, back down to the parking lot on the other side of building. Tying it off to a rental car and slowly backing up.. But a bit too complex and expensive in these parts.

Once we had a plan it didn't take so long at all.. but again, no rope and deadweight - it was in our interest to be quick.

Yeah, quick is key for me as well.. I'm just going to 'do', then apologize later if it's wrong..

The delivery crew won't do anything for you here? In my case, although it was not a sofa from IKEA, we had a HUGE ass sofa---and I mean fucking huge and the delivery guys were smart enough to bring a hoist with them.

Ikea won't hoist past the second floor. Above the second 'requires a special truck with crane.'..

Thanks again for the info! I'm hoping I can get it through the front door. But if I can't, I'll use everyone's advice and let you know how it went.. So if I fail, it's your fault!

GJ

[Doctor Stop]

If you lived in Okinawa, I'd simply recommend loading the sofa up in a US Marine Corps helicopter and waiting until it crashes into your building. If your building isn't destroyed by the impact, it will most likely leave a large gaping hole in the roof through which you can easily lower in your sofa.

[dimwit]

Throwing furniture off of the 4th floor much more fun than getting it up there especially if you time for when passerbys happen to be approaching.

[Iraira]

You did pretty well here. The first twenty or so messages were actually helpful advice, but now it's disintegrating (most likely due to massive ethanol consumption).

My (not so) helpful advice: I vote for getting a big ass WWII howitzer and....you get the point.

[amdg]

Yeah, you totally need to build a trebuchet and lauch that sucka into the window.

[Greji]

Thanks all for the information! It's exactly what I needed - recommendations, personal experiences, sexual innuendoes..
GJ

If you got the heavy steel, or wood type doors, they are relatively easy to drop off and you normally don't have to worry about shims and the like, when you hang it back on. You may have to stand the sofa on end naname to get it in, but that is usually the easiest.

Originally Posted by GG- it was in our interest to be quick.

The only reason GG was in a hurry was that the sofa was from Midnight Auto Supply and Furnishings and they had to get it under cover before the heat saw it!

[Oradea]

Well, in 2007, the japanese preferred method for moving large items, has been to chop them up with an axe, and move them seperately around in black bags. I appreciate you might not want to do this to your new sofa, so I have some non Japanese suggestions:

1)Get a refund on the Sofa, and use the cash to move to an apartment with wider doors.

2)Sofas arent made in one piece, they are several pieces joined together, get the manufacturer to seperate it for ya, and then rejoin it all!!

3)Just go ahead and rip off the door.

4)Screw the couch, get a bean bag, you know you wanna.

If you are gonna go ahead and hoist it over the Balcony, remember to have a coupla beers first, should make it easier to estimate the weight, rate of ascent and angle. Super.

[Greji]

2)Sofas arent made in one piece, they are several pieces joined together, get the manufacturer to seperate it for ya, and then rejoin it all!!

That is a really good point. Now that I'm sober (reasonably), I recall a sofa moving job several years ago.

If you flop that baby upside down, you can usual find that the back is attached with four bolts (usually). They normally have two on the side and two on the bottom frame. If you pop those off, the back comes off, you slip it through the door and put it together. Just like changing a tire.

Mine took a little longer, because I had to tell my wife how to use the rachets and wrenchs, but she got it in pretty fast. I'm not sure how long it took because I was out of beer and since she was busy, had to actually go get one out of the fridge me self!