Need a tool for lifting a radiator

ansky201 · May 2019

I have a cast iron radiator that needs to be re-pitched because the block of wood that was used previously has cracked. I need a jack (or similar tool) that can fit in the 1-inch gap between the floor and the radiator to raise it up about 1 more inch so I can slide a new block of wood under it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a tool I can use?

hot_rod · May 2019

a crowbar and block of wood?

An inner tube and air pump

STEVEusaPA · May 2019

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/ripping-bars/grizzly-bar
I picked my car up with it when it fell off the jack. I don't know if it was this one, or one a little heavier.
Edit: I actually remember it better. My sister got a flat and was against a tall curb and I couldn't get the jack under the frame. So I used that grizzly bar with a block to lift the car so the jack could be placed in the right spot.

Steve Minnich · May 2019

I got out of the trenches 6 months ago but I never met a radiator that I couldn't lift one side of for at least 15 seconds or so.

RapidRoy · May 2019

I use a ladder and ratchet straps to raise stuff. This way it's held up without rushing. Reset a 5 section oil boiler that had slipped off crappy blocks with a couple of 2 inch straps.

Big Ed_4 · May 2019

Cats paw and wood

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes · May 2019

Good to 300 lbs.

Intplm. · May 2019

Google up "Johnson Bar, or Pry Truck". It looks like this.
Used this tool many times for large heavy objects, radiators, large boiler sections. They can even be used to shift boilers into place.

HydroNiCK · May 2019

brandonf · May 2019

Burke bar. 😎

Steve Minnich · May 2019

I’ve got the pry truck too. One of my favorites tools. I’ve moved 8’ sheet metal brakes with it. It’s a BEAST.

Intplm. · May 2019

@Steve Minnich I gotta tell ya. That pry truck has saved my back many times. Simple , strong and reliable with a great lineage.......must have been invented the the Egyptians , Romans or Greeks.

dobro23 · May 2019

all those lever type things are nice if you have room for prying. i have that win bag that Alan posted but have yet to use it. i have doubts but maybe it will work. the real fix is the cheap porta power kit and the "birds mouth" wedge attachment from harbor freight. you can get it into position anywhere, and makes a one person job out of anything. wont break the bank and comes with a zillion other attachments for the other zillion things that you didn't know you needed it for.

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-ton-Heavy-Duty-Portable-Hydraulic-Equipment-Kit-62115.html

Hvac_artisan · May 2019

I would try something like these
http://nestorbars.com/
I’ve been wanting to get one but haven’t pulled the trigger yet just seems like it would be a handy thing to have much more stable than a standard crowbar because of the double feet allowing you to lift in a controlled fashion. Check out some of videos of the Nestor bar in use, it’s pretty impressive.

Hvac_artisan · May 2019

I have the win bag that Alan mentions. It might do the trick. I’ve only used mine for accessing vehicles when someone locks their keys in their car.

Charlie from wmass · May 2019

2 foot 2x4 on a couple 2x4 blocks. Put blocks near radiator at end 2 sections in from the legs. Kneel on 2x4 lever while you insert the new block.

ethicalpaul · May 2019

Please tell us which if any of these you ended up using, this is becoming an epic thread

Charlie from wmass · May 2019

@ethicalpaul of course it's epic I chimed in. LOL

Seeds · May 2019

With 2 people I usually have a handtruck on hand and use it as a fulcrum, should be plenty of leverage. The second guy to shim it

Learner35 · May 2019

I usually used the handle of my 2' or 3' pipe wrench, depending upon the size of the radiator. Placed it between the legs on the low end, had different sized shims available right there. One man job.

vibert_c · May 2019

@Charlie from wmass
Nothing beats keeping it simple stupid! KISS
you throw away or burn the 2x4 when finished rather than haul it around for 20 years!
vibert_c

Charlie from wmass · May 2019

@vilbert_c nope I carry it around in my truck for years. Lol

Grallert · May 2019

lever and fulcrum? What was it Archimedes said?

VToldHouse · November 30

is a floor jack (for a car) a bad idea?

psb75 · November 30

What Grallert and Archimedes said. I want to say its a no-brainer…but Archie's thinking was pretty key.

mattmia2 · November 30

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1874551#Comment_1874551

car jack probably isn't thin enough unless it is a post/bumper jack with the type of hook that can go right to the floor. not sure why a 6 year old post is popping up right now.

pecmsg · November 30

not sure why a 6 year old post is popping up right now.

AI

psb75 · November 30

Well, the problem is…shall we say…'universal'?

VToldHouse · December 1

well, I’m gonna try a low profile floor jack… just wanted to throw that out here, and see if anyone is alarmed and maybe warns me now to do it. lol thank you

Charlie from wmass · December 1

@VToldHouse car jack is overkill and can damage the floor and break things. Especially if it pushes on a casting nub on the bottom of a weak radiator. Been there done that

mattmia2 · December 1

prybar and a couple wood shingles and some other assorted thickness blocks of wood

VToldHouse · December 1

thanks guys! That’s what I needed to hear.

psb75 · December 1

Properly-sized (length) lever and fulcrum. Simplicity!

Bob Harper · December 4

A Burke bar with a small block of wood is your friend. You could also use those new hand-pumped jacks that are similar to woodworking clamps. They are rated 300lbs. each. You can pump them up to the desired height then let go to use your hands elsewhere.

You can move a truck with a Burke bar or Johnson bar. Just pad the floor contact.

Install directional arrows for steam and condensate.