Moving My Oven, the miniseries. Part 1 - Introduction

[waitingtocook]

Welcome to what I imagine will be a major miniseries centered around moving my 47 inch low vault Pompeii style oven.

I hope this is the right place to post this. If not, let me know.

To set the scene, I built my igloo style 47 inch oven a few years back, and love it to bits. However, I am only renting my current house from a friend, and will soon be leaving. I am building a house just outside of Geelong, Victoria, and have decided instead of leaving my oven where it is or dismantling it, to move it the 80 km odd to my new place.

I originally built my oven with transport in mind. It is constructed on a wooden base with a pallet like set up under the hearth, allowing me to get a forklift in and under to lift it.

Now, this all won't be happening for a few months, but I thought I'd start the brainstorming process and invite suggestions or ideas of anyone.

The basic scenario as I imagine it will be as follows:
1.) Construct a new, permanent block stand at the new house.
2.) Hire a forklift a and a truck big enough to support the oven
3.) Lift said oven onto truck with forklift and transport to new house
4.) Use forklift to lift oven off of truck and onto new base
5.) Complete new base/enclosure to secure the old hearth.

Ideally to keep costs down, I'd love a truck that could carry both the oven and the forklift I hire for the day, so I could transport the forklift which I've paid for, and not have to hire another one closer to the new house. This of course raises the issues of getting the forklift onto the truck. Tilt tray or ramps? Any help?

So at this stage, does anyone know of a good forklift hire place? Or a truck hire place other than those in the yellow pages (which are rather pedestrian)? My Dad used to drive big rigs so has the appropriate license to drive the size of truck I'm thinking of. Forklift license may be a different issue, I may have to ask a mate who knows a guy who knows a guy etc etc.

So to sum up, I'm in the planning stages at the moment. Trying to conceive every possible scenario. I know there are others out there who have attempted to transport an oven, either successfully or not. Let me know what you think you did wrong, as much as what you did right.

Photos and more info to come, closer to moving date.

Cheers,

Nicko

[TropicalCoasting]

How do you get the pallet out from under the dome.

I suggest a ceremonial burning of the pallet as you watch the dome slowly descend and perfectly come to rest on its foundations with ash and flames cascading out in a well synchronised manoeuvre set to music.

* far more theatrical than jacks

[waitingtocook]

Hey Tropical,

I had thought about that. Under the dome is not a 'full' pallet, simply a few cross beams to allow enough space for the fork lift tines.

What I imagine I will do is leave spaces in the new base where when the hearth is lowered onto it, the cross beams slot into, and the exposed hearth becomes supported itself on the new stand. Then I can ceremoniously burn the beams away Then fill the gaps.

Or perhaps I'll knock them free and ceremoniously burn them inside the oven. As far as music goes, Carmina Burana 'O Fortuna' seems fitting, if a little dramatic.

[Lburou]

Do you have pictures, or, are you posting the move on youtube?

[buckeyebreadman]

I Really wanna see this move..........pics please!!!

[waitingtocook]

There will be pics, rest assured. A lot of pics. Like I said tho, I'm only at the planning stage at the moment. I am designing the new stand at the moment, and will soon post some sketchup drawings and photos of the current situation so you can all get a better idea what I'm proposing.

[brickie in oz]

I have a feeling it will all just collapse into a pile of rubble, especially if the oven has been fired before.
The adhesion between the bricks will have been compromised with the heat and as soon as you start to jiggle it........

It would be quicker to knock down and rebuild.
And I want to see a vid of it too....

[TropicalCoasting]

I would be calling Monster Moves to film it.

[waitingtocook]

Crumble it may Al, only time will tell! But now I'm hooked on the idea of trying to move it, and if it works, hurrah! If it crumbles, then I get to rebuild! Hurrah again!

You have got me thinking about how to make the oven as secure as possible whilst in transit, not so it doesn't fall of the truck, but more so it has no opportunity to flex too much. I was thinking about putting some suspension underneath it on the truck some how. Perhaps some old tyres ?

Nicko

[brickie in oz]

Originally Posted by waitingtocook

Perhaps some old tires?

Nicko

Some what?