A design challenge for you all...

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RAF
RAF
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Joined: 05 Jan 2004, 01:54
Location: UK

A design challenge for you all...

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I know a lot of you are very technical people and very intelligent and I am requesting your help.

At our workplace they have decided that we sell solid oak furniture. It is both very heavy and awkward to handle. We have complained time and again about the health and safety implications of lifting such heavy weights. Some of the items are nearly 100kg in a box, such as this....
Image

The problem is that due to their size and weight they have to be delivered in our transit van. Now the company can only send two people out in a transit van and due to Health and Safety we are only meant to lift 25kg per person. So how do two people lift nearly 100kg safely?

I have been given the task of finding or making a tool/trolley that will allow us to transport this furniture into peoples houses with the minimum of lifting. I've looked at 'Piano Movers' but at over £400 they are far too expensive and I was thinking more of pneumatic casters rather than fixed wheels so the items can be turned with ease. I have decided that the tool will have to be built by ourselves.

So we are looking for a simple dolly design that has big wheels, easy to turn, will go over grass/gravel. easy to get up a step (i.e. to get into the door!)

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated by my back. Simple drawings will do.

sticky667
sticky667
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Joined: 09 Mar 2009, 21:33

Re: A design challenge for you all...

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Image

something like this?

Tufty
Tufty
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Joined: 07 Feb 2011, 15:57

Re: A design challenge for you all...

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sticky667 wrote:Image

something like this?
Might i suggest using that as a base and simply putting bigger wheels on it, so as to bring the actual trolley up to the height of the back of the Transit [height measured when your heaviest object is in the back of the van, then the only height deficit is a slight drop out of the van onto the trolley] or perhaps even a ratcheted trolley so the height can be altered for different weights lowering the rear of the van differently.

Yes I know it was poorly explained, but I hope you get the idea.
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars, thinking "where the hell is the ceiling?!"

RAF
RAF
0
Joined: 05 Jan 2004, 01:54
Location: UK

Re: A design challenge for you all...

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Well so far I have managed to purchase 8 6inch casters with solid rubber wheels. I intend to mount these to two planks of wood so I have two dolly's. It should still be as manoeuvrable. coupled to this I have bought a pair of forearm lifting straps so we are not lifting the weight at floor level. The idea is that one the weight is on the dolly, we put the straps between the wheels so when we lift, we also lift the wheels.

Construction starts tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes...

The idea of two dolly's rather than one is that it should make it easier to get up a step or door jam. The lifting straps (forearm forklifts from amazon ) should reduce bending down and picking heavy weights from floor height.

Getting them in the van once they are wheeled should not be a problem as our transit is a luton box tail van with a tail ramp.

User avatar
747heavy
24
Joined: 06 Jul 2010, 21:45

Re: A design challenge for you all...

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well, if you don´t need to lift the furniture out of the van, there is no need for this (pneumatic race car lifters)

Image

otherwise, I had a combination between the lifter and this in mind, to help "climbing steps and stairs".

Image
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but maybe you want to consider these "wheels".

Image

looks like a smart idea to me, maybe you find something which you find useful for your application
www.rotacaster.com.au
"Make the suspension adjustable and they will adjust it wrong ......
look what they can do to a carburetor in just a few moments of stupidity with a screwdriver."
- Colin Chapman

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leonardo da Vinci

Tufty
Tufty
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Joined: 07 Feb 2011, 15:57

Re: A design challenge for you all...

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747heavy wrote:Image

looks like a smart idea to me, maybe you find something which you find useful for your application
http://www.rotacaster.com.au
I want one of those simply cos it looks AWESOME!!
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars, thinking "where the hell is the ceiling?!"