When moving heavy equipment in a workplace setting, having the right tools is essential for efficiency and precision. Among the various options available, skates for moving heavy equipment stand out as a versatile and reliable solution.
Hevi-Haul, a leading supplier of heavy-duty skates and dollies, offers a range of products designed to meet the needs of businesses requiring controlled heavy machinery movement.
Understanding the Importance of Skates for Moving Heavy Equipment
Skates for moving heavy equipment are engineered to handle substantial weight while providing smooth and controlled movement. These skates are particularly useful in industrial settings where machinery and large items must be relocated with minimal effort. The key to choosing the best skates lies in understanding the specific needs of the moving equipment and selecting a skate that offers the right balance of load capacity, maneuverability, and durability.
Straight Line Skates: Precision in Movement
Straight-line skates are excellent for moving heavy equipment in a straight path. These skates are designed to handle substantial loads while maintaining precise movement. They are particularly effective when moving machinery or equipment that needs to be aligned in a specific direction. Hevi-Haul’s straight-line skates are built with high-quality materials that ensure long-lasting performance, making them a reliable option for industries that require consistent and accurate movement of heavy items.
Compact Swivel Skates: Maneuverability in Tight Spaces
For limited space, compact swivel skates provide the necessary maneuverability to navigate tight corners and narrow pathways. These skates are designed to rotate 360 degrees, allowing easy movement in any direction. Compact swivel skates are ideal for applications where equipment needs to be repositioned frequently or moved through confined spaces. Hevi-Haul’s compact swivel skates are built to withstand heavy loads while offering the flexibility to move large equipment efficiently in challenging environments.
Structural Mover Skates: Heavy-Duty Performance for Large Loads
When dealing with exceptionally heavy equipment, structural mover skates offer the robust support required to move large loads. These skates are designed for maximum load capacity and are often used in industries such as construction and manufacturing.
Structural mover skates provide stability and control, ensuring that even the heaviest equipment can be moved safely and efficiently. Hevi-Haul’s structural mover skates are engineered to handle the most challenging jobs, making them a go-to choice for businesses that require heavy-duty performance.
Customized Skates: Tailored Solutions for Unique Needs
In some cases, moving skates may need to meet the specific requirements of a particular job. This is where customized skates come into play. Hevi-Haul offers modified and custom skates to address unique challenges in moving heavy equipment. Whether it’s a special load capacity, a specific type of terrain, or a particular movement pattern, customized skates can be designed to fit the exact needs of your equipment. These skates provide a tailored solution that ensures efficient movement of heavy machinery, regardless of the complexity of the task.
Selecting the Right Skates for Moving Heavy Equipment
Choosing the best skates for moving heavy equipment requires careful consideration of your workplace’s specific needs. Whether you need precision with straight-line skates, maneuverability with compact swivel skates, heavy-duty performance with structural mover skates, or a customized solution, Hevi-Haul offers a range of options designed to meet the demands of various industries.
By selecting the proper skates, you can enhance the efficiency and safety of moving heavy equipment, ensuring that your operations run smoothly and effectively. Contact us today to discuss your needs and find the perfect skates for your equipment moving requirements.
Structural moving skates provide an agile way to move homes, buildings, and other cumbersome structures. Building skates and beam roller skates are divided by their mobility and capacity to support different levels of weight. While beam roller skates can withstand 6 to 12 tons of weight, house and building skates are used for heavier loads ranging from 25 to 100 tons. Keep reading to learn about the most common uses for structural moving skates and important things to consider if you’re new to utilizing their benefits.
Uses & Considerations
Once you know the basic definition of structural moving skates, it’s not hard to imagine how they would be used. Construction companies and related industries use them for increased maneuverability and safety with proper use. Without skates, the transport of larger structures would be a lot more difficult and risky to attempt. Though they can be beneficial for any individual or team attempting to move a heavy load, structural moving skates are most commonly used in the following ways.
Uses
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Houses, Buildings, and Complexes
Structural moving skates make the intimidating task of removing an existing building from its foundation and moving it to a new location much smoother to accomplish. Professional home and building movers have turned to Hevi-Haul Skates for more than 80 years to help them execute their most successful moves. When moving a home or building, it’s best to use Model HM-50 (with a 50-ton capacity). Each HM-50 weighs 318 lbs and can be split into two halves, maintaining the ability to carry 50 tons per half.
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Machinery & Equipment
Machine moving skates are another form of structural moving equipment, which come in handy for the transportation of large machinery or storage containers. Businesses that benefit from machinery and equipment moving skates include food and pharmaceuticals, low ceiling factories, and locations with uneven floors. However, anyone that needs to move an awkward-shaped, heavy piece of equipment can utilize a structural moving skate to support their endeavor.
Additional Considerations
Attempting to move an awkward, heavy load with the wrong equipment can be incredibly difficult and dangerous. There are structural moving skates made to support loads of all sizes, you just need to know the approximate weight and a few other key factors to determine which one to use. The important factors to take into consideration are:
- Surface Type. Transporting heavy structures presents the possibility of leaving damage to the surfaces you’re moving over. To avoid damage you will need skates with appropriate rollers for the surface type. While metal rollers are the most supportive solution for extremely heavy moves, they can easily damage certain surfaces. Light to medium-duty loads can be accomplished with polyurethane rollers, which are ideal for wood, tiles, vinyl, and carpeted floors. Nylon rollers are also a great alternative, providing increased wear resistance and protection against floor damage.
- Rolling Resistance. When moving heavy structures and equipment it is essential that the move is as easy as possible. This includes minimal rolling resistance which can be accomplished with the appropriate roller material. Nylon rollers have a harder quality than the standard polyurethane, allowing for less rolling resistance and the ability to support heavier loads.
- Scope of Move. Each project has its own unique set of requirements. Most of the time, the move isn’t going to be a simple straight line and there will likely be surrounding equipment and other obstacles to maneuver around. You will want to map out exactly what type of maneuvers you will need to make with your load to ensure that your structural moving skate has the appropriate mobility. For example, some skates offer 360-degree rotation, but you’ll need some awareness of how to properly steer them so you don’t lose control of the load.
Hevi-Haul Structural Moving Skates
Hevi-Haul structural moving skates are available as House & Building Skates and Beam Roller Skates. View our product catalog to learn more about the uses of our structural moving skates and how they are best utilized. For more personalized answers about our structural moving skates and how they are used, contact us today.
Moving heavy machinery is dangerous. You need to know what you’re doing if you want to be safe. Here are some tips to make sure your operation goes smoothly.
Make a Plan
Heavy machinery isn’t easy to move. You’ll need a solid plan before you even start thinking about moving anything. A clear plan for moving means having everything figured out ahead of time. You should already know what kind of equipment you will need, and you should know which moving company you’ll be working with.
Working with a reputable moving company is the best way to ensure an easy move. In addition. you’ll want to always use to best moving equipment available to ensure safety while moving. Reputable companies almost always use the most reliable equipment, so you’ll never have to stress about getting the job done right.
Follow Your Schedule
Having a plan is one thing, but without a schedule, you’ll be lost. You should have a clear idea in your head of what’s happening when, where, and who’s doing what. The best schedules assign tasks to the right people at specific times and locations. This way everyone knows where they’re going and what they’re doing. Without a schedule, workers may not know what they’re doing, which is a great way to raise the risk of accident or injury.
Check the Heavy Machinery Owner’s Manual
You need to check the owner’s manual before moving heavy equipment. There are many variables to consider before the move that need to be locked in. It will give you guidance on what to do to avoid accidents during the move.
It will teach you how to disconnect batteries, secure loose/vulnerable parts, empty fluids from engines, and more. Always follow the manual exactly as it instructs. It may also mention special permits you’ll need to move such large equipment. You should always double-check to make sure you are not violating any laws or codes in your area. Planning a move only for it to be halted by officials or police can set you back hugely.
Know the Costs & Expenses
Moving heavy equipment can be an expensive process. It involves a lot of planning, equipment, work, and time. Understanding all the possible costs of the move is imperative to make sure it goes well. Budgeting in some cushion in case of any surprises is recommended. In addition, you should consider anything that needs to be stored or transported separately.
Use the Right Equipment
The right equipment makes the difference between a successful move and a dangerous one. Hevi-Haul makes the best structure and machine moving equipment available. Reach out to us today if you need help picking out quality equipment that will serve it’s purpose well!
Most construction workers or manufacturers are familiar with rigging companies. However, many others don’t know what their business is. Basically, professional rigging companies move heavy things. And no, they don’t move wooden desks or refrigerators. They move houses, office buildings, massive construction equipment, and the like. In short, they move the stuff that no one else has the tools, manpower, or experience moving.
If you’re faced with moving an impossibly heavy object, you’ll need to hire a rigging company to move it for you. There are some things you’ll need to know before making your decision, and we’ve spelled them out below.
What a Rigging Company Does
A rigging company’s business breaks down into three separate parts:
1. Load Movers
Load movers start the rigging process by lifting the load. They take care of calculating details and staging the move. This is your hands-on team doing the heavy lifting.
2. Truckers
Truckers transport the load from the old location to the new one. They determine the easiest route, how long it will take, and consider all safety factors.
3. Crane Operators
Crane operators place the load it its new spot. They lift it using a crane and place it exactly where it needs to be.
It’s common for a rigging company to specialize in only one of these three parts. Depending on the scope of your move, it may be to your benefit to find specialized teams to handle each part to ensure the crew’s experience. However, other companies take care of all three, which can be quicker and cheaper. It’s up to you to decide which approach works best for your specific job.
Equipment, Experience, and Safety
Equipment, experience, and safety are monumental factors when it comes to choosing a rigging company. How can you expect someone to take care of a job if they don’t have the right equipment to get it done? Having the right equipment is necessary for completing a successful move. How can you expect someone to take care of a job if they have no experience? You need to be certain that the company you choose has proven results, testimonials, reviews, something.
These two factors are supplemental to the final one, safety. Safety is of the utmost importance in the rigging industry. Without the right equipment and proven experience, you cannot trust the company. Don’t cut corners to save money in this respect. Hypothetically, you want a company that moves mountains, even if you only need them to relocate a small hill. That way, you can be certain the job will be a piece of cake for them.
Some companies may claim they can move mountains, and they might, but the equipment they use comes from Hevi-Haul. Our rigging equipment doesn’t just move mountains, we have products that move the world.
Contact us today or check out our catalog with the best rigging equipment in the industry.
Moving into a new home is one of the most stressful events in life. Even if everything goes perfectly, there’s just something about moving that really makes people anxious. Homes are where your family makes the most special memories. Moving into a new house can be exciting, but leaving the old one behind can be hard. If you’ve got a big move coming up, follow these tips to make this experience stress free.
1. Plan, Plan, and Plan More!
The best way to ensure that this move is stress-free is to plan everything in advance. Honestly, you cannot plan too much. One of the simplest and most classic methods for organizing tasks and making sure they get done is to make a to-do list. Checklists also work really well just to take inventory of everything in the home. The best way is to make a checklist and a to-do list for each room in the house. This is a simple way to categorize your tasks without getting overwhelmed by one giant list.
The next step in your plan is to make a list of immediate to-dos and later to-dos. Immediate to-dos are things like letting your landlord or property owner notice of your move, canceling any mail subscriptions, calling moving or truck-rental companies for prices, and shopping for packing supplies. Later to-dos are things like actually packing (again, room by room is the easiest way to do it). Additionally, if you have family members or kids, you can put them in charge of their own belongings or rooms. This can take a lot of stress out of the move since it checks off items on your own to-do list.
2. Be a Light Traveler
It can be hard for many of us, but traveling light is the most stress-free way to move. Packing up everything except for the essentials just means less to worry about. Who knows, maybe you might like the minimalist lifestyle, even if it’s just for a bit. Decluttering your belongings goes a long way, and can help you declutter your busy brain as well. It’s also smart to consider if you want to pay to move all your large furniture/appliances, or if you simply want to sell them. Facebook’s Marketplace is one of the best ways to get some cash for things you no longer want. Then, you can use that cash to upgrade to something newer if it’s something that must be replaced. If not, you just took a step toward a less cluttered lifestyle and made some money!
3. Pack Your Essentials Bag
The only way to travel light, and also have everything you need when you arrive, is to pack an essentials bag. This is everything you need to live normally while moving and once you arrive at the new home. Here’s a list to make it even easier:
- Toiletries and medications
- Important life documents like IDs, passports, SS cards, and birth certificates
- Chargers for all devices and computers
- At least two changes of clean clothes
- Cleaning supplies and paper towels
- First aid kit
- Cash
- A couple of towels
These are the bare essentials. You can also bring along food, water, and any cooking supplies if you want, but you’ll probably want to just pick up some food until you’re all settled in.
BONUS TIP: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Some Help!
Friends and family can seriously reduce stress during the move by helping in any way possible (especially the big and strong ones). Do not be afraid to ask for a little help, even if it’s something small. Anything you can get off your plate is a win.
Obviously moving is a tough job. We know that as well as anyone. Hevi-Haul has been making products that literally move the world for decades now. We even make products that could pick up that house of yours and move it anywhere you want. All you have to do grab that essentials bag because you cannot be inside when that house is on the move. If you have any questions about our moving products, like utility skates or house movers, don’t hesitate to contact us here.
Every so often, someone breaks a world record in building and structure moving. Whether it’s farthest, heaviest, or largest, these buildings and moves are seriously impressive.
1. Farthest Building Relocation
The farthest building relocation was achieved by Warkentin Building Movers, Inc. in Canada in August 2006. The total distance of the relocation was 1,205 miles. It took a lot of patience to move this house such a distance, but it was executed perfectly using beams and dollies. It took over 40 hours to get this house to its new location.
2. Heaviest Building in the World
The record for the heaviest building is held by The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. The Palace was built in 1984 using 1.5 billion pounds of steel and bronze, 35.3 million cubic feet of marble, 7.7 million pounds of crystal glass, and 31.7 million cubic feet of wood. Try as you might, this is one building that can’t be moved.
3. Largest Building Relocation
The largest building ever moved is the Fairmount Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. In 1906, the building was a brand new boutique hotel. However, it was soon abandoned after a multimillion-dollar development project on the other side of town. Many recognized the building’s potential in a better location. On March 30, 1985, the building made its six-day, half-mile journey to a new spot. They had to fortify a bridge because no one was certain if the 1,600-ton hotel would crush through and land in the river or not. The local bishop even blessed the building just before the move began. It’s now been at the new site for over 25 years.
Structure moving isn’t easy. It takes a lot of planning and preparation before the heavy lifting even begins. However, with experienced movers who use the right equipment, building relocation doesn’t have to be so daunting.
Hevi-Haul makes the best structure moving equipment in the industry. Check out our beam roller or house mover skates, or contact us with any questions today.
When you build something, you build it to last, right? What if the building is fine, but the location isn’t? Well, you just move it somewhere else. Here are some Wisconsin buildings that used to be somewhere else.
Culaccino Bar + Italian Kitchen (West Bend, WI)
Culaccino in West Bend has not always been the modern Italian restaurant it is now. Before Culacinno was Dublin’s, an Irish pub style restaurant. Before Dublin’s? The Binkery. The building started as a farmhouse in 1906. Its first move was down the street about 10 blocks in the 1950s where it was converted to a duplex. In 1979, it was purchased and turned into a bar/eatery called The Binkery. It became a local favorite. Over time, the area developed and the building was scheduled for demolition to make way for a Walgreens. Once again, the building was moved in 2010, and it still stands there now as Culaccino. After a few owners, three different locations, and a handful of name changes, the original building still stands. You can watch it all happen below.
The Granary (Sturgeon Bay, WI)
This historic granary in Sturgeon Bay is almost 120 years old! A lot can happen in a century, and apparently, this building needed moving. in 2018, the building was moved to the east side of the river from the west side. This iconic granary crossed the river using the Maple-Oregon Bridge. Once it was officially rooted in its new spot, the granary was christened by the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society.
Bristol Town Hall (Bristol, WI)
The Bristol Town Hall stood in its previous location for over 150 years. What was once a hub for the community became more and more of a type of storage space. The city was going to demolish the old town hall, but a group of community members banned together to save the historic building. They decided to move it to a city park some three miles away so it would be closer to the center of the town. This allowed people to tour the building and learn more about the history of Bristol.
Overall, moving buildings is no small job. And as you can see these Wisconsin buildings are massive. So how do they manage? They have the right equipment. Hevi-Haul makes the best building mover skates and roller beam skates in Wisconsin. Contact us today with any questions or for more information.
Often times people want or need to move somewhere else, for whatever reason. Bigger space, more bedrooms, etc …
You can hire a team of movers to take all your belongings to a brand new home or location.
You may even be brave enough to rent a truck and do it yourself.
Or maybe, you love your house, but don’t like the location. You dream of picking up your home, as is, and dropping it down somewhere else. With the help of Hevi-Haul’s structural mover skates, this dream could actually be a reality.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide of how you could make this happen.
1. Get Your Home Inspected By a Professional
You are going to need to make sure your home is structurally sound enough to survive the move. Many local governments/municipalities can do this pre-move inspection, and they’ll also tell you if it’s legal. Depending on where you live, it may/may not be.
2. Choose Your New Location and Moving Company
Assuming the pre-move inspection goes well, you’ll officially be able to start looking for new locations. The new location will also need to be approved by the moving company. They will be able to tell you if the new site is compatible with your current home. The moving company will also examine the structural integrity of the home to make sure it will go smoothly.
3. Determine the Price
Moving your entire home will not be cheap. There are many costs that add up, such as disconnecting all utilities to the home. This includes electricity, plumbing, tree trimming, railroad crossing, etc. Each move is different. You’ll need to know the moving cost in general, which includes consulting, route planning, hiring a contractor, and more. You may come to find that the cost is no longer worth it.
4. Notify Those Required to Know About the Move
This includes getting all your moving and building permits for the old site, as well as hiring a contractor to prep the new site. You’ll need to get a new address from the local government for the new site as well. Letting everyone know is important because there are many factors that go into prepping the new site, such as constructing a new foundation, getting electricity and plumbing to the site, and making a driveway.
5. Go Over All the Details Again, and Then Again
You should always double check everything before you start the actual move. You’d feel very sorry if you found one very small detail that meant you actually can’t make this move after all.
6. Prep Your Home For The Final Move
This includes disconnecting all the utilities and clearing out any small furniture that can fall over easily. Most of the time you can leave large furniture as it is. The moving team will take care of all this for you, but you need to be sure as well. They’ll also clean out your basement or crawl space if you have one. Nothing can be left there. The team will also remove any trees or bushes that may interfere with the move.
7. MOVE YOUR HOME and BE PATIENT
The final step: move your home! This can be a very exciting experience, but it can also be very nerve-wracking. I mean, your house is getting lifted off the ground and taken somewhere else. However, with a team of experts, this process will go very smoothly as long as your patient. Something of this scale takes time and precision.
And there you have it! Moving your house in 7 steps. Who knew it could be that easy? Of course, it is not as easy as it may seem here. People have moved structures all over the world, but there’s no structural mover skate more reliable than ours at Hevi-Haul.
Check out this video from when we helped move the Bosch Tavern!
Why Would Anyone Want to Move an Entire Home?
Why would anyone need to move their entire home to a new location? Imagine your own home being moved. It’s in its current location. Then someone comes over, picks it up from its foundation, carries it a couple miles, and then drops it down in a new spot. It sounds pretty much impossible, right? It has been done though, and a lot more often than you think!
Here are just a few possible reasons someone might need their entire home moved.
You Love the House, But Not the Location
Say you find a home you love, but you don’t like the location. It’s your dream home: the perfect size, the perfect style, the perfect everything—except the location. You could purchase the home, and then have it moved to the perfect location for your family. Alternatively, sometimes people want to move away but they’re too attached to their home to sell it. Instead they can shop for an empty plot of land, and then pay someone to move their house to it.
For anyone considering moving a whole house, it is important to keep finances in mind. It may be financially prudent to move the old house to the new spot instead of building a brand new home, but not always. The cost of moving your home will depend on many different variables.
You Want a Bigger House
Other times, people just want a bigger house and don’t want to pay to have the house demolished. That’s where moving the whole thing can help.
By moving it, you can basically recycle your home by selling it and then having the buyers pay to haul it to their own property. This can save you the costs of demolition. True, you typically wouldn’t sell your home for much money when doing this, but it prevents your entire home from being wrecked and put in a landfill, which is environmentally friendly.
Your Land Was Bought
There are situations in which your your land is bought to expand for developing highways or shopping centers. It isn’t very common, but it does happen. In these situations, people love their homes and don’t really want to move, but they don’t really have a choice. In a case like this, someone would have the option of having their home moved to a new location instead.
You Encounter Environmental Problems
Environmental problems like flooding and erosion might prompt you to consider moving your home. For instance, after a harsh flood, someone might consider moving their home to less risky location. If erosion were an ongoing issue in your location, you might consider stilting the house or rebuilding the foundation at first, but after dealing with years of environmental erosion, you might decide moving your house somewhere else makes more sense.
There’s Nothing Easy About Moving an Entire House
House moving is not cheap. It also isn’t easy to plan. So before you dig up your house and move it somewhere else, make certain that it makes sense, both financially and logistically. There are some limitations to house moving, so be certain to work with experienced and knowledgeable professionals who can help you make the move a successful one.
And if you’d like to learn more about moving huge structures like houses, check out this article on the five biggest structures ever moved.
Moving Buildings: 5 of the Biggest Structures Ever Moved
Have you ever seen those double-wide trailers coming down the road with “Oversize Load” disclaimers on the back? If you have, you’ve probably watched in shock that a whole house could be picked up and moved, just like that.
If this sounds like you, guess what: Those trailers are among the smallest things that can (and have been) moved by structural relocation companies. While moving buildings used to seem impossible, modern skate technology has made it possible, if not (practically!) easy.
Keep reading and learn about five of the biggest buildings to ever undergo structural relocation!
1. Agecroft Hall
What happens when you’re a wealthy man in the 1920s who falls in love with a building that lives on the other side of a massive ocean? You have it moved, of course.
That’s exactly what Thomas Williams Jr. did with Agecroft Hall. The hall was originally in Lancashire, England, but Williams wasn’t. So, he had the 180-ton estate disassembled piece by piece and put back together again in Richmond, Virginia.
Despite a few small changes, the building looks almost identical to its original iteration, built in the 1400s!
2. The Belle Tout Lighthouse
The Belle Tout lighthouse is a beautiful 1829 structure in Sussex, England. It sits on Beachy Head cliff. When it was built, it was a good distance away from the 300-foot drop to the water. Over time the cliff eroded, leaving the lighthouse merely feet from the edge.
In 1999, tickets were sold to watch the lighthouse being moved in an effort to fund the project. Luckily, all the financial needs were met and the lighthouse was moved 164 feet downland, away from the cliff.
3. Empire Theater
It might not be the biggest structure ever moved, but it’s certainly the biggest moved in New York City. In the 1990s, Times Square underwent a huge revitalization. At that time, the Empire Theater was deemed unfit for the new look.
That’s what led to it being moved 168 feet down the road at a rate of one foot a minute. It ditched its roots as a burlesque house and is now a massive AMC movie theater.
4. Peter Green House at Brown University
Brown University changes up their landscape a lot. For instance, they’ve moved 26 buildings around their campus in their history as a school. Perhaps one of the biggest is the Peter Green House.
Originally built in 1890, the school needed to move the house to make room for a new park area called “The Walk.” It looks almost identical today to its original form, despite being turned 90 degrees in the process. It still serves the same purpose, too: housing the History Department.
5. The Fairmount Hotel
In the 1980s, the city of San Antonio, Texas wanted to build a new mall and swanky hotel to accommodate the city’s rapid growth. Unfortunately, the site was already occupied by the Fairmount Hotel.
Built in 1906, the Fairmount had become a San Antonio institution but fallen into disrepair. It was safe to say it was ready to retire to a life as a historical monument, so the hotel was moved to the city’s historic district about five blocks away.
It took a crane, 36 dollies, and $1 million to move the Fairmount to its new home.
Moving Buildings Got Your Head Spinning?
If you love your building but want to move it, we can help. We’ve been supplying house/structure movers with the equipment they need for years – like building moving skates. We even helped with a Wisconsin local tavern move – it may not be the largest building, but it was important to the community.
Contact us today for more information!