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HOW TO MOVE A WOODEN SWING SET

February 22, 2010 By 5 Comments

If you purchased the set from a dealer sometimes discounts or incentives apply if you use them for relocation.  Check that out first.  If that doesn’t work and you don’t want to use a household mover, then follow these tips to help take down and move the swing set.  Generally the same rules apply for most swing sets, the following directions apply for a cedar set with a fort, attached ladder and slide, and crossbeam connecting to an A-frame.

Things you’ll need:

  • Yourself and 1 helper to help disassemble
  • Yourself and 3 helpers to move
  • Spray corrosion solvent
  • Spray lubricant
  • Socket (deep sockets with drill preferably)
  • Wrenches
  • Pliers or vise grips
  • Screwdrivers
  • Hammer
  • Plastic bags or small box for parts
  • Large box or bin
  • Markers or stickers to inventory pieces
  • Camera, video camera
  1. Mark all connecting joints that will be taken apart with a marker or inventory tags.  This will make reassembly much easier.  A video record or series of pictures is also helpful.
  2. Spray any bolts with spray corrosion solvent and let sit for about an hour.
  3. Take off any swings, gliders, etc that hang from the large crossbeam.  Use of a large box or bin to carry these items is a good idea.
  4. Remove the bolts connecting the crossbeam from the fort.  Have one person help you support.  Pull back, and lower crossbeam to the ground making a tripod.  Then remove the bolts and disconnect crossbeam from a-frame.  Put the bolts back in the wood they came out of or place in a bag and mark to keep things more organized for reassembly.  (If need be clean up bolts’ thread with a wire brush).
  5. Remove any ladders, fake rock walls and slides attached to the fort.  Replace bolts back in the fort or place in a bag and mark.  Sometimes the “roof” to the fort can also be removed to reduce weight a little and make the fort a little easier to handle.
  6. Then lay a sheet of plywood in front of the fort and lay the fort over on its side. From this point forward you’ll need 4 men to carry.  Clean off the base of dirt, mud if necessary.
  7. Carry the fort on its side with one man on each corner out to transporting vehicle.  A rental straight truck or pull behind flat trailer both work fine.
  8. Reverse the steps of dis-assembly to reassemble.

If the base is attached in concrete you’ll either have to dig posts out or loosen the concrete from the wooden posts with a jackhammer or sledgehammer.  This can be quite a project so if you are planning to move a swing set don’t anchor posts with concrete.

Also remember if moving in winter the swing set may be frozen to the ground.

These tips can help disassemble and move a swing set.  As with any other project preparation and planning are important in insuring successful relocation of the swing set.

Filed Under: Moving, Other Tagged With: , , ,

HOW TO SPOT A BANDIT MOVER

July 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What is a “rogue” or ”bandit” mover, you ask?  These are companies that you should stay away from, and look the other way.  “Red Flag”, you do not want to hire these companies.  They are no action movers that promise people things that they have no intention fulfilling.  Some of these companies hold your items hostage and force people to pay more than what was originally quoted, and may not be licensed either.  They will give you a quote without getting a list of items or doing an onsite survey.  Do your homework, these tips will help you spot a rogue mover, and to hire a reputable company.

With interstate moves, when dealing with movers, they should provide you with a Rights and Regulation Guide for mover (booklet that movers are required to provide the customer for preparing them for their upcoming moves).  If they do not, make sure to ask for one, and if they tell you they cannot, you should do your research to make sure they are licensed to perform interstate moves or if they have any records.

LARGE DEPOSITS OR 1/2 THE MONEY UP FRONT.  If a company is requiring a large amount of money up front or ½ up front be careful, they may be up to something.

ONSITE ESTIMATE:  The Company does not give you a written or onsite estimate.  By law if the company is within the same state less than 50 miles away, they are required to provide the customer with an in-home estimate in most states.

WRITTEN ESTIMATE:  It is very important that the company gives you a written estimate, if they will not provide you with a written estimate, you may want to check some new mover lists, and find a different company, however some states like Ohio don’t require a written estimate if the move is under $500, or booked within 5 days of the move.

BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU RECORD:  This is a good tool to see how many complaints your mover has had in the last 36 months, dont just rely on the letter or rating they have, make sure you check the # of complaints also, you will get a good feel of who you are dealing with.

RATES TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE:  If the price seems overly cheap, or on a local move, there stating they are power movers and can get your move done in less time than seems possible, do more research, be careful, because these type of companies are use to taking advantage of the customer.

PHYSICAL ADDRESS:  Find out where the company’s home base is, make sure they have a physical address that is legit, phone #’s are working, etc, that way on the day of the move you are able to reach someone whether it is the office or owner, etc.  If an office doesn’t exist, this is another warning sign, to have you choose another company.

CASH ONLY:  If a company only accepts cash, this should make you wary, there is no paper trail to be left.  Most companies will accept certified funds, major credit cards, etc.

BILL OF LADING:  When the company is doing your move, they should have you sign the Bill of Lading and go through insurance with you, if they are not giving you a copy of the Bill of Lading, this is another warning sign, because especially for interstate shipments, your contract # is on here, and this is how many companies have you track your shipment.

LICENSE # ON TRUCK/UNMARKED TRUCK:  If a truck is unmarked or no license #, you may want to do a little more investigation before having your items loaded onto their vehicle.

GET REFERRALS: Do your homework, there are a lot of ROGUE movers out there, but with the proper research, there are a lot of GOOD MOVING companies out there also.

Filed Under: Avoid Scams Tagged With: , , , ,

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MOVER

July 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Home Movers or “household mover” are a big part of someone’s moving experience.  Choosing the right mover can make the process easy and painless, choosing the wrong mover can make the process unnecessarily expensive and distressful.  There are a few guidelines that can start the process off in the right direction.  These are in no particular order.

  1. Choose a licensed mover and check their record.  Each state has a governing body like the Illinois Commerce Commission in Illinois.  A quick phone call to the agency can serve 2 purposes.  First confirmation that the moving company in question has a license and the length of time they have had it.  Second, if there are any complaints lodged against the mover and if there have ever been any license suspensions or revocations.  Also check with your states attorney general’s office to check for complaints.  Verify their workmen’s compensation licensing and general liability, but know that most states require proof of insurance to obtain a moving license.
  2. Check with Moving Associations.  There are many states that having moving and warehousemens associations, and they can also be used as a good reference with laws, regulations, and steps to finding a reputable mover in your state, and any other moving related questions you may have.  For instance in the state of Illinois, the Illinois Movers’ and Warehosemen’s Association would be a great reference tool, www.imawa.com.
  3. Check as many organizations or internet resources as possible for a reference.  The Better business Bureau can be useful to see how many complaints a mover has had in the last 36 months.  (www.bbb.org, go to the USA site, or if outside the US the other site, then click check out a business/charity, type in the company’s name-you must type the companies name and city exactly to view their profile)  Remember 2 things about the BBB.  New companies are not eligible to join for the first 12 months they are in existence.  Just because a company is a member of the BBB does not mean that they have a good rating.  If a mover has a small number of complaints like 2 or 3, this isn’t necessarily a reason to disqualify them.  See what the complaint is about and discuss it with the potential mover.  If they do hundreds or thousands of moves per year it can mean an approval rate of 99.9%.  Find out how many moves they do in a year.  For example 20 complaints in 300-400 moves are very high.  Internet sites like www.yelp.com, or www.angieslist.com, can give you some more information on your moving company.  Sometimes a pattern can be observed when visiting websites.  Check local realtors to see if they have a preferred vendor list.  Last but not least, see if your state has a moving organization like the IMAWA, Illinois Movers and Warehouseman’s Association to see if your potential mover is a member and if they are in good standing and have positive reviews.
  4. Ask relatives, friends, coworker, etc. if they have positive or negative reviews of any movers they have used or are familiar with.  Ask as many people as possible but try and find people that have had the same type of move as you are in need of.  For example is it an apartment, house move, local or interstate, self pack or carrier pack, etc.  Find a mover that excels in your specific needs.  If you get a good reference that seems promising go to # 1 and #2 for due diligence.  You can also ask a mover for references, but remember everybody has somebody that likes them.

These 4 areas are a good start when trying to locate a good household or home mover.

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Filed Under: Selection, The Mover Tagged With: , ,