snatch block? moving shed

sbishop · May 05, 2021, 04:51:25 PM

Hi everyone, i've got a 8x12 shed to move (well i need to move it 4 more ft). I hooked up a cable around a telephone pole and pulled it with my truck, i was able to move it about 20ft (little uphill) but i can't move it anymore, tires started spinning. The cable went into the pole about an inch or so. Today i picked up a 20,000lbs snatch block, do you think that will help me? i'm also planning on putting rollers under the shed it. does one snatch block help or would you need 2?

Thanks
Sbishop

mike_belben · May 05, 2021, 05:10:28 PM

one snatch block will double the pulling force and halve the line speed. i think anyways.. someone correct me on that if im wrong.. getting old.

round fenceposts, pipe or 4" pvc will work great. if you need to steer it cut them in short stubs so you can bump them to the right angles on the fly.

doc henderson · May 05, 2021, 05:17:05 PM

I think a single pulley in the system will redirect the direction of force, but not increase it. I agree with getting it off the ground with round objects. if it pulled the cable into the wood, you must of been pulling hard. with the snatch block you can pull down hill with the truck to take the shed up the hill. to gain mechanical advantage, some portion of the system will need to be shrinking in length, like gear reduction. I would decrease the resistance so you do not damage the shed and use the block to redirect the truck down hill. 4WD? make sure it is not caught on something like a stump or it may tear up your shed. You can get 20 Amish guys and just pick it up and carry it.

Walnut Beast · May 05, 2021, 05:25:28 PM

Snatch blocks are wonderful. They increase the vertical or horizontal pulling force

doc henderson · May 05, 2021, 05:28:21 PM

200 Amish Men Move A Pole Shed - Bing video

Walnut Beast · May 05, 2021, 05:36:12 PM

Get another snatch block and you can do a triple line pull if you need to 💪

Walnut Beast · May 05, 2021, 05:41:51 PM

Make sure you use extra caution when doing the winching with the snatch blocks since there will be some extreme pressure on those points

WV Sawmiller · May 05, 2021, 05:42:54 PM

I'm with Doc on this. I don't think the single snatch block increases the pulling power but it redirects and in this case will certainly reduce the friction of just pulling around a pole. (I'm surprised you did not pull the pole over. Maybe it was guyed well.) The big advantage for me with a snatch block is to direct the object in a line where I want it (normally a tree I am felling) to go and also I use to with my prime mover (Tractor or ATV) safely out of the area and normally pulling downhill so I get the added weight of gravity helping.

I assume with a 20,000 lb snatch block you have the one with a pulley in the center and 2 loops that spread to feed the cable/rope then close with a chain or such attached to a convenient base. I use such with a 200' 1/4" cable from a flea market find and it is a great tool! They are light weight, strong and easy to use.

Is the front of your building digging in to the ground? If so can you lift it a little. Also you can jack up the front and put a roller such as a pipe, post small log under it, move it into position and jack up the building to get the roller out? My dad had a monument business and we moved very heavy granite slabs in such a fashion - like the pyramids were built. I will let you speculate on who was the overseer and who was the slave pulling the heavy stones. :D

doc henderson · May 05, 2021, 05:44:25 PM

I should also say, it matters where the pulley is attached. if you use the snatch block to redirect the direction of the rope (my original assumption) by attaching SB to a fixed object and a rope being pulled through it to the object to be moved. fixed pulley no advantage. If you attach the rope to the fixed object the go through the snatch block attached to the object to be moved, and then pull back towards the attachment point, it will double the force. i.e. the system is shortening as you pull.

Pulley - Wikipedia.

dgdrls · May 05, 2021, 06:00:13 PM

Exactly Doc

D

Tom King · May 05, 2021, 07:33:48 PM

Mechanical advantage is a good thing. I used a (even though it doesn't look like that many purchases for some odd reason in this picture) six to one sailboat mainsheet block system, and a long tree work rope, to pull a whole course of bricks up, at one time, a 43 foot tall chimney we were rebuilding.

We selected the old bricks, and used the "suitcase" to size cutting needed to be done on the ground, so once we got them up there, all I had to do was lay them.

I'd go at least 3 to 1

, or 4 to 1 for your building move.

Stephen1 · May 05, 2021, 09:22:32 PM

Jack it up and put the rollers under, I bet you move it no problems.

Walnut Beast · May 05, 2021, 10:33:02 PM

Quote from: mike_belben on May 05, 2021, 05:10:28 PM
one snatch block will double the pulling force and halve the line speed. i think anyways.. someone correct me on that if im wrong.. getting old.

round fenceposts, pipe or 4" pvc will work great. if you need to steer it cut them in short stubs so you can bump them to the right angles on the fly.

Simple pictures of double and triple pulling power

Walnut Beast · May 05, 2021, 10:50:11 PM

The D rings are for snatch blocks and big ones on this single pull 30k recovery winch

Brucer · May 06, 2021, 01:00:05 AM

Yes, snatch block on the shed, one end of rope fastened to the pole, other end of rope to the truck.

Rollers don't work well on rough ground but you can put a couple of smooth planks down for the rollers to run on. You might even get away with just the planks. Throw some water on the planks for lubrication if you're not going to use rollers.

When you're skidding something, remember that static friction (when shed is stationary) is higher than dynamic friction (shed is moving). So try to plan things so once you've got the shed moving you don't have to stop.

WV Sawmiller · May 06, 2021, 09:33:52 AM

They work better on smooth ground but rollers will work in rough ground. The rougher the ground the bigger the roller to use. We used to lay a couple of 2X12's down as a track and moved thousand lb granite slabs on 1/2" and 3/4" rollers made from short pieces of galvanized pump pipe.

mudfarmer · May 06, 2021, 09:44:02 AM

Three of us moved an 8x14 50' up slight hill (lawn, did not drive over due to leech field) and got it partially up trailer ramps by hand. We jacked it up a little then used pipe rollers on planks. The third man was mostly just jockeying the pipes/planks into position as we moved along. Lots of good wisdom in here you've got this

WV Sawmiller · May 06, 2021, 09:55:19 AM

Yeas, with rollers you need at least 2 and three is better. With 2 as soon as the object rolls off the rear roller, stop, push down using the center roller as a pivot and move the roller to the front and repeat. With 3 rollers just before the load rolls off the one on the rear put the next one on front so it keeps rolling.

With only 4' to move the building I honestly think and bet a quart of sawdust against a Roll Tide Hat (The sawdust is of greater value BTW) just using the SB will reduce the friction enough the OP can move his shed into place.

Sedgehammer · May 07, 2021, 07:52:22 AM

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 06, 2021, 09:55:19 AM
Yeas, with rollers you need at least 2 and three is better. With 2 as soon as the object rolls off the rear roller, stop, push down using the center roller as a pivot and move the roller to the front and repeat. With 3 rollers just before the load rolls off the one on the rear put the next one on front so it keeps rolling.

With only 4' to move the building I honestly think and bet a quart of sawdust against a Roll Tide Hat (The sawdust is of greater value BTW) just using the SB will reduce the friction enough the OP can move his shed into place.

Hey, you don't wanna be unfair with your wagerin. 1/4 cup sawdust is about equal i figure and green pine sawdust at that...... :D

gspren · May 07, 2021, 08:06:19 AM

A simple way to judge whether a snatch block is increasing power is this, "if the pulley is moving it's increasing power if the pulley is stationary it's just changing direction. Sometimes changing directions to allow truck/tractor/etc. to pull downhill or get more traction is enough. That's what my grandpa taught me.

Edvantage · May 07, 2021, 08:24:22 AM

We just moved my 8x12 Shed about ten feet with it full of tools. It took a lot more to move than I would have thought. Used skidsteer on one end and big com-along on the other.

Jeff · May 07, 2021, 08:43:26 AM

Moved with 4" maple firewood rollers

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=60006.msg880013#msg880013

Moving the Storage Barn - YouTube

firefighter ontheside · May 07, 2021, 09:24:54 AM

As many have said, any pulley that is not moving in the system is a change of direction. Since you were able to move the shed a distance, but then no further a single non moving pulley likely will get you the rest of the way. It sounds like you had looped a cable around a pole. Thats just a change of direction too, but with a lot of friction. The pulley will reduce your friction to almost nothing. Now, get a second pulley and attach it to the shed and you have created a 2 to 1 system.

florida · May 07, 2021, 09:45:51 AM

I moved a 10 X14 shed about 300' to my trailer, loaded it on the trailer, brought it 25 miles home, unloaded it, set it on blocks with 3 pieces of 4" Pvc and a come-along all by myself. The only hard part was getting it on the flatbed.