Moving a 1200 Pound Table
What does it take to move a 1200 pound marble tabletop safely and efficiently? Here at my farm, it's the right tools, the right plan, and a whole lot of strength and teamwork.
Yesterday, I asked my outdoor grounds crew to move a large table from my Tenant House to my production guest house. The table, which was previously used in my daughter's kitchen, was extremely heavy and fragile, so Pete built a wooden frame to protect it during transport and recruited the power of five to help get the table to its destination.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Good teamwork certainly rings true when it comes to moving a very heavy piece of furniture across a farm. Here are some members of my outdoor grounds crew ready to take on the challenge – Pasang, Fernando, Adan, Pete, Phurba, and Alex.
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- This table belonged to my daughter Alexis. She used it as a kitchen table where she and her family ate meals. When she replaced it, it was brought here to my farm – I knew I could repurpose this beautiful piece of furniture.
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- The table has a very interesting gray marble top that weighs hundreds of pounds. Despite marble’s strength as a surface, it is very hard to move. Marble is prone to cracking if mishandled. The team had to have a good plan.
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- So Pete, who has worked with me for years, thoughtfully devised a step-by-step process for moving the marble table. Using plywood and some other wooden scraps, Pete made a frame to hold the top in place during transport.
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- The frame had to fit perfectly to keep it protected, so he made it to the exact measurements of the marble top.
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- Once the frame was ready, Pete gathered everyone together and explained the process.
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- The team turned the tabletop on its side and slowly carried it out of the Tenant House.
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- Here it is carefully carried out to the wooden frame.
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- Pete directed the entire operation. The tabletop was placed into the frame padded with blankets.
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- Another piece of covered plywood was placed on top to sandwich the marble.
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- Pete used screws to secure it.
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- And then industrial straps and ropes were used to support the bottom and give the team something to hold while moving.
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- And then one slow step at a time, the team carried the heavy marble to the forklift of my Hi-Lo.
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- The top was re-strapped and secured to the forklift and ready to move.
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- This forklift is attached to a long extendable arm that can be maneuvered efficiently over garden beds – nothing is disturbed during the move.
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- And Pete is off. Next, the team meets again down at my production guest house.
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- The table base was easier to move. I instructed the group to place it in the center of the room.
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- Here’s Pete driving up to the house – everything is intact.
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- And in the same careful fashion, the team unloads the top and carries it into the house.
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- Pete directed its positioning…
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- And then checks it from underneath to make sure it was placed exactly where it needs to be.
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- It looks great in this room – wait and see how it is used. Thanks guys!!
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