how strong is wood?
 

ok i spent enough time looking for an answer and i know one of you engineer has got to know the answer. so here goes:

my back porch had footers under the posts that weren't done correctly and heaved in the freezing ground. I've gotten them out of the ground but now i need to get them up into the bed of my lifted truck to dispose of them, they are awkward and weigh about 500 pounds each (3 of them). So if it will work i'm thinking about constructing a somewhat crude grantry crane at the end of my driveway that runs along the side of my house. there's 2 4x4 holes in a a slab of concrete where 2 fence posts used to be. they have a 9 foot on center span.

i'm pretty sure the 4x4 side posts are plenty strong and i will brace them 'torsionally, but how much weight will a 4x4 with a 9' span handle with a single chain hoist in the center? 4x6? (pressure treated pine btw)

sledgehammer is your friend, make those big ass chunks of concrete smaller and you'll be much better off I think.

lol, they are 16" in diameter and 30" long, i don't think i'll be breaking them

Got a friend with one of these? LOL

http://images02.olx.com/ui/1/79/52/1287752_1.jpg

Go to Sunbelt and rent a bobcat for $50/day. Not only will you be able to lift them into your truck, you will have a hell of a fun time doing it! I love renting machinery to do stuff at home. Last thing I rented was a ditch witch to run a 220V line to my garage for my future welder. So much cheaper to do all that yourself and then pay an electrician to tie it into the box.

Harbor Freight jackhammer?

Harbor Freight wet-saw?

dynomite?

rool them into the backyard and soak in some type of highly flammable liquid, it'll erode the strength of the concrete quickly (brake cleaner does wonders on concrete driveways) and then set them on fire? They might become brittle enough to break into pieces.

Hammer-drill 1/2" holes in them, drive a splitting spike in w/ an 8 lb sledge?

Nothing productive to add other than holy shit.

Don't ask Joe. He said you could lift your car with your roof trusses.:)
That's what happens when you ask an electronics engineer about structural strength.:)

Seriously, I work with a lot of demolition contractors and you can rent a two-stroke "cut-off saw" for a day for <$50 and make "safe to handle" sized pieces so you don't hurt yourself or your truck. It is not worth losing a foot or a tailgate over $50.
http://www.drillspot.com/pimages/3040/304022_300.jpg

BTW - Do you not own an engine hoist? Mine is rated for 2000#. I'd loan it to you if you were local.

Edit - I've never seen a Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader for less than $300 per day. Just cut-em up like the contractors do.

yeah these are no joke 500 pounds may even be a conservative guess on weight, they were't very fun getting out of the holes

yeah i know i can rent a demo saw but i don't much like using them, last time i had to cut a 200x3' in asphalt and the dust is insane. and no i don't have an engine hoist, i'd rather buy one than rent something else but i'm a broke new home owner and exploring my options....without hurting anyone or going to jail

Dig a hole, and bury them = FREE

Seriously, soak them in something, maybe kerosene, and just bash them with a sledge for an hour. You'll sleep like a baby that night... oh joy, what a reward!

what will kerosene actually do here? i'm thinking burst into flames when i hit a stone that will spark

yeah i have a 12x30' concrete porch i need to break up and redo also so i'll be getting my excercise don't worry lol..... which i also need to put in my truck and dispose of somewhere because i don't want to spend the money on renting a dumpster:fawk:

Bobcat is your friend....

Pick up those blocks in one swoop and put in your truck. Also can make destroying that porch cake also. You put the bucket underneath and lift up the slab a ft. Then hit it with a sledge to break off chunks. Rinse and repeat until its all broken up.

My dad was a landscaper before he passed away, and destroying and pouring concrete walkways was one of the many things he did for customers. This was how we did it. You could do full demolition of a walkway in a couple hours. You'll see that its the best way after you've read everyone else's replies. Its fast, simple, and relatively cheap.

sounds like you seriously need to invest in a bobcat for a day, should make easy work of busting up and loading those pieces of concrete. should be able to do all of it in not time provided you know how to operate one (or are a quick learner, not that they're hard to use considering i've been running them since I was ~12)

i'm not worried about the rest of the porch i'm pretty good with a sledge and i have time to get it done i just need to lift these large monolithic chunks into my truck then i will roll them out somewhere. i'm hesistant about a bobcat because i don't have permits and don't want to draw too much attention as i've already had a problem with my township

well i tell you what get the sledge and a chissle work the chissle in and then pound it with the sledge the shit will split easily into managable peices. Of course i would just pick em up and toss em into the truck but im not a pussy from PA :hustler: 500 lbs my ass i bet they arent much over 2 someone grab a scale.

if they were only 200 pounds they'd be gone by now. my research tells me concrete is 150 lbs/cubic foot. and i can tell you they are a bunch heavier than the fully dressed ka24de engine that me and my buddy carried which is supposed to be like 380.

Engineer chiming in:

Without working out the calculations for your proposed gantry here at work this morning all I can say is to break up the concrete. I know it sounds dirty, but you can do it easily and well.

Rent one of those big ass drills KPLAFIN posted, and drill holes 1/3 and 2/3 the way up each piece. Hit with sledge all the way around, and then use a very large lever to pry the pieces apart.

Concrete is very strong in compression, but weak in tension. It may not work, but it's better than trusting a 9'(!) wooden beam to lift something that weighs more than a dressed engine. I can already tell you anything that will have to lift this weight, and have a span wide enough to back a truck under had better be made of steel, or look like a friggin railroad tie.

I liked the bury them idea.
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I have strong wood

"how strong is wood? "

Hustler will be along to tell you his can punch through armor plate after satisfying 2 women.

I second (or third) the suggestion to break them up. I destroyed an old step foundation in preparation for a porch. Took a 16 pound sledge, and just hammered away.

Jackhammers are easy to rent, though. Home Depot should have them.

ok I'm going to preface this by saying not to do it based on my calculations. it is at your own risk. i am not liable. etc etc disclaimer disclaimer. it's dangerous and stuff.

without knowing the specific species of wood and condition of the posts, it should hold 500 lbs and only deflect about a 1/2 inch. if your beam has any defects or holes or knots, all bets are off.

make sure you get some video to put on failblog if you try this though.

+1 on the video, I can't wait to see this shit.

I've lifted alot of rock and concrete man shit looks doable. But hell i move KA's solo so iono still calling pussy people get psyched out by how much shit weights to easily.

I'm thinking these will make great yard art. Bases for a picnic table? Use the flat tops as lawn chairs?There's gotta be some redneck way to use them that'll be easier than getting rid of them.

https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/att...7-dscf1452.jpg

you could be lazy and dig a hole and bury them.

lazy like doesn't read the whole thread lazy?

What is more work? Digging a big ass hole in the backyard, or getting a couple of friends to help lift the thing onto a truck?

I'm not a fan of digging.

i'm not digging any more holes. the whole reason i had to get these out of the ground was that they weren't put below the frost line and were heaving out of the ground making the roof over my porch crooked. My soil in my backyard is sticky ass clay and once you get down to the 3' mark it's all rock, not fun....no more holes than necessary.

Then drill holes and brake up with BFH
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ok fuckers
 

here's my solution, took the truck to work and grabbed this after off craigslist, this made more sense in terms of future uses and mobility. won't get a chance to do it till after i get back from california. what did i ever do before i had a truck, seriously i don't think i could ever be without one again

What is a frostline?

It's how far down the ground freezes in the coldest part of the year. Typically up to 36" here in upstate NY. Codes require you to plant footers down below that, so the ground freezing doesn't force the footer up, heaving the structure.

What is this freeze you speak of?:giggle:

Make sure it is on lvl solid ground when you lift or you can and will bend the legs. That is if you ever lift anything with real weight to it.

Rent Hustler for a day. He could lift it with his dick (or his wood if you will). :laugh:

:laugh: lol if you could actually lift these you should enter yourself in a world's strongest man contest

thought about it back when i was working out alot actualy. no joke i would be abit light in my own mass only 230 lbs on some events but on others i think i would be ok.

Seriously. I've had my Duramax for like 3 weeks and I've used it to move 5,000 in brick and tow an 8000lb trailer. I don't think I'll ever not own a truck again.