Moving condensers onto a roof

[Icecreamman]

I would love to hear how some of you guys get condensers onto a two story roof, (no higher than a 24 ft. ladder)? Is there any type of rigging that someone has found to work well? I have been hauling WIC, WIF, and ice machine cond. up a ladder for years with two men and a rope.
Short of renting a lift, I am not getting any younger and this method is not going to keep working for me. I have searched on-line and haven't yet found any lifting device that would work.
Thanks guys. I'm looking forward to reading your posts

[the dangling wrangler]

Call a crane company. Stop beating yourself up. You've only got one back. Use it wisely.

[Icecreamman]

Wisely said, wisdom comes with age ----if you can live long enough.

[ga-hvac-tech]

Sign repair trucks tend to do 'side jobs'... Might want to watch the rigging carefully... You probably will pay less for a lift if the truck is available.

[amickracing]

I used to rope heavy stuff on roofs (rarely still do). But a crane company is by far the best way to go.

Typically they can send a boom truck over to do the job since there's no real weight involved. Those don't take much time at all to set up, do the job and be gone. I know pricing is different everywhere, but $60-100 is all you'll likely pay. That's pretty easily only an hour labor for everyone around here, and money well spent.

[HSI]

I use a crane company or a heli lift.

[woodsman]

Check out Genie Industries. Have used some of there lifts for 2 story lifts.:putergreet:

[the dangling wrangler]

Don't get me wrong, I have rope a doped up units. But didn't like doing it one little bit.
Never dropped one, or had anyone get injured. So, I quit while I was ahead.

I've worked with roofers that had a gas ladder lift but, just setting up that deal wasn't a one man job either. And the time involved. It would make you look better to the client, if you have a real crane on the job.

[flange]

man, if a contractor came to my building and pulled some condenser up with a rope, I would stop the job. Seriously, the liability if it drops, someone gets injured, property damage, thats just nuts. I know of a very well known company who sent two condensers to be pulled up three stories. They ended up dropping both of them and smashed them to pieces. it was on one of the barrier islands at the jersey shore. the local po-po found out, and required him to now get a crane, permits, street closures, the whole deal. cost him two new condensers and a boatload of peripheral money. During the week when no one is around, it would have been a pole truck for a few hundy. Now, is it really worth it?
Around here we call for a drive by. The crane company always has rigs moving, and they will hit your jobsite on the way out or back for a few hundy, no worries.

[mbike01]

We always put money in the bid for a piece of equipment to get it up there whether it be heli lift, crane or even a duct lift of some sort (we had one the was 6 ft off the ground one time). WAY to dangerous otherwise

[HeyBob]

Crazy, I just paid a boom truck a couple hundred to lift a residential 3 ton condenser up on a one story flat roof commercial building, what, maybe 12-14' or so.

It's money well spent, my guys appreciate it, it's safe and cheap when you think how it could go!

[ga-hvac-tech]

About a year ago, 4 guys at my church carried a mini-split condenser up through the roof hatch... that is as close to manually getting a unit onto the roof I will get... :)

[wgrr]

Don't get me wrong, I have rope a doped up units. But didn't like doing it one little bit.
Never dropped one, or had anyone get injured. So, I quit while I was ahead.

I've worked with roofers that had a gas ladder lift but, just setting up that deal wasn't a one man job either. And the time involved. It would make you look better to the client, if you have a real crane on the job.

I watched a brand new 5 ton Lennox HS29 condenser fall to it's death when a rope broke. The guys pulling it up almost went down with it. Get a crane. Make sure you have good insurance.

I used to do really stupid things in the past like carrying a compressor up a fully extended 24 foot ladder with one hand holding the ladder and the other hand holding the compressor carrier. Thats a good way to die. I know, for a fact, it is a good way to get injured. A good friend of mine fell from the very same roof in May when his ladder slid out from under him. He fell feet first to the pavement. Shattered his left leg and dislocated his right knee. He still is not back to work.

It pays to work safe. I carry nothing up a ladder anymore. I even rope my tools up. It is a sign of getting older.:D

[PapaFuse]

How do you guys get a condensing unit up to a platform at a beach house? At some of the houses, there is no way to get a boom truck or crane between or behind the houses. When there is an eight foot setback from the (side) lot line and the foliage is thick you can barely get a hand truck to the platform.

We've set a 24' ladder on a platform that is 10' or 12' up and just muscle it up the "ramp". Is there a better way?

[the dangling wrangler]

How do you guys get a condensing unit up to a platform at a beach house? At some of the houses, there is no way to get a boom truck or crane between or behind the houses. When there is an eight foot setback from the (side) lot line and the foliage is thick you can barely get a hand truck to the platform.

We've set a 24' ladder on a platform that is 10' or 12' up and just muscle it up the "ramp". Is there a better way?

Yep. Helicopter. Ya do what ya gotta do. If ya have to tug the unit up a ladder with a rope, then that's what ya gotta do.

[secorp]

How do you guys get a condensing unit up to a platform at a beach house? At some of the houses, there is no way to get a boom truck or crane between or behind the houses. When there is an eight foot setback from the (side) lot line and the foliage is thick you can barely get a hand truck to the platform.

We've set a 24' ladder on a platform that is 10' or 12' up and just muscle it up the "ramp". Is there a better way?


24 foot genie set on plywood if it is a grass footing or sand. I always have more trouble servicing those units then installing..

[dave0176]

Hello all, where I work we've carried compressors up ladders and even tryed ropping em. The heavest I've actually carried is a Bristol N2G, that thing weighs a ton, never again. We now have all our compressors lifted up via crane, it's just too dangerous and expensive. I wouldn't even attemp to carry or rope an 06D Carlyle.