Need to move a large slab without cracking it

[Reg]

I am the new owner of a large slab of bluestone, 15ft x 5 ft x 4 in thick, that weighs approximately 4000 pounds. It used to be the entry for a church built in 1856. It has already been moved 30 miles once (flat) via trailer to its current location. I will need to move this on the highway 300 miles, and would appreciate any advice on how to minimize the chances of its cracking.

Some details:

* Moving it vertically is not an option. It will need to be moved flat.
* It will be transported on my dual-axle landscape trailer with plenty of weight capacity, just enough room, and electric brakes.
* The slab will be put on that trailer by a commercial crane when I arrive.
* I intend to put timbers every 3 feet or so under the slab's length, and then drive wooden wedges from the front so that the bottom of the slab contacts each timber in 2 or 3 places snugly.
* It'll then be strapped down well and wedges re-snugged. Drive at 60 mph max. Check wedges and straps again after each 100 mi.
* Unload via crane at destination and put on a tamped sand pad.

One thing I was wondering was whether it might make sense to put either some rigid foam board or rubber sheeting underneath each timber to act as a sorted of damper between the inevitable bumps on the highway. The trailer axles have springs, of course, but I though that "pad" might provide some additional protection against jolts. Then again, whatever the "pad" is might tend to compress and eventually work the wooden wedges or - worse - straps loose.

Any thoughts? Anyone ever done this before?

Thanks -

-Andy

Your project, your decisions, your limitations.... but the first decision I would revisit is the fist one, "Moving it vertically is not an option. It will need to be moved flat."
On an equipment trailer it would barely be 7ft overall height, probably less.
My horse trailers have 7ft 6in interior head room and barely go 9ft. they DO fit under 10ft bridges, although I suspect that there is some undisclosed Kentucky wind-age in bridge clearance postings (-:
They have "issues" with overhanging eaves on single story buildings, e.g. stand alone car garages, sheds, etc.
I don't take them through drive through windows, so general driving never presents a height problem.

 

[Redneck in training]

I like the mulch idea. I would leave it in bags though.

 

[whateg0]

Be careful towing anything over 14' tall. You might run into some low bridges or low branches.

Where did THAT come from???

Dave

 

[whateg0]

...plywood and that covered with 2" foam insulation...

I would expect a 16' flatbed to flex more than a combined 4". Especially the lighter ones are capable of far more at times.

Dave

 

[slowzuki]

I would support it on foam board on top of heavy timbers run lengthwise on the bed of trailer. You need a place to unhook and hook straps for loading.

 

[awl51]

No. The thought had crossed my mind also. Sort of wish I had the problem but don't know what I would do with it.

Am I the only one who is dying to know what you are doing with this piece of bluestone ???

Glad you asked.

I've been building my retirement home on weekends and vacations for the last 3 years; it's a renovation and addition to a very small house in Maine that I have owned for quite some time. The house itself is modest, but the property is absolutely beautiful. As you stand at the back corner of the addition, a noisy river runs 80 feet away along one side of the original house, and then curls in around the back of the house into a large pool. From there the water is calm and heads straight away for a few hundred feet until you lose sight of it (it's headed for a waterfall that is out of view).

The property is only 12 minutes away from Maine's largest city. However, looking along the length of the river, there's nothing man-made in view. From the back of the house, it's trees, mown field, and water. For most of its length near the house, the far bank of the river is granite, and there are boulders and blocks of rock in the river itself. I figured that the bluestone slab would make the perfect transition between the low deck at the back of the house and the near river bank. Oddly enough, I had long planned a 16x6 "whatever" to be in this transition until I found the 15x5 slab of bluestone for sale. I figured it was meant to be.

I appreciate all the advice and good ideas. Fingers Xed. I'll post pictures when it's done.

 

[Reg]

Where did THAT come from???

Dave

Well, it is 15 ft long.....
So just MAYBE someone thought that "Upright" might mean "On end" instead of "on edge" (-:

 

[Reg]

I like the mulch idea. I would leave it in bags though.

How can you possibly believe that mulch would ever be BAGGED ?
Given your username and sig line (-:

 

[Redbug]

Curly Dave...The tubes won't pop under the weight? Interesting idea I have never heard about.

 

[DAY]

Plate glass is transported on edge for a reason. End of message. . .

 

[Redneck in training]

How can you possibly believe that mulch would ever be BAGGED ?
Given your username and sig line (-:

Well, I guess I need more training. I am not completely transformed yet but getting there.

 

[JB4310]

The tire tubes or air bags would provide a nice air ride suspension but I would think there would be alot of movement, difficult to tie down, could be done though.

But I'm still thinking of a self leveling medium like the mulch, shavings, ground up rubber tires, packing peanuts or maybe even sand. lay the stone on top of the bedding, leave the straps in place and build a 2x box around it.

That would provide an even support with no pressure points. I'm just not sure how the dynamics of the trailer flexing would transfer to the stone.

JB.

 

[CurlyDave]

Curly Dave...The tubes won't pop under the weight? Interesting idea I have never heard about.

If I take the density of the stone as 150 lb/cu ft, I get just under 4000 lbs for the slab. (25 cubic feet)

If I presume the inner tubes are 3' in diameter and have a 1' hole in the center, and I can get 6 of them under the slab, I get 666 lb/tube.

The area of the tubes is just over 6 sq ft each, so I get 111 lbs/ sq ft the tube has to able to support. At 144 sq in/ sq ft this is ~ 0.77 psi.

Essentially if you used 6 tubes under the slab, and inflated them to ~ 10 psi to get them to become a proper donut shape, putting the slab on them would squash them until the pressure inside increased to 10.77 psi.

I don't think this will cause them to pop as long as there aren't any sharp points on the trailer deck or on the slab.

You would need to build a crib around the whole assembly to prevent the slab from walking off the tubes while the trailer is moving.

You would need to watch for highway unevenness hitting a resonant frequency which might cause the slab to bounce up and down vigorously. A spotter in the cab of the truck would be needed.

 

[ultrarunner]

Saw something similar that also incorporated used shag carpet to protect the "Air Cushions"

 

[Redbug]

Wow Dave! That's very interesting! I would have thought they would have popped under that weight...but the frame is essentially what a tire does by holding the inner tube in place and giving support. Science and engineering are what makes the world run...

 

[JB4310]

Plate glass is transported on edge for a reason. End of message. . .

I know most large stone slabs are carried like that, especially granite and marble, and some of those are only 1 inch thick. But bluestone is layered and fairly soft not sure how it would like that position.

JB.

 

[schmism]

I know most large stone slabs are carried like that, especially granite and marble, and some of those are only 1 inch thick. But bluestone is layered and fairly soft not sure how it would like that position.

JB.

Thus my suggestion of on its side also.

has anyone suggested you contact the local stone people and see what they recommend? if not get a bid to contract move it for you?

 

[Obed]

I am the new owner of a large slab of bluestone, 15ft x 5 ft x 4 in thick, that weighs approximately 4000 pounds. It used to be the entry for a church built in 1856...

Andy,
At first when you said the stone weighed 4000 pounds, I was a little skeptical. However, I measured the size of our sandstone hearth stone that weighs 400+ lbs. Our stone is 7 1/2 feet long, 2 feet deep, and 2 1/2 inches thick. That makes the surface area of your stone 5 times larger than our hearth stone and 8 times the volume and weight (assuming our stone has a similar density as yours). So 4000 lbs sounds like a good number. We positioned our stone on the fireplace using 4 people. So all you need is 32 people and you should be all set to move your stone :laughing:.



We moved our stone on top of two pallets in the back of our truck without any issues.



Lots of people made suggestions in my thread about how to get the stone out of my pickup truck. I ended up just lifting it out of the truck bed with my FEL and a couple straps.

Your stone is twice as long (15' vs 7 1/2') as our stone. However your stone is also twice as thick (4" vs 2 1/2") and over twice as wide (5' vs 2') as our stone which should help yours to resist cracking. I'm going to guess that if you take reasonable precautions, you should be able to move your stone lying flat. The sturdier the vehicle you use to move the stone, the better off you will be. My biggest concern would be putting the stone in a lightweight trailer that flexes a bunch. If you put the stone on a fairly rigid vehicle, I'm guessing you would be fine if you placed the stone on four pallets with some carpet scraps between the pallets and stone. The pallets might absorb some of the vehicle flex for you. For safety, placing one or two straps snug but not extremely tight would keep the stone in place on the vehicle.

Good luck with the move and please take some pictures!

Obed

 

[jake98]

Masons carry stone stair treads in a pile of sand in the bed of a truck.

 

[DGrassSr]

I moved some big heavy thick glass one time and i made a frame with 2x6's and put pie gravel (small rock) into the frame never tied it at all.Made the trip just find,put the rock in the drive way when it was all over, See Ya