Picking up Fibreglass water tank

   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #1  
R

Robert M

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
28
Location
Delegate NSW
Tractor
no tractor yet
Appreciate ideas on how to best pick up a water tank. I am getting a tractor with FEL and pallet forks and want to move a tank that is 3 m (18') in diameter. I have heard you can get pallet fork extensions but not sure if they are necessary given the limited use I would have for them.
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #2  
Are you trying to load it or put it on a platform, or just move it? Set it up on its side and roll it?
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank
  • Thread Starter
#3  
The tank is currently on a rotten wooden platform and I want to lift it off the platform onto the ground or maybe onto some wooden pallets. I then want to repair a crack in the tank and move it to another site about 400 m away and place it on another platform close to the ground. Fibreglass tanks are not flexible like plastic tanks and would probably crack if I tried to roll it.
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #4  
fiberglass can be heavy. a tank 18' in diameter is huge. you would need 2 big tractors at least with 6-8 foot pallet forks on each tractor. I would ONLY attempt to lift straight up in the air slowly and back a trailer underneath it and set tank on that to transport it even it it a short distance. it would eliminate any opps on the way cracking it more. I realize you would have the old platform in way - but since there are no pics - I am assuming you can cut the platform out of the way for the trailer to back in.
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #5  
Sounds like you need some straps and a small crane to do this easily/safely.
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #6  
My brother has a pair of "extensions" for his forks that are really only lengths of heavy rectangular steel. He slides them over the forks for long extensions. I think they must be a good 12 feet long or better. Just an idea to consider...
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #7  
I have used hardwood planks chained to the base of the forks to lift a wide boat. Worked very well and wood is cheap. Especially if there is a saw mill close by. At your destination the planks could be used to slid the tank to the ground.
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #8  
Is it 3meters {9 ' 9 "} or 18 ' feet in diameter ?
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #9  
kevin37b said:
Is it 3meters {9 ' 9 "} or 18 ' feet in diameter ?
Click to expand...

Either way my thought is its too big to fork

There is no information given on the size of the tractor, but this would be risky
with even a big wheel loader IF it had any water or other liquid in it. If the tank
is empty then its a different story, but still need to know the weight of the tank.

9'-9" is about 75 sf so that's roughly 560 gallons per foot of depth. (~7.5gal/cf)
560 gallons weighs about 4800 pounds. (~8.5lb/gal)

So weight of tank plus 4800# for every foot of water in the tank, you will be past
your safe lift capacity very quickly.
 
   / Picking up Fibreglass water tank #10  
sparc said:
Either way my thought is its too big to fork

There is no information given on the size of the tractor, but this would be risky
with even a big wheel loader IF it had any water or other liquid in it. If the tank
is empty then its a different story, but still need to know the weight of the tank.

9'-9" is about 75 sf so that's roughly 560 gallons per foot of depth. (~7.5gal/cf)
560 gallons weighs about 4800 pounds. (~8.5lb/gal)

So weight of tank plus 4800# for every foot of water in the tank, you will be past
your safe lift capacity very quickly.
Click to expand...


Several good pictures of the object in question would really be helpful, for more precise advice.
 
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