Had to lift a fiberglass hot tub onto a rooftop deck in Portland last Tuesday

The homeowner insisted we could just use the standard rigging, but that tub was like a giant, wobbly bowl of jello. We got it about 15 feet off the ground when a gust of wind caught it and the whole thing started spinning slowly, like a weird carnival ride. My spotter on the roof just yelled 'nope' over the radio. We set it down gently and spent the next hour building a custom cradle out of lumber and straps. Anyone have a go-to method for awkward, lightweight loads that catch the wind?

2 comments

2 Comments

wood.john3d agoMost Upvoted

Remember moving a giant inflatable snow globe for a holiday display. Thing tried to sail away like a parade balloon in a light breeze. We ended up using four separate tag lines just to keep it from taking a walk.

gavincampbell3d ago

What about using a big mesh cargo net to wrap the whole thing? I saw a video where movers used one for a giant foam sculpture, it kept the shape from getting away in the breeze. Seems like it would stop that spinning by spreading the pull points all around it. You could still hook it to the rigging but the net would act like a full body harness.