The video “Moving Super Heavy Stuff (By Yourself)” walks through simple machines and shop techniques for safely moving heavy loads alone, emphasizing mechanical advantage instead of brute force.
## High‑level outline
- Intro: childhood on farms, ranches, logging, and learning to “see” mechanical advantage; goal is doing jobs solo that normally take multiple people.
- Simple machines overview: focus on levers, jacks, wedges, pulleys, ropes, and rollers as practical jobsite tools for moving and lifting.
- 2x4 as universal simple machine: using scrap lumber as lever, pry bar, wedge, and improvised jack.
- Jacks: high‑lift jack, screw jack, and hydraulic jack as compact force multipliers, including an example of moving a shipping container alone.
- Wedges and shims: small door shims and long custom wedges for lifting, spreading, and positioning structural elements and trees.
- Cranes and hoists: truck‑mounted crane and shop jib crane for lifting heavy items without strain.
- Ropes, pulleys, and knots: using blocks, tackle, and rigging skills to redirect and multiply pulling force.
- Rollers: pipes under a board or plywood to smoothly move heavy objects across the floor.
- Closing message: people who understand and use mechanical advantage are the ones who get work done safely and efficiently.
## Methods for moving things safely
**1. Using 2x4s as tools**
- Lever / pry bar: Use a 2x4 as a long lever with a fulcrum (block, rock, scrap wood) to lift or shift heavy objects with small input force.
- Wedge: Cut a 2x4 into a tapered wedge to lift or shift beams, plates, or other members incrementally.
- Wooden jack (step‑jack): Nail together three short 2x4 pieces and a few nails into a ratcheting “step” jack that can lift and then hold significant weight securely.
**2. Factory‑made jacks**
- High‑lift jack:
- Configured normally to lift from the foot for vehicles or equipment.
- Configured with a long rectangular steel tube slipped over the upright so the jack can push a beam or load vertically or horizontally, even up to around 20 feet when braced correctly.
- Screw jack (automotive type):
- Described as an inclined plane wrapped around an axle, turning rotational input into linear lifting force.
- Used for controlled lifting where slow, incremental motion is safer.
- Hydraulic bottle/tow jack:
- Uses hydraulic principles (Boyle’s law) to generate large lifting forces in a compact body.
- Demonstrated as the tool used by the presenter to move a shipping container alone, combined with cribbing and good setup.
**3. Wedges and shims**
- Door shims:
- Thin wood wedges (about 5/16–3/8 in. thick tapering to zero over 10–12 in.) kept in a bundle to fine‑tune position and elevation of doors, beams, or plates.
- Large custom wedges:
- Long wedges (e.g., 3 ft) ripped from scrap to drive between forms, whalers, or heavy elements to push them into alignment or apply batter.
- Miner’s wedges:
- Short, wide wedges used in opposing pairs; driving them alternately creates a controlled, powerful lift “a tap at a time.”
**4. Cranes and hoists**
- Truck‑mounted crane:
- Electric‑over‑hydraulic crane with a winch on the work truck used to handle heavy materials on site.
- Presenter notes that once this crane was added, chiropractor visits stopped, highlighting back‑saving value.
- Shop crane/hoist:
- Small shop crane allowing solo handling of heavy items within the shop footprint.
- Emphasis on configuring height and reach to move and position heavy objects safely without assistance.
**5. Ropes, pulleys, and knots**
- Single pulley for redirection:
- A rope reeved through a block changes direction of pull, allowing a person to stand in a safe position while applying force.
- Mechanical advantage with blocks:
- Multiple pulleys (sheaves) create a block‑and‑tackle system that multiplies pulling force significantly.
- Essential knots:
- Recommendation to learn and practice “five or six” strong, reliable knots for construction rigging so loads can be secured and controlled.
- Practice with small gear:
- Suggestion to buy small pulleys, shackles/clevises, and paracord to experiment and build intuition before using full‑size rigging on real jobs.
- Emergency vehicle recovery:
- Example scenario: using a snatch block and strong line from a truck to extract another vehicle from a ditch when no one else knows how.
**6. Rollers (pipes and boards)**
- Steel or pipe rollers under plywood:
- Place two or three pieces of pipe on the floor and lay a sheet of plywood or boards on top, then set the heavy object on the plywood.
- Rolling the pipes under the plywood allows smooth, controlled translation of very heavy loads across a flat surface, similar to ancient construction techniques.
## Safety themes emphasized
- Prefer **mechanical advantage** over muscle: Always ask how levers, jacks, wedges, pulleys, and rollers can take the load instead of your back.
- Plan for control, not just movement: Use tools that move loads smoothly and incrementally (jacks, wedges, ropes) rather than sudden, uncontrolled shifts.
- Use backup supports (cribbing, shims): When lifting with jacks, always crib and block so the load is never relying on a single device.
- Practice on small scale: Build familiarity with knots, pulleys, and simple jacking setups in low‑risk situations before tackling large loads.
1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh6eY4tkqqg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh6eY4tkqqg)