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Saskatchewan

Hi
Iam new to this discussion and I was wondering what is the safest way to move a 850 lb pumpkin off of the ground to a pallet? I have it on a peice of puck board now but the pumpkin out grew the puck board! So I will have to move it on the day of the weigh off. Kind of looking for some ideas that you guys use for lifting your giants.

9/10/2024 11:28:10 PM

Germany

In the BP Photo Gallery there used to be a report (10 pics and explanations) called "Loading the Squash", from 2001. I can still find it in the hitlist when searching for loading the squash, but upon clicking on the links I get re-directed to the BP start page...no idea if that tutorial is available in the Photo Gallery any longer. Anyway, I used that procedure for putting a 500 lbs pumpkin onto a pallet (just me, a spade and a pallet), so with the helping hands of one or two other people it might work for a 850 lbs fruit as well, depending on the shape of the fruit (some shapes are easier to handle than others).

[Last edit: 09/11/24 3:29:52 AM]

9/11/2024 3:29:26 AM

Grittyville, WA

Drag it? Maybe a shovel, a come-along and some cardboard, and a strap. Create a dirt ramp and drag it onto the pallet. The amount of damage to the pumpkin would partly be a question of where & how much dirt & cardboard you would use. Or maybe someone has a tractor or excavator or something... Congrats.

9/11/2024 9:40:35 AM

Grittyville, WA

...Or bite the bullet and just build a good tripod.

9/11/2024 9:44:59 AM

Saskatchewan

I never in my wildest dream expected it to grow that big, if I would have known I would have dug down and put it on a pallet from day one, thanks for all your input guys! Greatly appreciated.

9/11/2024 10:44:27 AM

Nova Scotia

Years ago before any lifting straps, slings, etc that most use today, did it with about 6 strong able backs, a good strong tarp/blanket about 6'x6' and a pallet sitting next to it. Get on one side of pumpkin and muscle it up about half way, have someone ready with tarp to slide it under with some excess. Then do the same on other side and pull rest of tarp out from underneath it! Bingo then just lift it on pallet and away you go!

9/11/2024 11:34:45 AM

Ontario

I moved a 750 pounder a few years ago. 6 strong guys and a tarp. I'd recommend you look for 8 guys, and a heavy duty tarp and it's definitely possible.
Also moved a 600 pounder and just rolled it onto its top, put the pallet where it had been sitting, someone braces the pallet so it won't slide and you slowly roll the fruit back onto it.
It really depends on shape. A very flat fruit will be much more challenging than a tall fruit.
A lifting ring can be done fairly cheap if you can find straps for it, I just tied off a bunch of straps that held bundles of steel onto a chain ring and if you have a tractor that'll lift it or get a chain hoist and a tripod

9/11/2024 12:26:18 PM

Fullerton, California

Cecil Weston has a very good YouTube video showing how to build a tripod.

9/11/2024 1:13:23 PM

Syracuse, NY

I've always wanted to, but don't need to, make a lifting apparatus like this:
Get a ton of strapping of at least 500 pounds tensile strength, the WORKING load of it, not the max, maybe 1.5" wide or whatever seems to be appropriate and woven, I suppose, not knitted;
I figure that each piece should be about 12-15 feet long and that depends on the size of this and future fruit, for years to come - As NDV had said something of, a lifting ring of sorts or a chain hook with a large-enough hole for 3-4 pieces of the strapping to fit through it would be key. Perhaps 1.5 inches wide to assist with not cutting into the fruit is a thought;
Ummm, get and put appropriate lifting ring/hook in vise or simply stake/attach to something solid in the yard; 'Center' the straps* (3 for 6 total, 4 for 8 total, etc.) I do NOT think that each set of straps = double the strength - each strap would have to be its own entity, attached at its own point on a lifting basket or similar. *Anyway, set each strap at its tentative center point in the lifting ring. Hell, just make a knot right there for each, so that pulling on EITHER end(s) of that strap(s), it cannot go anywhere. Okay, do the other X number of how many you wanna use. 850/8 points = well, go heavy at 880/8=110 lbs per strap. Season to taste. Then, stretch out your Strap-O-Rama straps to another central point, such as in your yard at a piece of rebar 'loosely' pounded in, along with the ring at its own rebar. This might be akin to a parachutist preparing to pack a 'chute, lol.

[Last edit: 09/12/24 12:00:56 AM]

9/11/2024 11:47:26 PM

Syracuse, NY

Wrap a strap around 1/2 time plus about 10 inches extra, 'saving' that 'setting' by pinching the strap near and now 1/2 around the rebar but not wrapping around the rebar itself; You know how you have to hold a shoelace in position? Similar. Now, remove that semi-tight strapping from the flexy rebar and tie 1-2 knot(s) in that double-now strapping material and tug it SUPER-tight. This makes ONE of the loops for the final strap to be tied off around the base of the pumpkin. Do this X your # of straps. Make them ALL the same exact length by maybe having a person pull on a piece of rebar that has all 6-8 loops around it and making note of which ones are the longest and tying a knot way UP near the lifting ring/hook in those that are - perhaps put anything, (bamboo stake piece, long bolt, etc) that can be removed, into each knot in case of any adjustments/screwups, lol. ***Every knot will be an adjustment to the lengths. Dangle contraption, compare to height of pumpkin, add plus or minus for lifting machine's ability. Semi-lastly, you'll need a final strap to go through the loops to cinch off around the base of the fruit, as I already mentioned but gotta go, now. I suggest a strap or rope of AT LEAST TWICE the weight of the proposed fruit as the working load of the strap or rope - Never the same as the single strength of the other straps, IMHO.
There was a discussion about that.

9/11/2024 11:48:37 PM

Syracuse, NY

Blah, Blah, Blah, butt in a nutshell:
>>>Some lifting ring or hook;
>>>Strapping through that hook's main hole, knotted to never move;
>>>Create loops at loose ends of straps;
>>>Adjust each to determined length needed by knotting, lol;
>>>Have high-strength other material (Depends on OCD, lol) as final strap, cut to length as the circumference of fruit plus MANY percent/4-6 feet, lol;
>>>Watch YouTube videos of 'How to lift a giant pumpkin';
>>>Have fun and Good Luck!

What could this cost, like 60 bucks?

EXAMPLE and maybe useable for any project:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Strapworks-1-Inch-x-25-Yards-Heavy-Weight-Polypropylene-Webbing/798179454
>>>Other strap or not same material for bottom strap, from same strapping adventure, widely-available.
Home Depot would LOVE a project like this, lol. eg

Here - Look at this for size envisionment and fruit protection:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=322551
PS1---See the rest of that diary for vital info.
PS2---Lol, you could get a guy with a tractor and if there's already a hook on the bucket?, which is likely, there's your central point and work on it for a day or so and it'll be epic! eg

[Last edit: 09/11/24 11:52:58 PM]

9/11/2024 11:48:55 PM

Germany

Upon a google search for "loading the squash" (because BP re-directed me to the starting page when I clicked on a hit of my "loading the squash" search query on BP) I found the series of pictures of this report. Here you can check how to put a fruit of that size onto a pallet:

http://m.bigpumpkins.com/displayphoto.asp?pid=874&gid=16

It brings you to the first entry, and you can already see the icon of the following pic of this report. Just click your way through the nine pics of this "Loading the Squash" series.

[Last edit: 09/18/24 6:01:33 AM]

9/18/2024 5:59:29 AM

Saskatchewan

Thanks every one for your input into doing this task! With all the info there will be a way to get it done! Oh by the way the pumpkin is over 900 lbs now.

9/22/2024 7:47:53 PM