Moving my Sony XBR 40 inch, advice please (1 Viewer)

[Steve_Tk]

Well, let's just say moving this thing is a pain in the butt. Last time I had to do it, I did it with 3 people. My father is over 60 and couldn't really help. So basically it was just 2 people carrying and my father monitoring that we didn't trip on something.

We had to take it all the way around the apartment, putting it down a few times. I don't like carrying this thing.

I'm moving again to a new apartment, and maybe have to go up stairs. Just want to know if anyone has put one of these on a hand truck. The guys at Circuit City said they did it to move it, but I know they could care less if they break it or not.

So what I'm asking is, can everyone post how they move this thing, and how you would move it up stairs.

I can find friends to help this time, but it's not easy to fit 4 people on stairs carrying a TV this big. The hallways are only so wide, so it seems that it would be mostly 2 people doing the work.

Also, any advice on where to put the 3rd or 4th person when carrying? I know where the handles are for 2 people, but last time I put a 3rd person on the front, next to the glass. But it didn't seem to help at all. And you can't really hold on to the back of it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Robert McKofke]

I recently (less than 2 weeks ago) moved into my new house, and I currently have a Sony XBR400 (36"). It's a similar set, obviously a little smaller than yours but it's well over 300 pounds.

To make a long story short, I hired professional movers to move us out of our apartment and 3 off them managed to get it up our stairs and into the living room - but it wasn't easy. They were originally going to brace it onto a piano board, but the board was too thin (width) for the base of the set to sit evenly, so they basically just muscled it in.

One guy was at each end of the set with the glass facing to the side, and the third helped get it up the stairs from the rear but once they got to the door only 2 could make it through. It took about 15 miniutes but they got it in.

Suffice it to say, try to find the strongest guys you can to help you with the move. I'm a little dejected by this TV because I thought I would eventually be able to move it into my basement and replace it with a nice 55" Toshiba Widescreen HDTV, but the opening to my basement is very narrow and the set is way too heavy to try and balance it different ways to "push" it through, so I'll probably have to sell it :frowning:

 

[Joe Reed]

Wow steve, you had 2 guys move the 40", that is amazing, I have the 36" and the 40" in the bedroom and living room respectivley and while me and my buddy moved the 36" but then again, both of us are 6'2" and weigh around 275 each so we are big enough to move this damn thing. but with the 40" me and the same buddy when trying to pick it up to put it on the stand, he dropped it and the corner nailed me in the throat and I still have a scar on my throat from 3-4 months ago, finally we had 4 people move it but if I were you, I would hire a professional mover, just to move the tv. Sony really has to find a way to make this set about a 100 lbs, lighter because soon I am redoing my basement and I would like to sell my 36" and maybe get a different brand 32" flatscreen and then also buy a 50 to 60" lcd, dlp, or lcos ttv, but it will be hard to sell the thing do due the size of it.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Well, I don't even like thinking about this upcomming move. I know two of us would have a really hard time getting it up a flight of stairs.

So what's a good estimate on how much I should pay someone to move this thing, less than 20 miles?

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I should have videotaped the last time I moved my 40-inch Mitsubishi. Thankfully I've never had to bring it upstairs; this thing'll probably forever restrict me to living downstairs

 

[Jack Briggs]

Did the set break?

As beautiful as the XBRs are, this is one serious Achilles Heel.

 

[SteveHarvey]

I hate the friggin 40XBR700. . . it is evil. We have a demo piece at our store, which for one reason or another it has been moved 4 or 5 times . . . even moving on flat surfaces, it is evil. And when you put 1080i HD into it with words on it, ooh the blurring is beautiful. We all despise it and are nearing a point of throwing the thing out. It looks like crap and is impossible to move. It always amazes me that people have no idea how much that POS weighs. . . most I've ever moved was a 38" Loewe upstairs, all it was was brute force of 3 people. I'd take the 43" Samsung DLP HLM437 every day of the week over the Sony 40" . . .

 

[RANDY FISHER]

Two words...HIRE MOVERS!!!! I moved my smaller...almost a crime to call it that...36" XBR400 last year from my townhouse I sold to my new house I built. When a buddy of mine and I couldn't get it up the steps out of my old house's basement I had to leave it there for a few days after the lady who bought my old house had moved in! Luckily she was very nice and let me keep it there until I found movers who would tackle the job...and that wasn't easy to do...most wouldn't even touch it. Two enterprising young men who specialize in moving single big dollar items finally did it for around $300. It was worth every penny.

Randy

 

[Jack Briggs]

It's enormously unfair to call the Sony KV-40XBR700 or 800 a "POS." The unit, set up properly and calibrated, produces a beautiful picture. At worst, you could just say the 286-pound direct-view set can be impractical. But bad? No way.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Well SteveHarvey, I've had the TV for about 6 months now. But if I ever stumble upon a time machine I'll be sure to take your advice.

 

[Bruce-E]

You could rent a handtruck used for fridges.Just put a piece of plywood the same width as the lip of handtuck and as long as tv.So when you till back the lip grabs the wood lifting the the whole bottom of tv.Put another piece of plywood from the lip up to the top.Put a blanket across front of tv,then put tv facing handtruck on the wood.Use the strap and secure tv with handtruck.The wood between the handtruck and tv ,will keep the screen safe.When going upstairs,one guy pulls on handtruck the other guy lifts the bottom up.This way enables you to go up the stairs evenly without bouncing the tv on every step.Hope this helps.Good luck

 

[Steve_Tk]

That's a good idea. But I have no idea where to rent a handtruck that can move a fridge. I'm guessing maybe U-Haul or Sears or something.

 

[Bruce-E]

You could try U-haul,ryder truck ,look under rental services in the yellow pages.They will have moving company dollies,and equipment.

 

[Chris_Cur]

I've got to move one of these things across town in a few weeks, and I am dreading it. I'm wondering how much movers will cost.

 

[Joshua_Y]

Oh you guys are weaklings I moveed my 32' TV upstairs...weighed 150lbs...no problem...

 

[MikeM]

150lbs? To steal a line from "Niles Standish" from Crank Yankers: "Take that weight and double it!"

The KV-40XBR800 is 304lbs!!!

 

[Joshua_Y]

Jeez...thats just ridiculous for a TV...but 150lbs aint exactly small...

 

[Tim Hess]

I moved my Panny 32" Tau with one other guy down one flight of 15 Stairs, then another flight of 4, into the truck, out of the truck, then 60ft. Neither of us are STRONG. Good thing the Panny has built in handles in the right spots.

Thing is close to 300lbs. I hate moving that thing.

Hire movers if you can't swing it.

 

[Jimmy vb]

If you have stairs--good luck--I don't have a clue. I have the 36 inch and I would use the old piano movers trick if you don't have stairs. Get two pieces of 4x8 plywood and rent a 4 wheel furniture dolly--it is the that is more like a utility cart(L-shaped)--they cost about $10 bucks to rent and most moving places will have them. Then all you have to do is hoist the tv onto the utility cart and roll it along--moving the plywood(use 1/2 inch minimum) one piece in front of the other to provide a surface. We moved a piano around my house, up a hill in the grass using this method. It is slow going--but you only have to lift the beast twice. Even this method takes at least two people and preferably three.

 

[Grant B]

I built a cavity in the bedroom wall for a Tv which is a 32 Wega. The cavity is about 5 feet off the floor and I kept envisioning it being dropped
I went to a tool rental place and got a 300 lb 12 foot lift for a day.
Cranked it up and pushed it in.
Call a tool rental place tell them what you want to do, and they will find an answer