How do I move a heavy plant without help?

Weight is about 100kg. Height about 60cm. It's basically a terracotta pot with wet compost and a plant.


I have a sack truck and that will manage it, but it needs two people to get it going, one to tilt the truck back, and the other to hold it so it doesn't slide off the toe plate. Do I need to tie it to the truck with something.

It needs to be moved mostly over hard paving - but also some gravel.

I'm not averse to buying new kit, but what? This problem happens a lot, normally I get a friend to help, but I don't want to keep asking . . .

 

Any chance of digging the plant out of the pot and moving the plant, pot and compost separately?

 

No! Please no.

This is the sort of thing I want -- but I bet they are very expensive and I can't find anything similar on Ebay, B and Q etc

 

Tying it to the truck sounds like a plan. A sack truck has a small base, does yours give enough support and is it fit for 100kg? If the total height is 60cm it should not get in your face while moving. I assume you can slightly tilt the pot to get the truck underneath. What's keeping you from trying? Well, maybe worries about ruining your back - be careful.

 

I have an olive in a 60cm tall pot on the patio.
When I need to move it, I tilt the pot to 45° by pulling on the trunk and then roll it across the patio on the edge of the bottom of the pot.

 

I've done it using a sack truck on my own (when I was younger!). The trick is to grasp hold of the pot and kind of twirl it around until it lands on the toe plate. It's a good idea to tie it to the sack truck, either by rope or a stout bungee.

Then you can lift the toe plate with your foot and move it slowly to where you want it to be. Paving is comparatively easy but you will struggle with moving it over gravel - I wouldn't try.

It would be far easier with somebody else to help though - could you bribe your friend with a bottle of something!!?

 

I moved a similar pot by getting it onto a wheeled trolley like thing. even that was difficult though. careful you dont injure your back!

 

I'm not going to do it -- everyone's telling me you can really do your back in!

 

Not sure I have anything quite that heavy but I think the bloke in the video is making hard work of it, I usually tip it forward by using the plant as a lever the shove the toe plate under, tie the stem to the upright on the barrow, foot on the axle and tip it back, if you have pneumatic tyres it should go over the gravel ok.

 

The pot has a fern in it, so no trunk to tie to -- but I certainly could try to tie the put itself to the barrow's upright handle. . . if I were going to risk my back.

By the way, something I didn't mention. There are three of them to be moved . . . and it has to go about 100m.

 

Sounds like you're going to need help then.

 

If I was in your position, I'd use ratchet straps to hold the pot onto the sack truck, and have 2 helpers (one for each side)