Heavy Item & Commercial Lifting Specialists in Sydney

Moving a 400kg Gelato Display Fridge Down Three Flights of Stairs

Major commercial venue in Sydney

JB Removals was engaged to relocate a commercial gelato display fridge weighing approximately 400kg at a major commercial venue in Sydney. The route involved three flights of stairs, narrow access, several direction changes and limited room to manoeuvre. After the stair descent, the final placement required the fridge to be raised about one metre over a bench and positioned within a restricted service area. The weight alone made this a specialist move; the extensive glass, the staircase and the precise final position made careful planning equally important.

This project combined specialist heavy-item moving with the access and coordination demands common to commercial removals. Rather than relying on manual force, the team planned each transition around the fridge, the building and the final installation point. The method used a Hercules stair climber, scissor lift, ramp, specialist dolly, protective edging and carefully positioned restraints.

• Item
  Commercial gelato display fridge
• Weight
  Approximately 400kg
• Access
  Three flights of stairs
• Placement
  Raised about 1m over a bench

The Access Challenge

The display fridge had to travel through a route that offered little space for correction once movement began. Its width and length had to be considered against stair widths, landings, turns and surrounding clearances. Each change of direction affected the position of both the fridge and the lifting equipment. The final service area added another constraint: the unit could not simply be rolled into place at floor level, because a bench separated the approach from its intended position.

Planning the Complete Route

Before the move, the team assessed the fridge dimensions and approximate weight together with the stairs, landing sizes, turn geometry and available working space. The footprint of the Hercules machine and the room needed for controlled operator access also formed part of the plan. At the destination point, the team checked the height of the bench, the final placement dimensions and the available elevation. This full-route assessment determined the order in which the stair climber, scissor lift, ramp and dolly would be used.

Protecting a Large Glass Display Unit

Commercial display refrigeration presents a different handling risk from a solid machine. The glass surfaces and exposed edges needed protection without creating unstable pressure points. The fridge was wrapped, padded and fitted with protective edging before movement. Straps were positioned to secure the load to the handling equipment while avoiding careless contact with fragile areas. The aim was to keep the unit supported and restrained throughout the changes in angle required on the stairs.

Transferring the Fridge Onto Hercules

The protected fridge was transferred onto the Hercules stair-climbing machine and aligned so that its weight remained controlled during the descent. The machine provided a stable mechanical platform for the approximately 400kg load, while the crew monitored clearance and restraint points. Careful positioning at this stage mattered because the machine and fridge needed to negotiate the narrow route as a single controlled unit rather than being repeatedly repositioned by hand.

Moving Down Three Flights of Stairs

The stair descent was completed progressively, with the team managing each landing and turn before continuing to the next flight. The Hercules machine carried the main load while crew members controlled alignment, watched clearances and maintained communication around each transition. This measured approach reduced the need for uncontrolled manual lifting and allowed the team to account for the changing angle of the fridge without rushing the movement through confined areas.

Final Precision Placement

Reaching the lower level did not complete the move. The fridge still needed to be lifted approximately one metre and transferred over a bench into a restricted final position. A scissor lift, ramp and specialist dolly were used to create a controlled change in height and a workable transfer path. The team coordinated the equipment so the fridge could be raised, moved across the obstacle and guided into place while continuing to protect the glass and surrounding commercial fit-out.

The Result

The gelato display fridge was moved down all three flights and placed in its intended commercial position using the planned combination of specialist equipment and crew control. The project demonstrates why difficult-access moves are best assessed as a complete sequence. Stair dimensions, turns, fragile surfaces, equipment footprint and final placement height all influence the safest practical method. For similar machinery, refrigeration or venue equipment, JB Removals can assess the access conditions before recommending an approach.

Project Gallery

How Do You Move a 700kg Arcade Machine Over Stairs?

Macquarie Park Shopping Centre, Sydney

Moving a standard arcade machine is one thing. Moving an approximately 700kg glass arcade machine over stairs inside a commercial property is a completely different type of relocation.

JB Removals was called to Macquarie Park Shopping Centre after a logistics company encountered exactly this problem.

The logistics team had approximately 10 workers on site delivering new equipment into the shopping centre. When they reached the stair component of the delivery, however, one approximately 700kg arcade machine could not be safely progressed using their conventional handling method.

The issue wasn’t a lack of manpower.

The issue was controlling 700kg over stairs while protecting a large, fragile piece of commercial equipment.

JB Removals completed the specialist stair relocation with three removalists, our Hercules heavy-duty stair climber, protective foam and a carefully planned securing method.

The specialist component of the project took approximately 2.5 hours.

So how do you actually move something like this over stairs?

• Item
  Glass arcade machine
• Weight
  Approximately 700kg
• Specialist crew
  Three removalists
• Duration
  Approximately 2.5 hours

Step 1: Assess the Weight, the Stairs and the Movement Path

The first mistake with extremely heavy equipment is assuming that adding more people will solve the problem.

There is a practical point where additional manpower does not address the fundamental issue: how will the weight itself be mechanically controlled?

With an approximately 700kg arcade machine, the team needs to consider far more than whether enough people can physically surround the item.

Before movement begins, you need to understand:

• the actual weight and dimensions of the arcade machine;
• the width and layout of the staircase;
• the available turning space;
• the construction and condition of the stair path;
• how the machine will transition onto the stairs;
• how the load will be secured;
• how fragile surfaces will be protected;
• where the load will be supported during movement; and
• how the arcade machine will be removed from the stair-climbing system at the destination.

In this project, the logistics company already had approximately 10 workers available.

JB’s solution wasn’t to send another 10.

We brought the specialist equipment required to control the 700kg load.

Step 2: Protect the Arcade Machine Before Moving It

A 700kg arcade machine creates two very different problems:

weight and fragility.

The machine contained substantial glass components. That meant simply attaching straps and attempting the stair movement without preparation could have created unnecessary risk to the equipment.

Before the move, the JB team re-wrapped the arcade machine with protective foam, concentrating on the glass, exposed edges and vulnerable surfaces.

That protection served several purposes.

It helped create a protective barrier around the equipment, reduced the chance of direct contact with surrounding surfaces and gave the team a properly prepared load before securing the arcade machine to the Hercules system.

With sensitive commercial equipment, the goal is not only to move the weight.

The goal is to keep the item stable, protected and controlled throughout the entire relocation.

Heavy does not necessarily mean robust.

An item can weigh hundreds of kilograms and still contain glass, electronics, internal components and sensitive finishes that require careful handling.

That is why JB treats protection and heavy lifting as part of the same methodology.

Step 3: Secure the 700kg Arcade Machine to the Hercules Stair Climber

Once the machine had been protected, the next step was preparing it for the actual stair movement.

JB used its Hercules heavy-duty stair-climbing system for this stage.

The arcade machine needed to be positioned correctly and secured so that the machine and the load could move as one controlled system.

This is an important difference between specialist heavy lifting and conventional furniture removals.

With a heavy commercial item, the objective is not simply:

Can we lift it?

The better questions are:

How will we control it?

How will we keep it stable?

Where will the weight be supported?

What happens as the machine moves from one stair position to the next?

Those questions determine the moving method.

Step 4: Why Use a Stair Climber Instead of Carrying 700kg?

This project demonstrates one of the biggest advantages of specialist stair-climbing equipment.

The logistics company had approximately 10 workers, yet the stair movement remained a problem.

JB completed the specialist part of the job with three removalists and the Hercules stair climber.

That does not mean every 700kg relocation should use three people. Crew size must always be based on the item, the access, the equipment and the specific moving methodology.

What this project demonstrates is something more important:

Mechanical control can be more valuable than additional manpower.

The Hercules system mechanically supports the load and allows it to be progressively moved over the stairs, instead of requiring a large crew to physically carry the full weight.

For very heavy commercial equipment, that creates a more controlled moving method and reduces the reliance on brute-force manual handling.

Step 5: Why Weight Distribution Over the Stairs Matters

One of the important characteristics of JB’s Hercules system is how it supports the load during stair movement.

The system is designed so the load can be supported across multiple stair contact points, rather than relying entirely on one stair contact point at a time.

Why does that matter?

Because with approximately 700kg of equipment, how that weight interacts with the staircase becomes an important part of the moving methodology.

Distributing the load across multiple contact points helps provide a more stable support platform as the arcade machine progresses over the stairs.

It also reduces the need for workers to physically carry or hold the entire weight during the stair movement.

For heavy commercial equipment, that controlled distribution is one of the reasons a specialist stair climber can be a better solution than simply increasing the number of people on the job.

Step 6: Control the Movement — Don’t Rush It

Once the arcade machine was protected, positioned and secured, the JB team could progress it over the stairs using the Hercules system.

At this stage, speed is not the priority.

Control is.

A heavy item should not be allowed to develop uncontrolled movement simply because the equipment being used is capable of carrying its weight.

The crew controls the operation progressively, monitors the load and its position, and works through the staircase according to the planned method.

For a glass arcade machine, this controlled approach was particularly important.

The objective was not simply to get the machine from one level to another.

The objective was to complete the stair relocation while protecting the glass, sensitive surfaces and the machine itself.

Why Didn’t 10 Workers Solve the Problem?

This is perhaps the most useful lesson from the Macquarie Park project.

The original logistics company was not necessarily missing labour.

They were missing a specialist solution for one particular part of the delivery.

Approximately 10 people were already available.

Then the team reached a 700kg arcade machine that needed to negotiate stairs.

That is where JB Removals added value.

We did not need to replace the logistics company or take over the entire project.

JB was brought in specifically for the difficult component that required specialist heavy-lifting capability.

Our three-person specialist team, together with the Hercules stair climber and protection method, completed that component in approximately 2.5 hours.

That is what specialist heavy lifting should achieve:

solve the part of the job that conventional moving methods cannot efficiently solve.

Why Specialist Heavy Lifting Can Cost More Per Hour but Less Overall

When comparing removalists, the cheapest hourly rate does not always produce the cheapest completed job.

This project is a good example.

The site already had approximately 10 workers.

Yet manpower alone could not overcome the 700kg stair movement.

A specialist heavy-lifting company may have a higher hourly rate because the service includes access to specialist machinery, trained crews, protection materials and equipment designed for unusual loads.

The better commercial question is therefore not simply:

What is your hourly rate?

It is:

What equipment and methodology will you use, how many people will the job require, and how efficiently can you complete it?

For this project, JB completed the specialist component with three removalists in approximately 2.5 hours.

That is where the value of the correct equipment becomes visible. The same total-cost principle is discussed in our guide to removalist costs, hourly rates and fixed-price quotes.

When Should You Use a Professional Stair Climber?

A specialist stair-climbing solution may be worth considering when an item is:

• too heavy for conventional manual handling;
• difficult to control safely on stairs;
• fragile despite its weight;
• fitted with glass or sensitive components;
• commercial or industrial equipment;
• difficult to support during stair transitions; or
• likely to require a very large manual crew without mechanical assistance.

Examples can include:

• arcade machines;
• safes;
• commercial refrigerators;
• medical equipment;
• industrial machinery;
• server and technical equipment;
• large appliances;
• oversized furniture; and
• other specialist commercial loads.

The correct solution still needs to be assessed individually.

The Macquarie Park Result

The problem presented to JB Removals was straightforward.

An approximately 700kg glass arcade machine needed to move over stairs, and the existing delivery crew could not complete that component using their available conventional method.

JB Removals:

1. assessed the heavy-lifting requirement;
2. re-wrapped and protected the glass arcade machine;
3. prepared and secured the machine to the Hercules stair-climbing system;
4. mechanically controlled the approximately 700kg load over the stairs;
5. completed the specialist relocation with three removalists; and
6. completed the specialist component in approximately 2.5 hours.

The result demonstrates why JB Removals has invested in specialist heavy-lifting technology.

The goal is not to solve every difficult move by simply adding more people.

The goal is to provide the right crew, the right equipment and the right moving methodology for the problem.

Project Gallery

Need to Move a Heavy Arcade Machine Up or Down Stairs?

If you have an arcade machine, commercial appliance, machinery or other heavy equipment that needs to move over stairs, the first question should not be how many people can carry it.

The first step should be assessing the:

• weight;
• dimensions;
• stairs;
• access;
• fragility;
• securing requirements; and
• specialist equipment required.

JB Removals provides specialist heavy lifting, stair-climbing and difficult-access commercial equipment relocation across Sydney.

For logistics companies, commercial operators and businesses, JB can also be engaged specifically for the difficult part of a larger delivery where specialist lifting equipment is required.

When manpower reaches its limit, the right equipment and methodology can make the difference.