Originally Posted by teacher

Old and wise, pray tell, why do you and no one else respond to this thread? Tashah did in the basement but....... I LIKE YOUR QUESTIONS. Gives me the opportunity to show my stuff. Levers. They are the damnest thing. You know an old smart guy named Archimedes once said, "give me a lever long enough, a fulcrum strong enough, and I can move the world". Long ago when I first joined this site I used to say often I will only post what I know from my experience and then throw in my opinion. No opinion yet on this thread. Old and wise. Keep asking. But I moved safes for ten years. The attached picture is my rendering of what the industry calls a J-bar, a dog leg, a Mule tongue, a Johnson bar. The wood part is made of Hickory. I've use 2x4's and other mediums in a pinch. Yes they will shred. Consider the Egyptians had at their disposal all the wood of Africa, (they have various strengths you know, to include Mahogany, excluding Birch or Balsam), at their disposal. These guys were good, hence the pyramids. They knew how to pick the best wood for levers. Anyway, I used the J-bar that was there for years. Sometimes I would hang on the end and get help to hang with me. Wood, correctly picked and shaped, is up to the challenge. I see from your questions you're a little skeptical on the fine points of moving heavy objects. Rest assured I wouldn't put my azz on the line over little matters such as these. But don't let that stop you from asking the questions you do. They are poignant and relevant. In short, a 4" thick lever, say, has incredible strenght. I'm not jerking your chain here. I've been paid day in and day out for years to utilize these methods. Shorter yet, it will lift such a weight. With my experience I don't consider 2.5 tons very heavy. And I know of a whole bunch of dead Egyptians that will back me on that one.