put tube amp on to shelf of a rack

Very small forklift? 

@millercarbon Thanks. Where can I find a small forklift for home use? Did not find one that may work from a quick search.

Buy yourself a quad of sliders made to put on the bottom of furniture legs and slide furniture on hard surfaces. Put them on the back legs when the amp is parallel to the bottom shelf with the back legs sitting on the rach shelf and the front legs on something stacked to the same height. Slide it back to your desired position. This is what I do with my 125-pound amp and works very well.

there ought to be a business 'Rent A Teenager'.

I've got a 3rd meniscus tear from moving my 80lb amp in/out of bottom shelf. And, all that heat rising into other equipment. New arrangement, TT elsewhere, heavy/hot amp on top.

VERY BAD idea as it will heat up all your other components.Put it on a stand on the floor for best heat dispersion and sound.

Lowes sells a $20 forklilft called a flat dolly.  Carpeted square with 4 wheels and can handle a refrigerator.  Wheel the amp where you need, even up a small homemade ramp.  Just have some sort of wedge to keep the dolly from moving when shifting the amp to the rack.

No good. He needs one small enough the forks fit between the rack. Forget Lowes, think Tonka. 

The way to do it is with two pieces of peg board or other appropriately sized boards that are smooth on one side. Place them one on top of the other leaned up into the bottom shelf. Place amp on board. Push. Slide amp into place. If you chose the right board leave it there. Otherwise use a padded wood lever to lift one side at a time to pull it out. 

Stand back crack a cold one, marvel at how clever you were, and start dreaming up ways to keep the darn thing from melting everything above it.

@ebm  @lak @elevick @elliottbnewcombjr @millercarbon

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions! I think with peg boards and sliders it should work to slide it in to the bottom shelf.

However I also see the concerns about heating up equipments on top. I was not thinking about that. How about I put the tube amp on top of the shelf? My living room is a bit small and I fear that my kid would run into the amp if I put it on the floor or amp stand. 

I checked the spec, the VTI rack holds 200lb per shelf and the salamander rack holds 150lb per shelf. Are these safe numbers to put a 105lb tube amp on top? 

https://www.amazon.com/Stark-Industrial-Engine-Folding-Workshop/dp/B07WZXTTKF
These work well; just be sure to get some nice soft but strong flat straps to go around the amp.

I'd go top shelf, I have my 85 lb tube integrated on top shelf of a solid steel rack . If the shelves have the weights you quoted I don't see why you'd have a problem

just call a friend and say free beer and bbq.

I’ve owned a Salamander Archetype rack they are pretty flexy it may hold 150lbs but I would personally be leery of putting a 105lb amp on the top shelf. The other rack might be a better idea.

Also if the rack you’re using is open architecture you should be fine putting the amp on the bottom if it has at least 6 inches clearance on the top.


Also to get the amp on the bottom shelf put it right in front of the rack lift the back of the amp onto the shelf then grab it by the front and carefully slide it onto the shelf.

Big tube amps were not designed for audio racks.  You will shorten their lifespan as well as that of the components above it.  A friend of mine had the same issue and I told him the same thing.  He eventually replaced the tube amp with solid state because the additional heat from the tubes made his listening room unbearable in the Florida summer.  The solid state amp lives very happily in the rack.

I keep my 120 lb ARC VT200 on the bottom shelf of a 5-tier VTI rack.  When I recently retubed it, my 22 year old son and I just disconnected the cables, slid it forward, and lifted it onto a table.  I did it once alone but wouldn't recommend it.  With 2 people it was quite manageable.

I agree with jnorris2005. Don’t put your tube amp on the bottom of a shelved rack unless there is plenty of space for it to breathe and dissipate heat. Plus, if the shelves are made of glass, the amp could melt the feet of the component above it. Put it on a separate stand or if possible, the top shelf of your rack and enjoy the glow.

Tube-amps need “fresh air”!!! It’s very important to put him away from other equipments.  The heat of the tubes can cause damage in this setup. Place the amp on a separate tray. You can find them on rubber wheels. ( like ebm and aewarren,..said)

@lukaske @aewarren @backtothe80s @jnorris2005 @jond  @mboldda1  @twoleftears @facten  Thanks all for the additional input! I decided to just put the amp on the floor beneath the media console for now where it should have enough air flow through it. Hope this works well! 

"How to keep the mega-amp from cooking anything above it."

'Puter fans.  Pick the quietest you care to.  Works for my SS stuff, no reason it won't for the toastiest of tubes....

Mount an array of them in a rack module, put it at the back.  On a cold night, a 'forced-air' heat source. ;)

Might extend the life of the fire-bottles in the long run....

You're welcome. *S*

Go to the gym more.

asvjerrry is correct.

TWO 12VDC 100mm [or 120mm or 140mm] fans  run on 3.5VDC. One either side of the amp PULLING air AWAY from the amps will keep them and the equipment above sufficiently cool.

FAN: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019SY0TAO
PSU:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G7KT0V6

IMO, the curved fan blades as shown are mandatory. I've been actively cooling HiFi and other electronics since the 1970's. Curved blades are the quietest in this application.

I have 5 such fans for my 3 tube and 1 ss amps in my Tri-Amped rack system. My media room is sub-40dB. At 1 foot from the amps, the fan noise is neither audible nor measurable. See http://ielogical.com/assets/Audio/FanCtrl.jpg for a "Power Distribution" example.

105 pounds atop a stand not much larger than the amp footprint is a severe earthquake hazard.

Get  SYMPOSIUM ULTRA amp stand for best looks,sound and build quality.

Or, get the Symposium Foundation Rack.  It can support the weight of your amp and there is ample room on the bottom shelf for allowing the amp to breathe and remain cool.  There is plenty of space above the amp that allows heat to dissipate and minimize heating components above.  The next shelf/level above the amp provides plenty of insulation for upward heat from below it, anyway.  You can order the rack to have the upgraded Ultra Platform for the bottom shelf/level which will further provide superior vibration control and best performance from your amp. 
This is a good example for what you could use regarding heat control and sound quality.  However, per your initial question, it still remains that you need to get your amp onto the bottom shelf.  There are other good suggestions cited above on how to do that.

@tvad  wow this is a great tool. I never know things like these exist and they seem come in really handy for scenarios like this. Thank you!

@ieales Thanks for the reminder and pointing me to the fans. Neat! order placed today for dual fan and hope they can keep the tubes and the gears cool!

....an added note; there are wire screens available for 12vdc fans to keep the random finger or stray cable at bay.

Typically 'chrome finish', but a matte black spray bomb makes 'shiny' disappear....but it's a matter of taste.

105 lbs.of toppling amp would require the reverse of a 'clean and jerk' weightlift move to interrupt.  And milliseconds to decide if the medical bills would be worth it. My amp is on a low granite shelf therefore...*G*

First, "AC Infinity", makes a fully programable rack type fan system that you can get with the venting either in the front, top or rear of the units, I have several and have used them at times when testing new transducers I've built with loads only calculated theoretically before testing.
These can be mounted "Under" the metal frames in your rack at only 1.5" thick and move plenty of air. "It is allot of fan and tech. for the price also".. They use a infrared, "Probe" to sense the gears heat and then cool it to your preference OR send an alarm If it cannot keep up. And if it cannot? You definitely have a problem! They saved several amps from melting at a certain point! "Those darn and, (O-So -Pesky), 0 Ohm loads! They are just trying to "double down" into infinity!
https://www.acinfinity.com/component-cooling/component-fan-systems/aircom-t8-receiver-and-av-component-cooling-blower-system-rear-exhaust-17/#product-warranty
I liked their stuff so much I bought a bunch of the different types/models of the fans that they make. Look around the site and you'll see. 
They are very quiet also. Even when the three fan T-8 is all the way up in fan speed it is still much quieter then my Krell, monoblocks!
The Racks you have can be problematic with that much weight. "I own a bunch of those". But I did have a Pass Lab's, X-350 sitting in the top middle position in one rig and never had a problem!
"I believe that amp is 120-125Lbs.". If you watch "You-tube" there are videos from McIntosh showing the unboxing and installation of their larger amps with which they recommend using, "4" , people to lift and then place into home systems. I'm a big guy, but I will admit that If I had tried to first lift from the floor, twist or walk a few steps into a position to then, "Gingerly, lean forward and place a huge amplifier into an fairly exact position"?
 I would probably have destroyed part of my back. As it is, even with two strong people? Certain heavy gear is still a trial simply because much of it is so large and cumbersome, as well as being heavy! But the fella I sold a McIntosh MC-402, that I sold "Insisted" that he could place it into his SUV by himself. He regretted that almost immediately after doing so.

@jollygreenaudiophile2 Hey thanks for the detailed information. I ordered two 120mm AC Infinity usb powered fans as they can be blutacked on the floor where my VAC tube power amp sits on right now. 

And I can't agree more about the lifting heavy amp part. As age catches up I no longer dare take the risk lifting equips around 100lb by myself. Not to say slide them into tight spaces. If I have to, I need to get the right set of tools that make me comfortable doing so.

"Hwa Rang Do"? "Carson city, Century city or Seoul"?
In any case, Your quite welcome, "Yuhengdu T."!
I will add though; They do offer "separately", A very nice filtering system you may add to any of the fans that they make/sell. It is a simple "Injection molded", filter housing which comes with a, "washable and re-usable", foam filter. You attach them as you will. "They were not any help at all when I called them about this".
But the filter housings have a hole-thru, in each corner. "I simply used self-tapping, (Tappets)". And I installed three each on my "T-8" units. Two each on my "S2's", (And so-on). And I have maybe a case of them left if you would like a few. "They described them over the phone where I ordered them not understanding that they were re-usable. And they were very hard to find on the web-site for some reason....."I never have seen a pic of these"!
 Adding the filters to the system made a lot of sense to me and gives you that, "Warm and fuzzy", that is o-so-satisfying once you add them!

The link shown in your post is not enough space between shelves for all those tubes, IMHO. Even with fans I wouldn’t do it. Get yourself a separate amp stand if you want the amp down low, but heat rises, so I’d personally have the amp more at eye level. That’s an amp that deserves to be on the top shelf, I mean who doesn’t like to look at the glow of tubes. If you’ve got it, flaunt it!