4x4 ebb and flow table question

Hey all been a while since Ive been around but ive come accross yet another problem I cant seem to find a feasible answer for...Ive got a 4x4 table on saw horses that I put together and the table is too high just as youd expect My girls are in week 3 of flower and i vegged too long so I gotta drop the table. I cant seem to figure out the safest way to replace/modify the current table with minimal risk to my girls...Its a very simple table 2 sawhorses with 4 ft 2x4s connecting them and two peices of wood on top of those with the table on top (see pic) I gotta drop the table a good 14 inches which I can do cuz my res is off to the side I just cant see how to lower it safely and correct. I know its not a typical question on here but a lot of the members on here are simply geniuses with other skills im hoping to get some interesting replies. thanks for takin the time to help me out guys!!!

If I were you Id get a couple/few cinder blocks and set your table up the same way that you have it now. from the looks of it you can just keep the boards(particle board) underneith it as is and just lower the whole thing as is. I would defenately recomend having someone help you lower it and if you have the room you can move the whole unit off to the side while you set up the cinderblocks and move the sawhorses outta the way. Just be careful not to tip it too much as to dump everything over... Hope this Helps... Good Luck

:hippy:

Are you going to be doing the lowering all by yourself or will you have someone to help you?

mike put the new smaller table near the excisiting one get 2 car jacks one at each end of your table place the weight of your table onto the jacks the take away the old table put the new one in place the lower the jacke untill its on the new one ,good luck mike


it works cos i have done it:thumbsup:

thanks for the replies everyone I really appreciate it..I have one other person that can help me move the whole thing, I dont have the room to put the table off to the side and then move it back but I really like the idea of using a car jack and maybe a a 2x4 on to spread the load and carefully replace the sawhorses with a smaller table setup or just cut the horses I have already Im gonna look into going that route because I can lower the whole thing slowly while someone steadys the table. Thanks again guys and any other good sugguestions are welcome Im not moving the table til this weekend so ill keep checking this thread.

Mike - your problem is going to be lowering the table gradually while remaining steady enough that you don't tip the table over. This is going to be tricky considering your support set-up. Your friend isn't going to be able to hold the two support boards long enough for you to cut the legs on the horses and, even then, if you cut one horse down to the desired height and then set the table on it, everything is going to slide to the lower and... your asking for a big mess and probably toppling your entire set-up.

What you want to do is lower the table in small increments so that it remains steady and never dips too low on any one side. The car jack idea would work, but it would never be steady enough. If you can get some blocks, or milk crates - anything stackable, put them under the table until you can put the weight of the table on them. You might have to use some 2x4's or something similar at the top, but get the table just high enough that you can slip the horses out. Cut the legs on the horses so they are the desired height. put the horses back in their original location. Each of you lift an end of the table and then move the milk crates out of your way with your foot. Set the table back on the horses and you're done.

Good luck!

Can you pull the plants off of the table?

This is why I always use individual pots within the tray for each plant.

If you have to move it whole, skip a couple irrigation cycles to let the media dry out- that shit's gonna be heavy.

in a very extreme situation I could pull the plants off the table there are 36 in 4inch pots filled with hydroton but I have panda film covering all the pots and I also dont really have anywhere I could put the plants if I took them out ive got a good 12 inches of roots coming out of the bottom at this point i wouldnt want to just set them down..Im thinkin a floor jack and maybe some jack stands will do the trick I can jack it up and put the stands in to hold it while I cut the sawhorses down to size and then just lower the table onto the smaller sawhorses...this appears to be the best way Ive heard so far any one else have any last minute suggestions?

maybe you could jack up one side replace old stands with smaller stands. repeat process. sounds easy enough .

sounds easy enough im just nervous to have my girls sittin unsupported for even a few minutes...im gon jack them up and cut the stands and see what happens...lemme know if any of you have any better ideas...

as i said b4 mike the jacks work we have done it remember to use bits of wood on top of the jacks to even the weight of the table out good luck wish i was there i would help ya :thumbsup:

dude like someone said already, two cinder blocks on each side and have them ready before you lift. Have your friend get one side and you the other and kick those saw trucks out from under and set her down! Seems like it should work to me.

My only concern would be if the tray level ends up below the water level in the nute tank, leading to unwanted backflow into the tray.

May have to get a shorter, fatter nute tank if the table needs to drop lower than your present tank level.