Whoa: Me+ Building FN=Sweat & Soreness

[Stitch-n-Roo]

Hey Guys I just got my FN142 tonight and built it as soon as I got home. It's beautiful but....... it took me 2 hours to build by myself. How come no one told me that building it by myself would be a back ache, no really I have a back ache. I said a lot of non-PG and non-HR appropriate words while building it because I literally had to pull and tug at it to put it together. :hair: Midwest gave me too many parts, the top caps are too wide to put on to finish it off, and the small black support beams that connect one level to the next via screws weren't cut right and the beams to insert them weren't dug out completely. I almost gave up for the night:banghead:... But I didn't /Rant Over.

Now that it's built man is it pretty and spacious and I can't wait to decorate it. My back does hurt now from pulling at it for so long but I know it's worth the hassle. My boys will be proud. Word of advice for newbies to FN, get a friend, neighbor, brother, SOMEBODY to help you put it together. It's heavy, very heavy and it'll save you a back ache and a motrin. :tease:

 

[menagerie]

I have heard a number of people say they were hard, but that wasn't my experience at all. Over the course of a weekend I put together 5 three-story FNs and 1 two-story all by myself and I'm only 5'2". I did use steps when adding the third levels. I even modified them so that I didn't use the under cage storage stand, they all sit on wheels just above the floor. One thing you absolutely need is a drill equipped with Phillips drill bits. It makes it so much easier and quicker.

 

[Whimsy]

Uh....all the parts are machine made. There should be no unmatched, too big, too small, or otherwise.
I know getting the pieces to fit "just right" can be a bit of a challange, especially for a single person doing it all alone. But, you should not have to modify the cage to make it work.
Congratulations nonetheless. I personally like the things so much that I got 27 of them.

 

[Tagna]

I can put FN's together pretty quick now. The last one I bought had one of those black pieces that connect the levels not drilled all the way through. I made my own hole and it wasn't pretty but it worked. Lots of sparks! ha!

 

[Sandi]

Yep same here. I built 2.5 FN's myself even though 1 was already assembled at the store. As soon as I opened the doors of the FN so that I could put it in my car, they both immediately fell to the floor. The kid that put it together at petsmart assembled it upside down! They didn't have anybody to re-assemble it there at the time, so they knocked $50 off the price and I took it home and had to re-assemble it myself. Of the three that I had, I did have to hammer in one of the connector pieces as the hole it had to go into was bent.

I think the first time you have to assemble something so big by yourself might be a little intimidating but once you do one, the other's will be a piece of cake!

 

[Dewdrop]

I found assembling mine to be a chore and a half as well...Worth it in the end though!

 

[Stitch-n-Roo]

Glad I'm not the only one who thought building their first FN wasn't as easy as putting together a bookshelf. It wasn't even that assembly was hard, it really brings into play common sense but the pieces are so darn heavy that I felt like a circus juggler, hehe. But again it was sooooo worth it. I just bought some more toys for it this morning. Uber excited

 

[RoniM]

Thanks for the info! I'll be waiting impatiently for my hubby to help me put it together!!

 

[Stitch-n-Roo]

Anytime RoniM

 

[Peep_erz]

It wasn't easy but it was a heck of a lot easier than re putting together my modified super pet thing.

 

[menagerie]

Perhaps I should start hiring myself out as a FN assembler. :laughitup:

I can put a 3 story FN together in about 45 minutes. It takes another hour to get pans, shelves, ledges, hay holders, wheels, hammocks, houses, litter and chins put in.

 

[addictedtochins]

Perhaps I should start hiring myself out as a FN assembler. :laughitup:

I LOVE putting things together like that. I just remembered once I had that thought that I would do delivery and assembly of that kind thing especially furniture.