Egyptian obelisks are raised on plinths. They usually have a "turning" groove across the back edge of the plinth stone, implying that they were rotated upright either by ropes and A-frames, or wedges, or levers, or a combination of all three. A turning groove is only effective once the obelisk reaches a reasonable angle (say 30 deg or more), so it is likely that it was initially lowered onto the plinth from the top of a ramp. This was probably done with a sand-filled enclosure which was dug out from holes at its base to allow the obelisk to descend slowly onto its plinth. The ramp would also be a good foundation against which to wedge or lever the obelisk to vertical, perhaps with ropes to assist.

It seems unlikely that the people of Easter Island would have used sand boxes to raise their statues, but if they are on plinths, it is possible that they were loaded onto sledges in an upright position for transportation. Maybe the raw stone was put on its sledge before being sculpted, in which case an upright position would be an advantage. This might also explain why the timber was not recycled. It probably took a long time to sculpt the statues, so perhaps many were on the go at once, each occupying its own sledge for the duration.