Moving to a new place, starting a new life is something that people do to turn a new page in their life. While this is a good way to start all over again it can be quite cumbersome when in the process of moving. If you do not have the right equipment things can feel quite hard when in reality they actually aren’t. The basic and most essential piece of equipment you can use to move places is an appliance dolly.
source: moving.com
This is simply put a platform on wheels that helps you move large loads such as your fridge or stove. Do not confuse an appliance trolley with a furniture dolly, which although important comes with 4 wheels instead of the 2 found on appliance dollies. With appliance dollies, you are usually able to move appliances that are up to 270 kg or 360 kg. But this needs to be done in a safe way.
How to Use an Appliance Dolly
Although it can seem quite simple, using an appliance trolley requires you to pay attention to certain important steps. While it is not complicated you need to ensure first that your dolly appliance is strong enough to hold the appliance.
Prep
It’s important that you clear the path which you’ll take with a loaded dolly to avoid any accidents. Also, items that have moving parts such as doors or drawers need to be fixed. You can use some tape or a cord wrapped around the item to keep them from moving and shifting your centre of mass. This can easily affect your handling and lead to an accident. Once you have all of these things ready start by loading the trolley with the smallest appliance, to make more room for heavier items.
Loading
1. Once that’s out of the way, load the appliance on the dolly by placing the dolly so it’s facing a smooth side of the appliance. You might think the front or back of the appliance are best for this but you’re wrong. Try to avoid both the rear and back of the appliance to avoid damaging electric cords or mechanical components.
2. Then, you should tilt back the appliance gently and slide the dolly under it. Avoid any injuries by lifting the appliance onto the trolley with your legs and not back. Make sure you have someone to help you especially when loading a large appliance.
Secure
1. To secure an appliance use some straps around it. The straps should be positioned at the centre of the appliance with no slack. Ensure that the dragging tail of the strap is wrapped up to avoid tripping.
2. Secure the strap by cranking and turning the belt handle on it and when you unload the appliance make sure to release the security belt beforehand.
Move
1. To move the appliance, tilt the dolly backwards while balancing the weight of the appliance. This is done on the fulcrum of the dolly appliance. The fulcrum is a hinge placed over the wheels of the dolly that help in keeping the load balanced whilst moving.
2. Again, if the appliance you’re moving is large have a set of helping hands to aid you in balancing its weight as otherwise, the load can fall on you. When the appliance feels secure on the appliance dolly, start walking slowly. Before you start moving though make sure the appliance you’re going to be moving can fit through doors. Sometimes you may need to remove doors and make a clear pathway so there are no tripping hazards.
How to Use Appliance Dolly on Stairs
1. While moving on flat ground is easier, going up or downstairs with a loaded appliance trolley is not as intimidating as it seems. For starters, you need to move a lot slower when going downstairs. Avoid having your load bounce up off each step as you go down. This can make the dolly bounce off and hit you in the chin.
2. Do not tilt the dolly too far back when going downstairs as the vertical slats on the rear of the dolly can slide down the edge of a stair. With too much of a tilt, the wheels can pass over to the next step and make for a sudden movement. This movement can be easily controlled but sometimes it can make for the right disaster. It’s best to be avoided though.
3. If there are any obstacles, like bumps and thresholds, do not go at them at an angle. This can easily make your dolly tip over and sow ill the appliance strapped to it. In, case the load you’re moving is unstable., use one hand to hold the top of it and the other to steer the dolly. This can be dangerous but not if done calmly and carefully. Do not rush things when you only have one hand to steer the dolly.