Appliance Dolly

[scalebowler]

I will have to move my pepsi machine out of my dorm room in may and take it to my house and I would like to avoid the problems I had when I first put it in my room (Had 4 guys lifting it off of the dolly and almost took out the window and almost crushed my finger) and was wondering how well a refrigerator dolly would work. The first thing I would like to know is can they go up and down stairs? I need to go down about 10 stairs to the basement where I want to store my machine. The second question is where can I rent one and how much do these things usually cost to rent? What would be the best way to lift this into a pickup truck bed? I am going to pay my roommate to take this thing home for me and we need to figure out how to get it into his truck.

Thanks
Alex

[collecture]

U-Haul has them - may need to rent a trailer or truck from them to get one, but I don't think so.
If not, try an equipment rental place.
Stairs are tricky, but there are a few guys here with basements that could (and will I'm sure) share some experience. You'll need to have a couple of strong guys at the bottom of the stairs.

[pepsi-perk]

You can generally get them from any equipment rental place that rents trailers, portable cement mixers, augers and such. 

The best kind to get is one that has rollers on the back of the dolly - it rolls the dolly off the edge of each stair.  It's best for going up the stairs, but it certainly helps going down the stairs to help in not tearing up the wood or carpet as you slide the dolly along.   

I use a tilting ATV trailer for my machine finds - the trailer tilts up so I don't have to use any ramps...just take a little run at the trailer and let gravity do its work in tilting the trailer back down.  Works pretty well - best part is there is no lifting required.

Good Luck!

[scalebowler]

I would like to use a trailer but none of us has one. I did just a little bit ago remember that the building across the street does have some loading docks and that we might be able to wheel the machine up there and use that to get it into his truck. I will have to check on monday to see if they can be reached without having to go through the building.

[Pat Pixley]

Well I have a refrigerator dolly and a regular dolly  and I have hauled machines in and out of
my basement . As big as your machine is you may want three or four people there to haul in down the
stairs two to control it from the top and two on the bottom to help to control it there
 .
 And as far as loading it in the truck  lay it down on it's back and haul it home then let it set for a 24 hr's.

[scalebowler]

That is what we are going to have to do because he has one of those tops on his truck. So straps on the dolly are a good idea so it does not decide to go down the stairs on its own?

[Jim]

Just throw it on a wheel barrow to move it ! ! !

I've had this photo forever and couldn't resist...

Just be careful going down the staircase so nobody gets injured ! ! !

[collecture]

Just throw it on a wheel barrow to move it ! ! !

I've had this photo forever and couldn't resist...

Just be careful going down the staircase so nobody gets injured ! ! !

Jim,
Too funny!
I bought my first machine [VMC-27 tabletop with an enclosed stand] when I was 12-years-old. My parents, who did not want me to have it, would not help me transport it in the car. So I wheel-barrowed it home from 3 blocks away!

I would like to use a trailer but none of us has one.

You can rent a trailer for local use pretty cheap.

[dr galaga]

Just tip the machine on its back and slide it in the pickup.  After you get it home, let it sit over night before you start it.  That's the way I've hauled all of my machines.  It's too much effort to get it upright in the truck.
Also, those rollers on the back of an appliance dolly, don't they have a braking mechanism in them that slows it down as the roller glides down, but not up?
Nice picture Jim.  That machine looks small enough to lift and strap down on top of a Chevette!

[mznb1u]

I have an appliance dolly that I picked up at Tractor Supply Company (TSC) for around $100 but you can rent a real nice one from U-Haul for about $10-$15 a day.  I would also pick up a 4 wheel dolly.  They also have these items at Costco sometimes.

Appliance dolly

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tools/material-handling/hand-trucks-dollies/black-cat-appliance-hand-truck-3599731

4 wheel dolly

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tools/material-handling/hand-trucks-dollies/black-cat-platform-furniture-dolly-3537577

When using the appliance dolly, make sure that you pad the area where the strap goes around the machine especially the corners to avoid scratches.  Most of the dorms that I was in when I went to Michigan had a freight elevator somewhere in the building.  It may not be generally available to students but if you start providing the custodial and maintenance staff a free pop every now and then you could probably get access.  Those elevators usually open on the first floor near the loading dock.  If you can get access to that, you could just load the machine on a four wheel cart and roll it down the hall to the elevator to the loading dock or your truck.  Either way, I would recommend a 4 wheel cart because, you can leave the machine on it in the summer time and it will be very easy to move the machine by yourself.  If you can get the machine from your room to an elevator and there is a handicap ramp on the main entrance, you might be able to get away with just a 4 wheel dolly.

As far as basements, as pointed out earlier, most good appliance dollys have the runners on the back for going up and down stairs.  The belts on those runners can leave marks on carpeting so keep that in mind--don't need problems with your parents!  As you probably already know, soda machines are always heavier than they look so have plenty of help for the stairs move.  I bought a VMC 144SA (400 lbs.) that was in a basement and it took 4 guys to get that sucker up the stairs without killing anyone.  Good luck with the move!

  Tim

[90grad]

One thing you might want to consider when you take your machine home and have it on its back is to install a set of threaded-stem casters.  You can get them from Amazon.com fairly cheaply.  Just make sure they are rated at the weight you need and are the correct stem size.  Most machines are 3/8-16, but some are 1/2-13.

Make sure you have plently of help to control the machine while on the dolly.  The weight of a machine isn't distributed symmetrically so it can roll from side to side when you have it centered on the dolly.  As others have stated, make sure you strap it to the dolly and use some padding. 

As far as ramps go, you can buy a make-it-yourself ramp kit at Lowe's or The Home Depot.  The kit contains metal plates and hardware to make a set of sturdy ramps out of two 2x8 or 2x10 boards.  When I haul machines in my truck, I use the ramps.  I can walk on the ramps with the machine.  I leave the machine on it's back while on the truck.  I just strap the dolly down very well and chock the wheels with some wood. 

Fortunately, I have a walk-out basement, so that hasn't been an issue.  You might wanna measure the stairwell width, since with a railing installed, your machine might be too wide to go down the steps.  Do your folks have a garage or shed?  As long as the machine is out of the weather, keeping it off for a few months will not hurt it.  Just keep it sitting upright.

[johnnyfizz]

In my opinion Yeats makes the best appliance moving dollys.I've been trying to find a used one with no luck.The double strap ones are great.The bottom of the machine can't s**t out.

[scalebowler]

I bought my first machine [VMC-27 tabletop with an enclosed stand] when I was 12-years-old. My parents, who did not want me to have it, would not help me transport it in the car. So I wheel-barrowed it home from 3 blocks away!

That is kind of what I am running into now. A while back my parents said it was ok to buy a machine and I almost bought a square top vendo machine but I decided not to. Now I figured since they said it was ok then it was ok now.

I have an appliance dolly that I picked up at Tractor Supply Company (TSC) for around $100 but you can rent a real nice one from U-Haul for about $10-$15 a day.  I would also pick up a 4 wheel dolly.  They also have these items at Costco sometimes.

Appliance dolly

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tools/material-handling/hand-trucks-dollies/black-cat-appliance-hand-truck-3599731

4 wheel dolly

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tools/material-handling/hand-trucks-dollies/black-cat-platform-furniture-dolly-3537577

When using the appliance dolly, make sure that you pad the area where the strap goes around the machine especially the corners to avoid scratches.  Most of the dorms that I was in when I went to Michigan had a freight elevator somewhere in the building.  It may not be generally available to students but if you start providing the custodial and maintenance staff a free pop every now and then you could probably get access.  Those elevators usually open on the first floor near the loading dock.  If you can get access to that, you could just load the machine on a four wheel cart and roll it down the hall to the elevator to the loading dock or your truck.  Either way, I would recommend a 4 wheel cart because, you can leave the machine on it in the summer time and it will be very easy to move the machine by yourself.  If you can get the machine from your room to an elevator and there is a handicap ramp on the main entrance, you might be able to get away with just a 4 wheel dolly.

As far as basements, as pointed out earlier, most good appliance dollys have the runners on the back for going up and down stairs.  The belts on those runners can leave marks on carpeting so keep that in mind--don't need problems with your parents!  As you probably already know, soda machines are always heavier than they look so have plenty of help for the stairs move.  I bought a VMC 144SA (400 lbs.) that was in a basement and it took 4 guys to get that sucker up the stairs without killing anyone.  Good luck with the move!

  Tim

Actually when we first got it up there we used one of those dollies that have the casters up on the top and the handle that turns it into a flatbed cart.  There are no freight elevators in our building because the maintanence uses the same elevators as us and there are only 4 elevators. The elevators are big though and I got it in there with me and my roommate. Just need to find a loading dock. the one at our building is currently at the dinning hall which just happens to be underconstuction. They really are. I thought that the two of us could lift the thing up untill we tried. Also found out that the picture on craigslist makes it look smaller than it really is.

[scalebowler]

I went looking for a loading dock that was really close and I found the jackpot. It turns out the building next door to me used to be a watch factory and is now an engineering building and they have atleast 5 loading docks and one looks as if it has a lift folded up on it. Now I just need to contact the building maintainence to get permission to use them. Would be great if I could use the lift if that is what it is.

[Creighton]

Good find. Let somebody that knows how to use the lift run it. That is a big machine to come tumbling down.
Creighton