Moving Heavy Things

You'll learn the answer to two important questions when you have to move something really big and heavy. How much do you really want it? And how many good friends do you have?

Take that old sleeper sofa. There are few things heavier than a sleeper sofa. Do you really want it or need it in your new place? If so, here's a trick - open it up and take the mattress out. It'll be a lot lighter and easier to move. If you really don't need it, though, you can save yourself a lot of sweat and bloody knuckles deciding that now.

When you're moving big and heavy stuff, use wheels when you can. Piano dollies are carpeted platforms on wheels. Set your dresser on the dolly and wheel it out. Movers' hand trucks look like bigger versions of the hand trucks UPS drivers use, and they have straps that wrap around stuff like your refrigerator to secure it. You can rent either from any place that rents moving vans.

Some big stuff disassembles and is much easier to deal with in pieces. Shelves come out of bookcases and entertainment centers. Drawers come out of dressers and desks. My old Steelcase desk weighs a frickin' ton even with the drawers pulled out. Fortunately it breaks apart into four big pieces that I can carry alone; otherwise I'd be out of friends by now.

A few other tricks for big and heavy stuff: Lift it from a low point, if you can. When you're carrying something, you want your arms straight, below your waist, not bent up by your chest. When you lift, keep your back straight. If something 's too heavy, stop. Get more help, then move it. When two or more people are carrying something, let the person walking backward set the pace. If you're dealing with stairs, remember that the person on the downhill side takes all of the weight.

The better prepared you are to move, the easier it will be to get help. Nobody wants to stand around while you sort and pack.

I always help friends and co-workers move when they ask, because then they'll help me when I need it. So the first trick to getting help moving is to help others. Besides, it lets you practice loading a truck with their stuff instead of your own. Bribery also works. If you've got furniture you're not taking or even food that's not making the trip, offer it to the folks helping you. It's a gratuity, not a bribe. Keep your workers fed - burgers or a big bucket of chicken goes a long way to keeping people happy and energetic. Serve soda until the truck is loaded, and if you're going to switch to beer, do that at the other end.

Also plan your loading and unloading with your volunteer help in mind. If you can load the front half of your truck with boxes and stuff you can handle yourself, do it. Schedule your help so they arrive when you need them for the really big stuff. Together you load that last and unload it first at the other end, and then you can send your helpers home. Chances are they'll stay until the truck is empty anyway. And more importantly, chances are they'll help you move again in a year or so because you made it so easy for them.