It’s like getting ready for a date when it comes to loading your moving truck. It all has to be perfect. Unloading, on the other hand, is a lot like that; take it all off, throw it on the floor, and go swim with your date, right?
Both yes and no. Unloading a moving truck is certainly simpler than loading one, but there are good and bad ways to do it, just like there are good and bad ways to jump in a tub.
Here are some safety tips so you can not only complete the job correctly but also have plenty of time for the after-party.
That’s right! Even if nothing seems to be on the verge of collapsing, you should proceed with caution when unloading your belongings.
The bicycle pedal for example, carefully put on top of all those boxes might now be trapped between two of those cartons, and pulling too hard to free your bike may send a whole stack of stuff crashing down on top of you.
Remember that if your truck is full, you won’t have much space in the back for your feet. Please take your time. Keep an eye on your move. Take your time getting the first things off the truck, keeping an eye on how close your foot are to the deck’s edge. If you make a mistake, all of your belongings will be lost.
If you have someone, appoint one person to stay on the truck to break down the load and place it at the edge of the deck so the others can catch it without having to climb into the truck.
This not only saves time, but it also prevents a lot of bending.
Working like this, the driver of the truck is still one step ahead of the others. This is a good time for that person to appoint someone to assist them in transporting the chair or cabinet from the truck to their home. Jumping off the truck and assisting in the transfer of all the items from the deck to the house is another obvious way to keep the process moving.
Taking on the unloading on your own? Try to act in a similar manner. As you dismantle your load, try to place as many boxes and other things along the deck’s edge as possible. You’ll be able to make a lot of trips back and forth without having to walk up and down the ramp every time, saving your legs and back.
Also Read: Things You Need to Do Before Moving to your New Home
Continuing from above, whether you have two or more people to assist you with unloading:
The person driving the truck will begin to pull ahead of the person carrying supplies to the staging area, who will, in turn, pull ahead of the person running back and forth inside the building. Jumping off the truck or stepping inside to assist a friend keeps you moving – and speeds up the process of emptying the truck or portable container.
A hand truck (also known as a dolly) is your best non-human companion when unloading your moving truck.
Rolling large items eliminates the need to lift them. When you roll a stack of boxes, you just have to make one trip instead of three or four! The larger your load and the heavier your belongings, the more you’ll appreciate getting the hand truck on hand. If your moving truck doesn’t come with one or if you don’t hire a moving company or helper, it’s a must-have thing to rent.
By the way, make sure you’re using the hand truck correctly. When rolling things down the slope, you should still be higher than the dolly. Get an extra pair of hands on the lower end if you’re hand-trucking something big and/or heavy to keep it going steadily—and slowly!
When unloading big appliances and huge pieces of furniture – or anything else for that matter – it goes without saying that you want to double-check that neither your feet nor the wheels of your hand truck skip the ramp.
But your hand truck should still strike the ramp squarely; if one wheel begins going downhill before another one, your hand truck will begin to tip to one side. Your buddy on the bottom end will instinctively try to keep it steady, which could cause one of his feet to fly off the side of the ramp, and things will only get worse after this.
Before you head for the ramp, get focused on the back of the truck, whether you’re rolling or pulling the big heavy appliance or piece of furniture.
When you use a dolly, the wheels come down before you. If you’re bringing the item with a friend, whoever has the bottom end must go down first. In either case, the person on the lower end is in charge of keeping the line of forwarding progress straight.
Before you head for the ramp, get focused on the back of the truck, whether you’re rolling or pulling the big heavy appliance or piece of furniture.
When you use a dolly, the wheels come down before you. If you’re bringing the item with a friend, whoever has the bottom end must go down first. In either case, the person on the lower end is in charge of keeping the line of forwarding progress straight.
You should expect a portable container, such as a PODS, to be parked on level ground if you rent one. To make unloading both safer and easier, park in a similar level location. Point the front of your truck downhill if you would park on a sloped surface.
Even if you park on a level surface, this is so. It’s also a good idea to place chocks – or rocks or wood blocks – underneath one or more of the wheels.
Your belongings would have moved in transit, and the risk of something falling out on the ground or on you is very real. You can feel and/or hear something pressing against the door when you open it if something is about to fall out. However, this is not always the case. Keep your eyes peeled and a second pair of hands at the ready.
A loading ramp that slides out from under the back door is usually included with rental trucks. It’s as easy as unlatching it, sliding it out, and locking it in place. If you’re not careful, you can even injure yourself.
That’s a big ramp! And yanking on it too hard can transform it into a battering ram, with you as the victim. Set it down on something other than your toes after you’ve eased it out all the way. Even, don’t forget to lock those hooks at the top of the ramp!
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