Anticipating a move is enough to send you running for the hills, especially if it's not in your budget to hire a moving company. To add insult to injury, you probably don't have a bevy of strong men waiting to carry your furniture for you. Fret no more, you and your husband can carry that refrigerator with ease. All you need is a shoulder dolly.
While the concept may be new, you'll probably have a hard time understanding why it took so long for someone to come up with this great invention. Also referred to as moving straps or the TeamStrap, a shoulder dolly is a product that gives two people the ability to lift and move large items such as appliances, mattresses and awkward furniture. While two people carrying such items is not a novel idea, the fact that this can be done with relative ease is definitely something to write home about.
As mentioned, there are a few variations of moving straps; one style utilizes the power of the forearm, another harnesses the strength of the shoulders. While there are minor differences in style, the basics of the shoulder dolly are the same. For example, the TeamStrap contains two shoulder straps and one lifting strap. Two people are required to use this product; each person wears a harness, connected by the lifting strap, which is placed underneath the item being moved.
There are multiple benefits to using a shoulder dolly, the least of which is the ease that heavy items can be moved from place to place. Moving straps reduce the incidence of back injuries as a result of improper lifting. When compared to a regular hand truck, TeamStrap and similar products are easy to store because they take up almost no space. Finally, moving straps reduce the chances of damage to walls and floors, an issue that is common when moving heavy items with simple lifting.
