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I saw the shoulder dolly on the TV show Pitchmen and thought it looked like a good idea. When we got to her storage unit, they did not have carts, so the shoulder dolly was truly AWESOME there. It worked with everything, even the couch. Needless to say, we moved everything by ourselves. One other note, this is the shoulder dolly "lite" which I didn't realize till I got it. In regards to stairs, the shoulder dolly wasn't perfect, but it definitely helped. My girlfriend had to move out of her 3rd story walk-up apartment and we were going to hire some help for the big stuff but I decided to give the shoulder dolly a shot. We had a wide open 100 yard walk from the truck to the unit and the shoulder dolly was perfect for this situation.
It worked great on narrow, solid items, like the dresser, desk, and bookshelves, but not so much on oversized items like the couch. Problem with her set up was that the stairs were narrow and you had to go down 1/2 a flight, turn at the landing, and go down the other 1/2 and that was 1 story; we had that times three. I recommend this product, it may not be perfect for every situation, but it worked for me. It is not the exact same unit from Pitchmen, but it was just what I needed.
The Shoulder Dolly is a great item to have around, especially if you own a house. The Forearm Forklift is also a good product, and we use both, depending on the size and shape of the object being lifted. There's always furniture that needs to be moved for parties, rug cleaning, and redecorating. I suggest that both lifters read the simple instructions so the principles of how to use it are understood, especially the part about hand placement and moving things up stairs. We tend to use this for heavier pieces and going up stairs; it feels more secure. Someone with a bad neck or shoulders will do better using the Forearm Forklift.
I have moved items up a small distance by using a strong board as a ramp. If the item is really heavy I center the skateboard under the item so it takes all the weight.
My husband had rotator cuff surgery and can no longer help me move any furniture. I have moved couches, dressers, a washer, a piano and a freezer using a skateboard.
I'm a 5'10" female of average strength. Lift again and walk forward.
I prop one end of the furniture up and slide the skateboard underneath. To turn corners, you just set your end down, then tug the end of the skateboard not under the item in the direction you want to go.
The only time it doesn't work is when you need to go up a long flight of stairs. I'm always buying used furniture and I use this method to get things up inside my minivan or onto a trailer.
Had an opportunity shortly thereafter to use a set of these to move a very heavy commercial range. First saw these being used for my front loader washing machine delivery. Two little guys effortlessly hauled the machine down narrow stairs with turns and very little clearance room. Straightforward to carry it level up and down stairs with no damage to the walls. I am sold on this for heavy lifting of appliances.
It allows you to carry large, awkward loads easily. This product is amazing. The only downside to this product is that the shoulder harness is not adjustable to fit your body, so it made it a little difficult to keep the harness in place while carrying smaller objects on stairs. My husband and I used the shoulder dolly to lift a 350-pound television and carry up stairs to our 2nd-floor apartment. The carrying strap is adjustable, allowing you to lift anything as long as a couch to as short as a portable a/c unit. Regardless, we were able to move all of our belongings into our upstairs apartment by ourselves and were not sore at ALL afterwards. NOTE: If you plan to use this on a regular basis, you might want to check out the Pro Lift Unit on their website: http://www.shoulderdolly.com/pro_lift.htmlIt appears to be fully adjustable and would make a big difference if you have a smaller frame.
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