Review – Convertible Hand Truck

As someone who works from home, my schedule tends to be rather erratic. That usually means I get to work on my DIY project whenever time permits it. Most often than not, I end up working alone and that sucks when you have to move large items like a clothing washer, refrigerator, and yes, even a hot water heater tank.

Since I am not a superhero of an kind, getting the old hot water heater thank absolutely sucked with leftover water and 10 years worth of mineral deposits and sediments out from the basement would have been an impossible task if I did not use one of those handy convertible hand trucks.

Standard Hand Trucks

The objects to be moved are tilted forward, the ledge is inserted underneath them, and the objects allowed to tilt back and rest on the ledge.

If the object is bulky or heavy, you may use straps to secure the item to the hand truck. Then the truck and object are tilted backward until the weight is balanced over the large wheels, making otherwise bulky and heavy objects easier to move. It is a first-class lever.

Convertible Hand Trucks

Convertible hand truck is constructed fairly identical to the standard ones, except that it has a second pair of wheels as well as removable and re-positionable handle bar.

These two additional items allow the hand truck to be pushed or pulled horizontally, much like a dolly and comes in quite handy when you are trying to move a large item by yourself.

Things to Keep in Mind when Shopping for a Hand Truck

• Verify the dimension of a hand truck (some are “junior” sized which is far too small for DIY use)
• Construction materials – I prefer the tube steel for maximum strength and durability
• Wheel types – I prefer the main wheels to be inflatable tires which allows easier navigation on uneven grounds like gravel. The secondary wheels usually come in neoprene only.
• Whenever possible, I prefer to buy a product that was Made in the USA

My Convertible Hand Truck

I ended up purchasing Harper Convertible Hand Truck, Model # JEDTK1935P and I love it. So far it as allowed me to easily move around my Whirlpool dryers and washers over many steps and gravel surfaces, moved an old water tank that weight around 150 pounds and go up 13 flights of stairs, etc.

It has also been banged around few times, but other than some scratches, everything looks and works great!

 
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