It won't fit in the car upright --- will it do any harm to turn it on its side while loading, drive it around that way, & turn it upright when unloading?
Is it important to put the transport bolts back in (I still have them), & how difficult is it to line up the internal holes?
Thanks.
Unless it has a water softener built in, which is unlikely, I don't think it will do any harm to put it on its side. Drain it first, if the car is of any value.
Yes, insert the transport bolts. Of course, it will be difficult. You may need to take the lid off to move the drum so they line up.
Yes it is important to put the transit bolts back in before transporting, otherwise the drum and concrete block can move about and cause internal damage.
It should be OK to transport the machine on it's side providing you secure it properly.
You wouldn't be the first person to move house with a washing machine and not put the bolts in. Obv they were there for a reason but if it isn't roughly handled it should be fine. TW
Yup, I have chucked a WM in the back of the car before without the bolts in, and not had any problem. Obviously not a time to take it off roading though!
Thanks for pointing that out.
I'll probably err on the side of caution, but thanks.
I think the point is that while obviously white goods with heavy weights inside can be damaged by extremely rough handling in transit from the factory, in practice in a car you are unlikely to really stress the suspension very much. And that any G load that does damage is likely to be more than you and the car would care to experience - at which point the washer dryer will be the least of your worries. Transit bolts ate more about dropping off a forklift etc.
My current machine has been moved by Transit twice in the last 4 years and its still as good - or as crap - as it ever was.
Nevertheless if you want to feel safe, put them in. If you still have them.
Ha! TBH, I'm more concerned about damage from manoeuvring the machine into & out of the car than from the drive.
If I didn't have them, I'd be asking a slighlty different question --- "is it worth getting replacement transport bolts?" ;-)
Last time I did it, I took a couple of 4' lengths of 4 x 2 and set those up as a "ramp" into the back of the car.
I then rolled the machine out on a trolley, and covered the ramps and the crossover into the boot as well as the boot floor with some old blankets. I could then position the machine at the end of the ramp and tip it over onto its side gently onto the ramps, before pushing it up into the car. The blankets both protecting the finish on the metal, and also making it easy to slide on the ramps and boot floor.
I have seen it suggested that because it's so difficult to line things up to refit the bolts you could stuff the drum full with the next load of clothes waiting for the wash. The theory being that the friction between the clothes and the door reduces the movement of the drum.
I've never been in a position to need to put it to the test though.
I doubt that would do anything useful as it?s not the rotation of the drum that?s the problem. It?s the mass of the whole sprung assembly and it?s associated weights bouncing around that?s the issue.
Tim
That makes sense.
A long time ago one of the springs in our washing machine broke. I thought I'd save money by fitting it myself ... after trying to do that, I got the repair place that had sold me the part to come do it. I wasn't there at the time, but my wife said it took two people & a lot of noise to install it.
Thanks for the tips. I'll see what I can come up with. I have a folding hand-truck from Costco, but I don't think the platform is long enough to get a good grip under a washer-dryer --- & I'd better check the weight limit! (I've mainly used for getting bags of compost from a gardening/DIY store in the neighbourhood.)
Should have added - I put a blanket over the hand truck before moving the machine so that it did not damage the finish.
You don't really need much projection - just enough to get under the edge and allow you to pivot it onto the truck.
Thanks! It may be a while before I report back on how it went...
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