Laundry platform

Outside labor, two fellows ought to do. I built one for our old dryer, it still sit unused.

Tilt it, get one end on it, then tilt it the other way and slide it.

Or chat up couple of bodybuilders from the local gym.

Or handtruck and _heave_.

Or make a ramp.

Or one of these, if you can rig something overhead to hook it onto. and a sling (handy thing to have--there are better brands if you don't mind paying more for not-made-in-China).

I've seen these in a several places. I'm not trying to poke fun or be negative, but what purpose do these serve? Is this all about being vertically challenged?

My mother wanted to raise hers and she's 5'3" no problem loading or unloading. The installers put the front loaders in a position where the two open doors are back to back forcing you to pull out and go around the doors to load the dryer. I went to get a door switch kit, but you can only do that on a dryer. I'm not able to move these units around, and the last time a paid guy did, they ripped up the new floor and it had to be replaced.

Seems we keep making them bigger and with more stuff to simply make more money and have more breakage. I had a new neighbor replace a set only one year old because they didn't like the new front loaders. They thought they took too lond to wash and dry. They threw them away.

I stacked ours. They were a matched pair of Samsungs. The washer went TU just after it was off warranty so I replaced it with a Whirlpool Duet and nhad to modify the stacking kit a bit. They are both left hand door. Works great. Washer on bottom, drier on top

dryer. Easy. But how do I get the machines up on the platform? There? ??s gotta be a trick that one of you guys can share.

I can think of a few reasons.

- Easier to reach storage underneath.

- Elevates them if in a basement or where moisture/water can be a problem.

- Easier to reach in a front loading (not top loading unless you happen to be a professional basketball player) appliance.

dryer. Easy. But how do I get the machines up on the platform? There? ??s gotta be a trick that one of you guys can share.

Our washer went south, and had to be replaced. While waiting for the new one to be delivered, I considered all possible scenarios to get it out of the drip pan. (Its on the 2nd floor and the pan is drians to the sewer.)

When the dryer was delivered I was prepared with all of the things needed to lift it up, and out of the pan.

I showed the delivery man where it was to go. He looked the situation over, and lifted the washer out of the pan an moved it down stairs. So much for my concept of the problem.

You can learn a lot watching professional delivery men.

Takeway? Invest $20 or so in those web straps they use in tandem to move heavy appliances, etc. They rest on their shoulders and function as a sling to carry the load. Very little bending involved and it's amazing how much two folks can carry when the weight is properly distributed.

Takeway 2? Think outside the box and think the problem through. We had a large double door refrigerator freezer (with the freezer drawer on the bottom) delivered and I knew that there was no way the appliance could be moved in with the doors in place due to the depth of the thing.

Guys show up, scope out the situation and one pulls out a screwdriver and removes the handle on the freezer drawer only. They first opened both doors of the refrigerator and slide in the doorway and then angled the unit while closing the first door through the opening, jockeyed it a bit and got the second door through the opening and the job was done.

Had it been me doing it, I'd probably have been trying to remove all the handles (a real job a a French door refrigerator).

They do that for energy savings. Same with dishwashers.

Does not bother me. When its done its done. Usually two loads in a week so it if takes a long time the next one gets done tomorrow.

Dishwasher gets run either right after breakfast and they are done my dinner time or it gets run sometime after dinner and it gets uloaded in the morning.

At work it was about making money so I set production schedules. at home, makes no difference unless you don't have clean panties.

Depends upon the height to some extent. However the Hand truck combine wit h the Tilt one end suggestion may prove your best one-man bet. The Dryer's unlikely to prove too tough - but the washer is another (HEAVY) story.

If you can approach from the ramp's sides, slip the hand truck under one si de of the machine and tighten the strap! Then you should be able to tilt th e thing back toward you and move it forward and let it down onto your platf orm. (If you build a ramp, well then, roll tide!)

If there is no ramp, then you may need to use a 2by4 under the axle of the hand truck once the edge of the machine is up on your platform. If you've h elp, the two of you should be able to lift the hand truck and machine and p ush bothe onto the platform.

Maybe do the Dryer first - practice on the easy machine!

BY THE WAY - I can tell you that you do not want a hernia!

Another point to ponder, never underestimate the utility of a car, a pulley, and a rope as a lifting device. Just be careful, because you can do a _lot_ of damage that way.

Attach your homemade pedestals first, then...

ryer. Easy. But how do I get the machines up on the platform? There? ?s gotta be a trick that one of you guys can share.

I'm not sure it's a 'trick', but if you can get an attachment point overhea d, a wire-rope comealong can lift and hold the weight of the frontloaders, then just posit ion the platform and guide the item down onto it. Lag bolts in the ceiling joists ?

The problem I had, was how to attach the winch; it took a LOT of straps and thought to affix a central eye for lifting, because of no handles. I put loops around the feet, making a rope 'net' and fixing to a lifting bar whic h was a scrap of 2x4 with C clamp eyes...

Ropes and cleats could work, but the ratchet is a great improvement. One- man descent of the heavy washer down a concrete exterior stairwell was a lot quicker and easier than the strap-up operation.

Figure out the weight and screw a hook into a 2x that supports the ceiling, then use a rope block and tackle and a sling to lift the dryer.

Just remember to move the dryer ductwork as needed.

If you have room, the tilt-one-end-up process also works, as does the ramp. I used the tilt process to get a dryer in the tiny utility room at my mother-in-law's house. It had brick walls, with a concrete block first course, so the dryer had to be up 8+ inches to sit on plywood resting on the edges of the concrete block. When she had the dryer replaced, the delivery people had a hard time figuring out how to get the old one out and the new one in ;-)

dryer. Easy. But how do I get the machines up on the platform? There? ??s gotta be a trick that one of you guys can share.

Any homemade pedestal better be built strong enough to handle ~250 pounds on the side as the machine is tilted upwards.

To use that method, it would have to be way overbuilt for it's end purpose.

Doable of course, builder just needs to be aware.

Pretty sure even these 'butt joint & pocket screwed' fugly beasts would be strong enough, once the remaining 3/4" skins are glued & screwed on:

At LEAST 50% overkill. I'd say 100% - possibly 200%. A 3/4" fir plywood box WITHOUT the 2X4s would be strong enough if properly glued.

People grossly underestimate the strength of a box. I sometimes to freak people out by laying a piece of plywood on top of an empty corrugated box and using it for a step stool. I'm pushing 300 pounds and the box, if it's in good condition, doesn't move at all.

er and dryer. Easy. But how do I get the machines up on the platform? The re?s gotta be a trick that one of you guys can share.

Take that same box and use it in the manner shown in the video.

Let's us know how well it handles a 250 lb washing machine, at an angle, with all the weight on one edge.

... sorry, I couldn't resist ;)