The Best Gear to Use When Moving House

When it’s time to move to a new house, you have a lot to think about. Electricity and water connections, collecting new keys, house cleaning, bond/rent or mortgage payments. The last thing you want to worry about is the gear you use to move your furniture, appliances and homewares.

In fact, you may not even have thought about the actual process of moving properly until you try to lift that ridiculously heavy box of books or manoeuvre a fridge down two flights of stairs!

The adage ‘use the right tool for the job’ applies when selecting which item of moving equipment to use. And it’s quite possible you don’t know all the options available. You can hire a range of trailers, skates, stair trolleys, utes and vans.

In short, there’s more to moving than hiring a van and rounding up a couple of mates! So, in this post we’ll look at these and more, to give you an idea of the best gear to use the next time you’re moving house.

Finding the right vehicle

Reliable transportation can take a big weight off your shoulders when planning a move so the best way to transport all your belongings, a removal van is a lifesaver. It's spacious, sturdy, and can handle the weight of all your furniture and boxes.

The van also includes a tailgate with a high lift capacity so you don’t have to do the heavy lifting. But what about the smaller, more delicate items you don't want getting jostled around? That's where the a good quality van comes in. Pair it with a hand trolley and you’ll save yourself from potential injuries.

 

Introducing the trailer family

The trailer family includes several members, each with their own special applications. 

We’re all familiar with the generic box trailer. It’s the go-to gear when moving small to medium items. Its open top and low sides allow for easy access, making it good for loading.

But the box trailer is by no means your only choice. When moving tall, top-heavy objects, or ones that might tend to shift around as you drive, a cage trailer is the go. With their high, closed-in sides, they offer better protection as you can stack objects safely, and secure them to the cage.

Next in line is the furniture trailer, its main advantage being that it’s longer than the others. You may have seen a sofa, wardrobe or sideboard perched precariously on the back edge of a regular-sized box trailer. The furniture trailer reduces the risk of damage by safely enclosing the full length of the furniture. 

But the ultimate in trailer security is the enclosed trailer. This is lockable, which is handy if you anticipate having to leave the trailer unattended for any length of time. 

It’s also the best choice in rainy weather, since you won’t have to worry about covering your possessions with a tarp – or making dashes in between showers.

One thing to find out is whether your vehicle can tow a trailer. Its tow ball must be 50mm in diameter, and you need a minimum 2 tonne tow package. Check your vehicle's manual for details.

If you don’t have a vehicle, you can always hire a 1-tonne ute or a van with a tow ball for a trailer. In some states, you can also hire a 3-tonne moving van. It has a tail lift for easy lifting and you can drive it on regular car licence.

 

Time to load up

Loading household items from the house into the trailer or vehicle is probably the most physically demanding part of moving. Fortunately, there are several simple aids to take the strain off. 

The basic hand trolley is familiar to us all and can be used when the rolling surface is flat and the load suits the shape of the trolley; i.e. relatively tall and narrow. If the rolling surface is uneven – say gravel or soil – then an all-terrain trolley is the better choice. It has pneumatic tyres for a smooth ride and can carry up to 800kg. 

For stairs, the six-wheeled stair trolley lets you manually transport items up and down. For heavy objects there’s the electric stair trolley, which does the same job except its motorised. This is good for moving washing machines, fridges and heavy boxes. 

Skates are simple platforms with wheels, great for moving things over a flat surface. Depending on the carrying capacity, you can load them up with desks, pianos or heavy machinery up to several tonnes.

Kennards Hire also offers removalist blankets to protect your items during transport. Blankets are essential to stop those scratches and dents in furniture that can happen no matter how careful you are. If items move about in the trailer or van, they are protected by the dense fabric.

You can also get boxes for moving smaller items, because no matter how much planning you do, there’s always a need for one (or two) extra boxes for that stuff under the kitchen sink you forgot about.

Happy moving day!