How to Load a Removal Truck and Keep Your Possessions Safe
By Mobile Truck Rental|October 11, 2024
For many people, the moving process can be quite stressful and overwhelming. From the concerns of finding an appropriate new home to the daunting process of packing up your home, every step of the moving process presents its difficulties and risks and thus calls for careful planning, adequate preparation, and effective execution. One mistake can lead to many problems and ruin your moving experience.
This is especially true if you’ve decided to handle every aspect of your move by yourself. You must know how to load your belongings correctly, or you risk wasting a lot of removing and rearranging items to make them fit, or, worse yet, you risk arriving at your destination with a truck full of broken or damaged items.
Here are some tips on loading your moving truck properly to avoid issues and keep your move from turning into a relocation nightmare.
Choose the Right Size Moving Truck
You need a large truck to accommodate all your items but not so large that everything moves around as you drive and end up getting damaged. On the other hand, you don’t want a truck so small that you have to make multiple trips or cram all your belongings inside. It’s best to rent a truck that is 15% bigger than the amount of space you think you’ll need. The truck rental company should have guidelines to help you choose the appropriate size.
Load the Largest and Heaviest Items First
Major appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, couches, and other items that take two people to lift should be loaded onto the truck first, closest to the cab. This is so that you don’t damage more fragile items and you can have enough room for other things. Ensure you place these items upright and on opposite sides of the truck to maintain balance.
Load the Longer Items Next
Place longer items like mattresses, headboards, tables, and sofas against the truck’s walls to keep them upright and save space. Use mattress covers to protect your bed and sofa from stains and tears.
Use Protective Padding
Things can shift and move around during transit, so ensure that all your items are secured. Fill any spaces between items with moving blankets and padding to prevent them from shifting. You can also use moving straps to hold these items in place.
Disassemble Furniture
You can disassemble large furniture pieces like bed frames, cabinets, and desks to make them lighter to pack and carry while also lowering the possibility of damage to the items during the move. Additionally, it will help you maximize space and distribute the load more evenly. Ensure you keep the screws, legs, or handles in a plastic bag, so you don’t lose them.
Stack Boxes by Weight
After loading all the large and heavy items, it’s time to load your moving boxes. To prevent the lighter boxes from being crushed, load the heavier ones first and stack the lighter ones on top.
Place fragile items like mirrors, picture frames, flat screen TV, and smaller items underneath tables, desks, and between chair legs to protect them from damage. You can use bags of clothing, bedding, or towels to fill the spaces between fragile items, so they don’t move during transit.
While performing self-move can save you money, there is always the chance of causing damage to your property if you aren’t careful. Ensure your Melbourne removal truck is loaded correctly to make your move more straightforward and less stressful.
This is especially true if you’ve decided to handle every aspect of your move by yourself. You must know how to load your belongings correctly, or you risk wasting a lot of removing and rearranging items to make them fit, or, worse yet, you risk arriving at your destination with a truck full of broken or damaged items.
Here are some tips on loading your moving truck properly to avoid issues and keep your move from turning into a relocation nightmare.
Choose the Right Size Moving Truck
You need a large truck to accommodate all your items but not so large that everything moves around as you drive and end up getting damaged. On the other hand, you don’t want a truck so small that you have to make multiple trips or cram all your belongings inside. It’s best to rent a truck that is 15% bigger than the amount of space you think you’ll need. The truck rental company should have guidelines to help you choose the appropriate size.
Load the Largest and Heaviest Items First
Major appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, couches, and other items that take two people to lift should be loaded onto the truck first, closest to the cab. This is so that you don’t damage more fragile items and you can have enough room for other things. Ensure you place these items upright and on opposite sides of the truck to maintain balance.
Load the Longer Items Next
Place longer items like mattresses, headboards, tables, and sofas against the truck’s walls to keep them upright and save space. Use mattress covers to protect your bed and sofa from stains and tears.
Use Protective Padding
Things can shift and move around during transit, so ensure that all your items are secured. Fill any spaces between items with moving blankets and padding to prevent them from shifting. You can also use moving straps to hold these items in place.
Disassemble Furniture
You can disassemble large furniture pieces like bed frames, cabinets, and desks to make them lighter to pack and carry while also lowering the possibility of damage to the items during the move. Additionally, it will help you maximize space and distribute the load more evenly. Ensure you keep the screws, legs, or handles in a plastic bag, so you don’t lose them.
Stack Boxes by Weight
After loading all the large and heavy items, it’s time to load your moving boxes. To prevent the lighter boxes from being crushed, load the heavier ones first and stack the lighter ones on top.
Place fragile items like mirrors, picture frames, flat screen TV, and smaller items underneath tables, desks, and between chair legs to protect them from damage. You can use bags of clothing, bedding, or towels to fill the spaces between fragile items, so they don’t move during transit.
While performing self-move can save you money, there is always the chance of causing damage to your property if you aren’t careful. Ensure your Melbourne removal truck is loaded correctly to make your move more straightforward and less stressful.
