NO!!! I'm not talking about the female equivalent to the 'couch potato'.
I cannot find the web site, but, there is a web site that sells bags of different sizes to move furniture.
The bags have a big zipper and many handles on the outside. You set the bag on the floor, unzipped. Put the sofa or chair on top of the bag. Zip the bag up enclosing the furniture. Then you grab which ever handles are most convenient for you to use.
Does anyone know if these are sold here in the good ol' USofA?
What type of material would I use if I make these for myself? It would need to be tear proof and not scuff any wood frames.
I love the fact that you do not need to extend your arms when you carry furniture with these bags. You can tilt the sofa 120 degrees, or 33 degrees if you want, in order to get it out the door, much easier than with your arms stretched out and the cushions falling all over the place.
Thank you,
Gene
They sound interesting. But I can't really picture how you tilt a sofa to get it through a door. Also, seems like you might wrinkle a tailored skirt.
I would like to see one though,
hiya
when i had a sofa delivered they had to get to the rear of my house down a narrow alley way
they put it a big bag and just shoved it down the alley scraping along the brick wall, this was a $4000 sofa !!!!!
when it came out of the bag there wasn't a scratch on it ...
they said it was a teflon type fabric but looked like cordura to me or a ballistic nylon.
rich
I'm still looking for that web site. I will post it if I find it.
I will also post pics of any bags that I make.
If a sofa is 37" deep, and 38" high, and the door is 36" wide, tilting the sofa at a 90 degree angle gives you 26" to get through that door.
Gene
Quote from: gene on August 09, 2010, 09:16:50 pm
If a sofa is 37" deep, and 38" high, and the door is 36" wide, tilting the sofa at a 90 degree angle gives you 26" to get through that door.
What I can't picture in my mind, is doing it with the furniture bag. Sounds intriguing.
But still seems like you could mess up a skirt.
When I first read this thread I couldn't help thinking that bagging a chair or sofa would make it more unwieldy than ever to manoeuvre. But then I thought about it some more and having handles in a variety of places along the bag would allow you to muckle right on to it and move it more comfortably.
Were the handles stitched on and did they extend under the body of the bag to spread the load and give the piece better support? I was thinking along the lines of webbing handles on tote bags which typically run under the bottom of the bag.
And I was thinking about fabrics, too. Vinyl coated skrim would be the sturdiest and offer the best protection against abrasion and the elements, but it could be pretty heavy, too. I'll be really interested to see the website if you're able to locate it, Gene.
30 secs on Google...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-hAskBZzfI
I see that their U.S. distributer is Pacific Hide & Leather. I have an account with that company, I'm going to call them tomorrow and get a price. I noticed that the video said "When used responsibly, they can be re-used dozens of times" If they are very expensive, I would expect more than "dozens" of uses from one in order to consider it cost effective.
Looks like a New Jersey company to me.
http://rapcocover.com/contact/
Pacific Hide's main office is in Pennsauken N.J.
Thank you for the help, JuneC. That's why I couldn't find the link - there was none. I had seen it on youtube.
I had bought the bright orange straps from Home Depot maybe two years ago. I had the corner of a skirt tear off on delivery so I stopped using them. They were also very unstable when you had to tilt the furniture. They are great for dead lifting things like a refrigerator, though.
Gene
I called today for a price. They were in the $150-$250 range, depending on size. Since they only promise "dozens of uses", I think I'll pass.
I was surprised that they're made of ripstop nylon. I know that stuff is strong, but not (IMHO) enough to be moving furniture in. I'm guessing the bag just contains the loose bits and the straps/handles actually carry the weight.
June
Howdy,
JoAnn Fabric has a 65% off coupon today and tomorrow and I thought seriously of buying some Sport Rip stop nylon to make my bags.
I found that silnylon has a 150# weight rating, so several layers of the Sport Rip stop should have been OK. (I was hoping.)
Upon further investigation and consideration, I am not going to go forward with this. I also don't want to spend the time it would take to sew the bag: zipper, handles, velcro straps.
I think I can get improvement on my lifting techniques with the orange furniture moving straps where you use your arms instead of your hands to lift.
My biggest concern is bending over and lifting and trying to tilt the sofa or chair whilst my arms are stretched out as far as possible.
Anyone else use these orange straps to move furniture?
gene
I should have paid more attention because when my washer and dryer was delivered few weeks ago the straps were what the two guys used. But, it might have been just a strap system and each guy on a side. They said it took a lot of the lifting out of the moving task.
If I have my wits, then the straps would do the lifting and the cover, perhaps the straps are attached to. would be for general protection.
No sure how it would work for a large sofa, other than the way described. The idea of a general enclosue would protect from the typical expectations, rain and anything that would fall in the air.
To make and sell, I don't know, could be a real deal or.................?
Doyle
I got some "hump straps" many years ago after seeing professional movers use them. Mine are 2" nylon(?) straps that I got from a company that makes tarps for semi trailers. I use them regularly. Basically, I look like a bass drummer in a marching band and my hands simply steer the cargo.
http://www.ehow.com/how_12193222_move-heavy-furniture-hump-strap-technique.html
If you want to spend more money, and have two people, you can get "forearm forklifts," but I like the ability to put the hump strap over my shoulder. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgnfkCW1m7U But wait... there's more....
Over the years, I've also bought a number of movers' blankets and a few months ago, I bought some mover's rubber bands that ease strapping them on. I've used them a number of times and they work well. The large ones will go around a sofa.
http://www.wwhardware.com/delivery-blankets-and-bands-shblankets/
Those "Forearm forklifts" look like they'd work pretty good for those with back trouble that can't lift from a full squat.
But any time I look at any of those gadgets, I'm thinking strictly from the perspective of twisting a sofa through a doorway in a customer's home. Doing my own PU & delivery, I've manuvered (with a guy on the other end) giant couches through tight door jambs in a way that defied all known laws of physics. I can't imagine any apparatus that wouldn't just be a hindrance.
Moving a sofa around with straps in a wide open space is one thing, while getting it through a door, and down a narrow hallway filled with delicate knick-knacks is quite another.