Moving Equipment and Tools You Must Have on Moving Day

It can be really frustrating to realize on the day of the move that you’re missing some key pieces of moving equipment and tools to make your move both easier and safer.

If you’ve decided to hire a professional moving company to help you out with the toughest aspects of your residential move, then you shouldn’t worry about a thing because the full-service movers will arrive on moving day with their own professional moving equipment.

And provided that you’ve managed to find movers you can trust, you don’t even have to lift a finger.

However, if you’ve made up your mind to move by yourself despite the extra DIY costs and risks, then you’re surely going to need proper moving equipment and basic tools come Moving day.

What moving equipment should you have when you’re moving without the assistance of professional movers?

Here’s a list of must-have moving equipment and tools you must have on Moving day so that you make your self-move easier, safer, and more efficient.

1. Moving van

Without a doubt, the most important (and biggest!) piece of moving equipment is the moving vehicle you will use to transport your household items from Point A (your current home) and Point B (your new home).

Moving only a short distance away, for example, within the same city or to a nearby town or city located within the same state, can be a good opportunity to attempt a self-move – of course, provided that you can also rely on your good friends for help and on your previous experience in organizing a DIY move.

You’ve got 3 good options when it comes to securing a moving vehicle for your self-move:

• Use your own vehicle. If you happen to own a pickup truck or a cargo van, then that’s great because you won’t need to ask friends for favors or spend money and energy on renting a van from a local truck rental company.
• Borrow a friend’s truck. Think about whether you know somebody from your circle of friends who owns a pickup truck or a cargo van – a moving vehicle you can use until the local move is complete. Either way, explore your options to avoid all the expenses related to renting a moving truck.
• Rent a moving vehicle. You must know in advance what size of a moving truck you’ll need. The agent at your local truck rental agency can help you select the best truck size for your needs: Pickup truck, Cargo Van, 10-12 ft. truck, 14-17 ft. truck, or 20-26 ft. truck. Refer to the moving truck rental guidelines below to make the right choice.

Keep in mind that choosing the right size of a rental truck is crucial – on one hand, you don’t want to pay for a bigger truck with extra storage you won’t really need.

On the other hand, you don’t want to find out that there isn’t enough storage to load all of the things you’re taking with you.

How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Moving Truck?

2. Moving dolly

The importance of using a moving dolly during your house move cannot be stressed enough.

In reality, a moving dolly is a piece of essential moving equipment and the success of your DIY move will depend on its proper use.

You may have heard that dollies are professional movers’ best friends, and there’s a good reason for that too. Using a moving dolly will

• save a lot of time,
• guarantee an accident-free relocation, and
• prevent personal injuries due to lifting and carrying heavy items such as furniture, appliances, and moving boxes.

There are two types of moving dollies you can use – pick one or the other, or use both types if necessary.

Utility dolly (hand truck)

The utility dolly – also known as a hand truck – is the upright “L”-shaped kind of dolly that comes equipped with two rubber (pneumatic) tires and two ergonomic handles.

The utility dolly is great for moving heavy household items such as furniture pieces, electric appliances, moving boxes, and so on. The carrying capacity of high-quality hand trucks is around 600 pounds. Also, utility dollies have straps for securing the load to the frame of the dolly for increased safety.

Rent a utility dolly from a local moving company or a truck rental company, or purchase one (approx. $40) from a Home Depot store.

Moving Dolly – A Man’s Best Friend During a House Move

Furniture dolly

The furniture dolly – the one with the large flat base and four swivel wheels – is ideal for moving big and awkward household items, particularly large and heavy pieces of furniture such as couches, bookcases, washing machines, and of course – pianos.

Whenever moving hard-to-move items with a furniture dolly, ALWAYS make sure you have enough helpers to secure the item that’s been loaded onto the wheeled platform.

High-quality furniture dollies have a weight capacity of around 1,000 lbs. Rent a furniture dolly from a local moving company or a truck rental company, or purchase one (approx. $20) from a Home Depot store.

20 Tips for Moving Large Furniture to a New Home

3. Furniture sliders

This ultimate list of moving equipment continues with furniture sliders – pieces of plastic and hard rubber that will enable you to move really heavy pieces of furniture with incredible ease.

Additionally, the usage of furniture sliders will prevent any floor damage (scratches, dents, etc.) by allowing you to slide your furniture effortlessly across the room as if it were floating in the air (almost!).

Protect your back and your floors by purchasing a set of 4 high-quality furniture sliders to make your DIY move a breeze. All you need to do is place a slider under each furniture leg or side and then push gently the heavy object towards where you want it to go – usually the doorway.

Together with moving dollies, furniture sliders are the best furniture moving tools you can have to make your move easier and safer than ever.

It’s important to get sliders that are suitable for the specific type of flooring you’ll be using them on – carpets, wood floors, ceramic tile, linoleum, laminate floors, or finished concrete.

Luckily, some of them can be used on several floor types, which adds versatility to their practicality and usefulness.

You can purchase furniture sliders from a Home Depot store or a local truck rental agency. Prices vary depending on a number of factors, but you should expect to pay anywhere between $10 and $20 for a pack of 4 high-quality furniture sliders.

How to Use Furniture Sliders When Moving

4. Moving blankets and pads

We’ve already listed some of the equipment that professional movers use daily in their work, and if you’re SERIOUS about having a problem-free self-move, you should SERIOUSLY consider using those pieces of professional moving equipment as well.

What you should also have on Moving day are moving blankets – quilted pads, usually 72″ x 80″, constructed of durable non-woven fabric and used for wrapping and protecting furniture, appliances, and other types of large household items.

But how exactly is the moving blanket protection achieved?

The double lock-stitched quilts are made out of sufficiently thick and well-padded heavy-duty material that protect the delicate finishes of your items from being scratched or dented during the move itself or while your things are placed in storage.

As a bonus, moving blankets will protect sensitive surfaces and furnishes from dirt and moisture as well.

It’s simple, really – all you need to do is wrap those protective blankets around the item that needs to be protected and then use some packing tape, stretch wrap, or pieces of cord or twine to keep the pads in place.

In addition to their unrivaled protection, moving blankets offer a great level of versatility which makes them the perfect addition to your arsenal of essential equipment and tools for self-moves.

Although the usage of moving blankets during a self-move is highly recommended, you may find that their price is not perfectly affordable. Expect to pay somewhere between $70 and $90 for a pack of 12 moving blankets.

The price, of course, will depend on the supplier and the quality of the pads – Pro blankets, Deluxe blankets, or Supreme Blankets.

You can purchase professional moving blankets from specialized stores such as Home Depot and Walmart, or buy them, or possibly rent them, from a local moving company or a truck rental company. Always look for sales, quantity discounts, or seasonal discounts.

One final note: the repeated use of multi-purpose moving blankets makes them a good investment.

How to Pack Furniture for Moving

5. Moving straps and rope

One thing is clear – a house move will never be safe enough without the usage of moving straps and rope to secure things on the moving dolly, secure the items loaded into the moving truck, and even MOVE heavy things around without using a moving dolly.

There are various types of straps and rope you can use during your self-move, so here’s more specific information about each major type:

• Shoulder Dolly. This is a two-person lifting system that consists of 1 moving strap and 2 harnesses. The 12′ x 5″ strap is attached to the harnesses through two special tension metal connection pieces (buckles). The moving harness system will allow two persons to lift and move heavy household items, mostly furniture pieces and appliances, that would be very difficult or even impossible to lift on their own. Large and heavy household items feel much lighter through the use of leverage and proper lifting techniques. Expect to pay around $40 for one set of Shoulder Dolly.
• Forearm Forklift. This two-person lifting system is almost identical to the Shoulder Dolly, but here the harnesses are attached to the forearms of the carrying persons instead of their backs and shoulders. Again, proper lifting techniques are required to prevent accidents or injuries on moving day. The price of Forearm Forklift Moving Straps is around $25.
• Elastic straps. Elastic straps can be used for securing large items during the move or securing the load on the moving dolly (most appliance dollies do come equipped with durable straps). Those elastic straps have strong nylon covering for additional protection and each strap is equipped with two strong hooks that are also scratch-resistant. Expect to pay around $10 for a pack of 12 pieces of elastic straps.
• Ratchet straps. Ratchet tie-down straps are used for securing large and heavy items on the moving vehicle during the actual transportation. In reality, any shifts and movements during the move may damage your possessions, so here’s where ratchet straps come into play. The ratcheting design of those tie-downs will eliminate the hassle of tying and untying any knots. A set of 4 ratchet straps cost about $25.
• Rope and twine. Use strong rope and braided nylon twine for all kinds of fixing and securing purposes during your DIY move.

Get all the moving straps and rope you need from a Home Depot store, local movers, or a truck rental agency.

How to Use Moving Straps: Furniture Lifting Straps

6. Protective gloves

Work gloves may not be the typical moving equipment and tools you would associate with residential moving and yet, that piece of personal protection gear is really essential to have on moving day so that you can protect yourself from injuries and prevent moving day accidents at the same time.

Since you will be lifting and carrying heavy and awkward-shapes household items all the time on the day of the move, you’re going to need excellent protection for your hands – that is, a pair of heavy-duty work gloves that will protect your hands, give you the full hand and finger movement you need when moving boxes and furniture pieces, and will provide the superior grip to avoid accident and injuries.

In reality, high-quality work gloves will protect your hands, wrists, and fingers from painful scrapes, cuts, or scratches by having double-layer leather palms, reinforced fingertips, and knuckles for additional protection.

But that’s not all. Gloves made out of durable fabrics such as canvas and leather will greatly improve your grip through the use of quilted lining.

So, once you get that “comfort grip” feeling (some gloves have black dot patterns on the palms and fingers for a more confident grip), the chances of you accidentally dropping something heavy will be largely eliminated. A good pair of work gloves will not slip off your hands while you work either.

Specialized moving gloves cost around $2 for a pair, while heavy-duty work gloves cost approximately $4 for a pair.

10 Moving Safety Tips to Avoid Injuries When Moving

7. Toolbox (Tool kit)

Finally, let’s take a look at the tools you must have when moving house in order to make your DIY move easier and more efficient.

In the best-case scenario, you will have a handy toolbox that will provide quick access to the tools and instruments you will need the most.

Here’s a list of the most essential tools you must have on moving day:

• Toolbox. It’s a good idea to have a toolbox in which to keep all the tools you may come to need during the day of the move. Portable toolboxes are not too expensive so if you don’t already have a toolbox at home, maybe the upcoming move is a good excuse to purchase one.
• Measuring tape. A tape measure is a must-have tool during your DIY move simply because you can never be too sure whether a large furniture piece will fit through a doorway or not.
• Flashlight. A flashlight is always handy to have during a house move, so make sure you have one ready to serve you.
• Scissors. A pair of scissors is arguably the most useful tool to have when moving house, especially during the packing task when you’ll constantly be cutting pieces of tape or cutting out pieces of cardboard.
• Utility knife (box cutter). A utility knife, or any other type of box cutter, will be really handy for opening up sealed boxes during the unpacking job. Also, you can use a utility knife instead of scissors when packing your moving boxes.
• Screwdrivers. A basic set of screwdrivers can become really necessary should you choose to disassemble and then re-assemble some of your larger furniture pieces. Also, screwdrivers are indispensable when preparing large electric appliances for moving.
• Pliers. A pair of pliers is another standard tool for the assembly and disassembly of furniture, as well as for basic wiring jobs.
• Hammer. Hopefully, you won’t really need a hammer on Moving day, but you can never be sure either. A hammer is a useful tool to have when you’re hanging framed art on the walls after the move is complete.

What to Do When Furniture Won’t Fit Through the Door: 7 Solutions

Ultimately, purchasing all the essential moving equipment you need to have on Moving day can cost you much more than you’re willing to pay for those furniture moving tools.

Use our Moving Cost Calculator to check how much a full-service mover will charge you for the job, and then choose the option that makes the most sense in your relocation case.

Must-read: What to Do on Moving Day: Moving Day Checklist