Milwaukee Appliance Hand Truck

Milwaukee Appliance Hand Truck, leaning against my shed

Also known as a cart or a dolly. The model is HDA700. I paid around $120 for it. Here's a list of the features.

1. Wrought iron frame
2. 800 pound load capacity
3. 6 inch non-marking wheels (solid, non-inflatable, never go flat)
4. Stair climbers to help move loads up and down stairs and curbs
5. Padding to prevent the cart from damaging the appliance (this is the white strip in the picture above)
6. Belt or strap that goes around the appliance to secure it to the cart and keep it in place
7. Manual ratchet belt tightener, the buckle-like part at one end of the belt (more on this below)
8. Belt tightener handle (this is the red handle in the picture above) to add more tension to the belt once the manual ratchet has been used to the tighten the belt 

I recently used this hand truck to move a big ass 320 pound refrigerator out of my garage (where it was delivered) and up a couple of steps to the deck, up one more step through the double doors in the dining area, and to the kitchen (had to remove the doors and bottom drawer). The cart worked beautifully.

We put down plywood sheets on the ground between the garage and the deck (where the ground was soft due to the melting snow) in order to make it easier to pull the cart with the load. We used 6"x10" plywood sheets and alternated their placement so that once the cart crossed over from sheet 1 to sheet 2 we moved sheet 1 over so to cover the next piece of ground.

One of the best features is the strap that goes around the appliance to secure it in place. It has what the manufacturer calls an "eccentric crank lock" mechanism.

The instructions on the cart are not that helpful. So, after looking around for an hour or more, trying to find instructions on how to use the "eccentric crank lock" mechanism, I gave up and created the following diagram. I hope you find it helpful.

Pull the loose end of the strap to make the strap around the appliance as snug as possible. As you pull the loose end of the strap, the sliding pin moves up against the stationary pin thereby causing the strap to lock in place. The final step to securing the appliance with the belt is to turn the belt tightening handle (or crank) anti-clockwise to add that final amount to tension to the belt to fully secure the appliance. Now the appliance won't move around or off the cart as you pull it around from point A to point B.

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