How to Lift Heavy Things By Yourself

My personal motto is “Whatever I lack in skill and strength I make up for in sheer determination”. You’ve probably noticed a lot of my posts talk about how to do something by yourself. I work on projects at odd hours, or in between other things I’m working on, so I rarely have help unless I plan it out ahead of time. However, there are a lot of tools available that make it easy (or at least possible) to do things by yourself. Read along to learn how to lift heavy things by yourself.

Shimming

I talk about a really neat tool I found here, called an Air Shim. Those are great if you need to do finesse work, like leveling a shim, installing a door, etc. However, sometimes you need to carry something that really is a job for someone with muscles, or two people. The secret is to work smarter not harder.

Sheet Lumber

Today I needed to get a full sheet of 5/8″ plywood from my garage, through the snow, and into my house. I’m fairly out of shape, so carrying sheet lumber by just gripping the top (my arms are way too little to grip anywhere else) makes my hands hurt and makes me mutter things under my breath that probably shouldn’t be said in public. So, how do I do it?

First, I wear my safety shoes when I move lumber. These shoes have a metatarsal cover (different than just a steel toe, but steel toes would also work), so I can set heavy things on them without crushing my feet. If I only need to go a short distance on relatively flat ground, I’ll set the plywood on top of my feet and shuffle to where I need to go. I’m 100% sure I look absolutely ridiculous doing this, but it keeps the edges from getting damaged like if I just tried to drag it around.

Long Distance

If I need to go somewhere farther away, or up stairs, I use these. Last year I sold my house and had to get all my big, heavy, wood furniture out with just one person helping me (never move over Christmas, everyone is gone on trips!). I got these straps and we were able to move everything, including appliances, a VERY solid storage bed, etc. with just us!

Now that I have them I use them a bit differently than intended. I run the strap through only one harness (I don’t use the second harness). Then, I run the strap underneath the long edge of the plywood and lay it on top so I can reach it where my harness is. Next, I put the harness on and pull the strap I just on top of the plywood until it is taught and the plywood is stood up on the long edge. I squat down a little and pull the strap taught again, then stand up. This allows my legs to do the heavy lifting, and distributes the weight across my whole body instead of just my puny arms.

Be Careful!

Please exercise caution whenever you work by yourself and know your limits. Doing too much can and will hurt you. Take frequent breaks and use proper lifting techniques.

Do you have any tools you use to make solo projects easier? Leave a comment below and tell me about them!