Corners act like wheels
A rectangular furnace cabinet does not look round, and it still rolls onto a corner when the bed is slick and the truck turns. That roll ends at the cab window or over the side. Set the cabinet upright against the cab only if it clears the roof of the cap or the planned route. Put blocks on both sides, tight, so the cabinet has nowhere to tip. A single strap over the top without blocks lets the box pivot under the strap. Use two straps to rated anchors, high and low if you have the points, and pad the sheet-metal corners so the strap is not cut. This assumes a qualified person has already disconnected fuel and power, and a certified technician has recovered refrigerant if a coil was attached. Do not haul a unit with cut lines.
The bed floor is usually a ramp
Plastic bed liners are slippery. A rubber mat or a piece of plywood under the cabinet gives the blocks something to bite. Chock the dolly wheels if you left the cabinet on a dolly. A dolly in a truck is a skateboard. Better to take the cabinet off the dolly and block the cabinet itself. Coil the flue pieces flat and strap them separately so a round pipe cannot roll under the cabinet and lift one corner. Screws in a bag, not on the floor. A screw under a block is a marble. If the cabinet must lie down because of height, the technician who cleared the unit should agree to that position, and you still need blocks at both ends so it cannot roll like a log.
Recheck after the first turn
Pull forward, turn once in the driveway, and get out. If a block has kicked out, reset it and add a strap. The driveway is the cheap place to learn. At the site, leave the straps on until you are in the bay and stopped. Then remove the strap on the tailgate side while a second person holds the cabinet. A furnace that tips off a tailgate does not bounce. It folds the tailgate and whatever is in the way. Use the same two people who loaded it. Do not walk it down alone by rocking it on its corners. That is the roll you spent the trip preventing.
Before you go
- Stand the disconnected cabinet upright and block both sides so it cannot tip onto a corner.
- Strap it in two places to rated anchors, with pads on sharp metal edges.
- Keep flue pipe and the dolly from becoming rollers under the box.
- Reset any block that moves after a driveway turn, and unload with two people.
One strap over an unblocked furnace on a plastic liner, which then rolls onto a corner.
Questions people ask
Can I leave it on the appliance dolly?
Only if the dolly is itself strapped and chocked so it cannot roll. Taking the cabinet off the dolly and blocking the cabinet is the steadier setup.
What if the cabinet is shorter than the tailgate?
Still block and strap it. A short cabinet has less leverage, and it can still walk into the cab on a slick bed.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.