Air Sled

[kwatt]

You have or may not have heard of this but, for the people doing large range cookers, stacked appliances and US fridge freezers this could be an invaluable tool…

http://www.airsled.com/appliance.htm

One of the guys is importing them and I want to know if there’s any interest before I decide whether or not to whack it in the online store.

Price circa £400 IIRC, but I forgot the price TBH I was thinking on the hassles of dragging out a side by side or a Smeg A1. 😉

K.

[ApplianceJunk]

Re: Air Sled

I have seen these before and always thought they would be really handy.
Maybe someday I will break down and buy one.

Anyone else already using one of these?
If so how do you like it?

[ELDAR59]

Re: Air Sled

amazing piece of kit this!
used one about 2-3 weeks ago, put it under an american fridge freezer and we were able to move it across the room with one finger.
also invaluable in the homes where there is a concern about the floor.

[gegsy]

Re: Air Sled

I want one……..and I want it NOW 😀
Thats fantastic 😉
No customer moaning about the Rangemaster damaging their flooring (even using the rollers, they moan :rolls: )

Greg

[ELDAR59]

Re: Air Sled

i’d heard about it greg, but seeing it in action is just something else.
the applications for this piece of kit are vast really.

[eastlmark]

can see it works but feel it would sometimes be just too much hassle to get it all out of the van and set it up and would still be pulling them out by hand save for the odd occasion by which time it will have siezed up or something. plus the colour of that thing around his neck would clash awfully with my work wear.

[Martin]

Re: Air Sled

alf_uckem wrote:the applications for this piece of kit are vast really.

The example photo’s on their website show ideal floor surfaces. However in very many instances, in the UK at least, often as not the lino floor is cut and poked just under the appliance. The kitchen carpet and proverbial laminate flooring just butted under the appliance also. So as Mark pointed out the majority of times this gizmo can be utilised is minimal overall.

Taking an American Two Door Fridge Freezer as an example. They usually have a subframe running from front to back on each side where the feet and (in many cases of US styles at least) the rollers are situated. So in order to slide an ‘Airsled’ under one of these monsters you are attempting to lift a weighty appliance in an area that has no central support framework. That usually has a plastic front trim and underneath a plastic drip tray and condenser framework. Attempting to lift under this area can court disaster that’s for darn sure!

Cooker ranges shouldn’t have that problem and overall should be OK, apart from the floor surface problems I’ve mentioned that is? As for washing machines and dishwashers, then I can’t see this device would even slide under any of them to be honest?

So in essence it has little real application in our line of work I’m afraid. 😥

[kwatt]

Re: Air Sled

Martin wrote:So in essence it has little real application in our line of work I’m afraid. 😥

You obviously don’t have to deal with moving US fridge freezers or 90-100cm range cookers.

If you ever have to haul one of those out you’d quickly find out that it’s potentially a very useful thing and saves having to have two engineers attend one call just to move the thing.

K.

[Martin]

Re: Air Sled

kwatt wrote:You obviously don’t have to deal with moving US fridge freezers or 90-100cm range cookers.

I wonder why you came to that conclusion? Did you not read my comments as to both types of appliance and the logistics regarding them and their more usual locations we are subjected to here in the UK?

I pointed out the dangers of shifting most American 2 door F/F’s. How is it possible to use that tool in the example I gave? 😕

[kwatt]

Re: Air Sled

Martin wrote:I wonder why you came to that conclusion? Did you not read my comments as to both types of appliance and the logistics regarding them and their more usual locations we are subjected to here in the UK?

Nothing other than the fact that we do have to move them on occasion and this would save a lot of grief.

I’ve been in the States a fair bit and I can assure you what they have as floor covering is pretty much the same as what we have. In fact many kitchens there don’t offer that much more space either that I’ve seen.

But heh ho, you think it’s rubbish and won’t work in old Blighty, ergo it must be I suppose and we must all bow to your superior knowledge and experience of a product you’ve never seen. I’m sure you demi review above will serve as the death knell for Airsled’s UK sales and performance.

On the other hand, I’ve spoken to several people that have used it, are using it (shockingly in the UK) and actually think it’s very good and saves a lot of hassle. But I suppose that, as usual Martin, you know better than everyone else, or at least, that’s the way it appears to be to me from what you’ve written since you’ve concluded that it won’t work.

Oh and BTW, I have some video of it working, in the UK, on a UK floor.

Martin wrote:I pointed out the dangers of shifting most American 2 door F/F’s. How is it possible to use that tool in the example I gave? 😕

Well there’s a few guys happily whizzing Maytag’s about on them as well as range cookers and washing machines, in the UK already and, at a guess, if the lower part of the fridge can support it’s own weight then it can support it’s own weight on this device. But, funnily enough and this is only if I’ve understood what you’re getting at, then if you tried to “barrow” the appliance it would collapse as well or you just couldn’t as there’s nothing there.

K.

[Martin]

Re: Air Sled

kwatt wrote:Well there’s a few guys happily whizzing Maytag’s about on them

Ken please don’t get carried away on what you think I said as in truth I never said that you can’t move them, did I? Strangely enough I haven’t seen one or tried one out for myself to realise it either way?But I did suggest it a risky business because of the condenser and driptray units directly under most American F/F’s.

So! I would seriously like to know how these guys that are “happily whizzing these Maytags about” actually do this with these ‘Airsleds’? I’m not rubbishing anything here, just questioning of what after all said and done is a hugely expensive piece of kit to invest in.

Cool it man and let someone in who has actually used one to comment so we all can assess the subject. OK? 🙂

[ELDAR59]

Re: Air Sled

you can lead a horse to water………….
martin you have no experience of this equipment, yet state that it has little application in our trade.
i have used it and i can tell you that this is an excellent piece of equipment suitable for many applications, not just in our trade.

[Martin]

Re: Air Sled

alf_uckem wrote:martin you have no experience of this equipment, yet state that it has little application in our trade.

I never said that Alf! I suggested due to the adverse situations we find in most UK households the chances of using such a device (quote) “has little real application in our line of work”.

alf_uckem wrote:i have used it and i can tell you that this is an excellent piece of equipment suitable for many applications, not just in our trade.

Yes Alf you mentioned that you’d used it successfully on and American Fridge Freezer which is very interesting stuff. In fact that’s the point I came into the discussion as I wondered how you actually did that? In my extensive knowledge of Maytag/Admiral and Amana F/F’s they have various drip trays, plastic trims and condensers liable to serious damage if lifted directly underneath them. That the weight of these hefty appliances is distributed evenly in each of the 4 corners and the central areas are not intended or advised to be used to lift them surely?

I would appreciate your comments as to how you overcame this potential danger?

[oldlonely]

Re: Air Sled

Good day all

Firstly, many thanks to Ken for bringing this equipment to your attention.

We are responsible for importing Airsled into the UK.

I’m not surprised by the concerns of some regarding possible damage to components beneath appliances, because these were MY concerns in the research of this product.

There is a simple solution to this, on the older Admiral/Maytag SxS the drain tray lay’s lower than the chassis, 2 x 1″ blocks 6″ wide placed on each beam just behind the door’s on the chassis clears the Drain tray.

Different makes will vary on positions of ‘obsticles’ underneath, but by the nature of appliance design, nothing will be to low, so to impede placement of the beams in that respect.

Included in the Kit are 4 Nylon Ski’s for rough surfaces carpet ect, allows for easy transition of surface change.

I have been ‘road testing’ the Airsled for the past 5 months, and as mentioned before, doesn’t come out the van every day, BUT, the best way i can describe it’s presence is like having ‘2 muscle bound lumps with the sublety of Ballerina’s sitting in the back of the van waiting to be called on.

I have installed a Range Cooker & levelled in minutes by myself while two kitchen fitter’s looked on in disbelief (no need to say they ordered one)

Moving stacked washer/dryers, no problem

A web search of this product on American forums will confirm it’s validity as a very useful product, i have yet to read one from an owner of Airsled that is not happy with it. The testimonials speak for themselves.

This is not a miracle product or a magic wand, but ‘it does do what it says on the tin’

Hope this helps

Mike

[Martin]

Re: Air Sled

Oldlonely1 wrote:This is not a miracle product or a magic wand, but ‘it does do what it says on the tin’

Thanks very much for that information Mike, you’ve answered my only concerns about the American Fridge Freezers perfectly.:tup:

[Author]

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