Moving firewood without back strain

The first time I really screwed up my back I was carrying a sheet of plywood up a three-run staircase. I’d heard that putting a piece of plywood between my box spring and mattress would ease the aches I felt every morning from sleeping on a too-soft mattress. Since then I’ve spent many days in bed, waiting for one back spasm or another to cool down so I could walk pain free again. I know to lift with my knees, and I have a two-wheeled hand truck that I use when I move heavy stuff, but anytime a new product comes along that will keep me pain free, I try to check it out.

My hand truck doesn’t do very well on the lumpy lawn but my new Big Slider works great. It’s a heavy duty, five-foot long by two-foot wide strip of super slippery HPDE plastic with a handle on one end. I used it on Sunday to tow firewood from the edge of the woods to the front porch. Dragging the wood on the Big Slider was an almost friction-free experience, and I was able to traverse the yard, then across the macadam driveway, then up a slope right to the steps with ease. I was amazed how easy it was to move the wood. Dirt brushed right off when I was finished. I can see using the tool to move the sleeper couch, the freezer in the basement, and just maybe I’ll use it as a sled and take the baby for a ride down the hill when the snow comes.

Posted by Jefferson Kolle to ThisOldHouse blog, November 18, 2008