I have been playing with my new hand truck for a few days now. I am very happy with it, this is exactly what I have been looking for and so far is amazing. You told me there was going to be a bit of a learning stage and you are correct. All of the water heaters I have are not elevated, they are at floor level with gas lines and other obstacles in the way, plus being in a small closet next to a furnace. I am still in the trial and error stage figuring out the best way to shoe horn them in and out. I watched several videos but have not found any specific to my situation. When I get this mastered I will try to post a video that might help someone with similar issues. If you do know of any videos that I may have missed please let me know. I will also be showing some of the local Plumbers how amazing this product is once I get it mastered. I will also be reaching out to other National Parks to spread the word as well. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything from me as well. Thank you for building this amazing tool, my back and I thank you more than you will ever know!
Steve Lange – Maintenance Mechanic for Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde, Colorado
I’m a water heater warranty technician. I repair and replace water heaters everyday. This hand truck is a game changer. I always work by myself and this makes my jobs so much easier. I wish I had the Hot Rod Hand Truck 20 years ago.
Bernard Ferreira – Noah’s Plumbing
San Jose, California
This is a real game changer! It makes handling a water heater an easy process and I would highly recommend it to all of the plumbing contractors that work with water heaters! Thanks Dave for realizing working with water heaters should not be a back breaking task!
Mike Velleca of Velleca Plumbing
New Franklin, Ohio.
Service and Repair for 10+ years on a portfolio of 1500+ residences, and over 30 as a service and repair plumber, I used water heaters by the semi full. Can attest there is less weight/stress against the body using this solo than two manning a heater into or out of place. This is brilliant, and used properly will save a lot of backs, and dead lift labor.
John Hubbard of California
I own a plumbing company, I am a 1 man company and do every thing my self. These special water heater dollies are perfect for every water heater job! I bought one, Im 59 years old, I have been lifting water heaters the old fashion way, (dead lift with all pressure and weight on lower back) for years, I have a good strong back BUT, I know one day I will not be able to lift a water heater any more so I was looking for a alternative and found a few on the internet but they had major flaws or too complex or too heavy. I found this water heater dolly and as soon as I saw him removing and installing Water heaters in all sorts of situations and obstacles, I had to get one! I did and I have used it and it does get some getting used to but its all about balance and leverage, I have not even felt any back pain, strain or even a pulled muscle , Love it and Would recommend it to anyone but you need to practice on old water heaters first , it will make your life easier and safer!
Eric Lee
Lee Plumbing LLC, Arizona
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I have been a plumber for 20 years and some jobs require installing water heaters. In the past I struggled putting them in place and was looking for a safe, easier way to place them! I ran across a UTube video titled “The right way to lift a water heater.” A guy named Dave Smith was a using a custom made hand truck which he called “the hot rod hand truck!” So I bought one! With the help of Dave’s UTube video and some practice I now install water heaters without breaking my back!
After installing 2 water heaters with “The hot rod hand truck” it paid for itself! I cannot understand why plumbers install water heaters any other way! It’s a great investment!
Thanks Dave for saving my back!
David Eddy- Anytime Plumbing Inc, Las Vegas, Nevada
A Conversation with A Customer-
Eric W: When you’re watching the video before you make your purchase,
it’s a little sketchy because you don’t know if it’ll be as easy
as Dave makes it look.
Dave Smith: Do you actually think it’s as easy as I make it look?
Eric W: Yes! It is for me and I was on my back hurt, for 3 weeks.
I mean if you can’t put in a water heater, you can’t be a plumber!
Eric Wood – Plumber
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“I bought one of the first, if not THE first, hand trucks that David sold in Feb, 2015. I have done this job several times over the years but usually with some help. This time I was in a situation where I did not think another guy would be of any help because of the narrow alcove the old water heater was in. I studied David’s videos until I was comfortable with what he was doing. There are a lot of subtle things he does that make it possible for one man to maneuver a large heavy object. One thing that was helpful to me was that once I removed the old water heater I could use it to practice lifting it with the truck and putting it back in place- and accurately placing it in the new drip pan. In short, I installed my water heater and since then I have used the truck to help another friend put in a water heater. I am 74 and not nearly as strong as I once was, but I could easily replace a 40-gal water heater with David’s ingenious hand truck.”
David Clark – Retired
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