So there we were with a partially unpacked Murphy bed, a floor away from where it was supposed to be. To complicate things, I wasn’t sure if the construction, as solid as it appeared, could handle the torque that would occur with my wife and I wrestling it through the house and down a set of stairs. Carrying it around the outside was equally questionable.
My solution was to build a two railed, V-shaped sled or sledge using two 8-foot 2x4s. We could lift the bed carton up, slip the sled beneath it and drag it around the house to the entrance near the bedroom.
I drilled a 1/2-inch hole through one end of each 2×4, brought them together at that end and fastened a metal plate around what would be the nose of the sled. I then nailed a short plank to the other end of the 2x4s. It served as a spreader and would also help hold the bed carton in place. After slipping a rope through the holes and sliding the carton into place, we were just about ready to go.
I tied the rope ends and wrapped a towel around the section of the rope I would be pulling with. Holding the towel/rope in place across my chest, I made like an ox and pulled. The crude sled worked great. It slid across the grass, flattening it as I went. As an avowed supporter of women’s rights, I stepped aside when my wife offered to pull for a bit. In no time, we were at the rear door.
At this point, we had no choice but to take a chance on the frame. We raised it vertical and lifted it through the door and onto a furniture mover. After rolling it into place, we prepared for the final stage—building. (Details to come next week.)
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