This former operator invented a safe, easy way to move vending machines
As an operator, even as a sales guy, I remember having to occasionally help with an equipment move. As a guy who once dumped a pallet of soda off a truck — and shaved off the top of a pinball machine on a roll-up door — I was not the ideal candidate for moving full-sized beverage and snack machines. I was an accident waiting to happen.
Tom Anderson invented a dolly for people just like me and put his name on it.
Looking for a better way to move vending equipment
When Anderson, now owner of Anderson Dolly, was a vending operator in Ohio, he always had plenty of help with machine moving. After selling his operation and becoming a vending parts and service company, he found himself flying solo on many occasions when vending machines needed to be moved. He began to realize that moving vending machines could go badly for an operator, and there had to be a better way.
“Moving vending equipment with a traditional dolly can be outright dangerous,” said Anderson. “I’ve heard plenty of horror stories from operators and experienced one myself. I was literally trapped under a drink machine, and the only people around were six ladies in an office. They were kind enough to muster up the strength to get the machine off me. Fortunately, only my pride was hurt — it was a little embarrassing.”
“Those big blue or red dollies that have the wheels that pop out — the ones that most operators use — they are very problematic. For one thing, they weigh over 100 pounds themselves. It takes two strong people to use them,” Anderson said.
“When that dolly is tipped back, that pop machine isn’t 72 inches anymore. It’s 84 inches. That means you must tip the dolly back even more, and there isn’t room for two guys to get through the doorway. One guy has to lift up about a third of the weight of that pop machine and then get it through the doorway over that threshold. And, he better be good on his feet because it is very easy to lose it,” he said.
A vending-specific dolly is born
“There is nothing less impressive than struggling your way through the door of a new location in front of your customer,” he added. “Every operator who has moved vending machines understands this, and that is why I acted on an idea I had for a long time.
“In 2010, I built my first Anderson Dolly out of wood. We put them on eBay, sold 150 of them, and when we got five-star reviews from the people who bought them, I knew I was on to something.”
It is all about leverage
The Anderson Dolly, now made from steel, works on leverage. There are no gears and no hydraulic pumps. “It's extremely light and it lays down flat, so it can be easily stored behind the seat of a vending van,” said Anderson. “It allows an operator to move a heavy piece of equipment on four wheels — no tilting, extremely safe. Just roll the vending machine through the door, put it in place and go on your way.”
Anderson noted that his early social media videos featured a young girl, around 100 pounds, moving a large vending machine. “It’s that easy to use, but people were complaining that it had to be fake, even though it wasn’t,” said Anderson. “We had to change the video to a grown woman moving the equipment.”
There are YouTube videos available that show the Anderson Dolly in action featuring Anderson himself.
After a head-to-head test, Anderson Dolly rated the best
A breakthrough for Anderson Dolly occurred in 2019 when Grainger, a large facility supplies company, contacted Anderson. The company wanted to test his dolly and compare it with others on the market.
“They needed to use them to move vending machines in their own facilities. Grainger concluded that the Anderson Dolly was the cheapest, safest and easiest American-made dolly for moving vending machines,” said Anderson. “They 100 ordered of them, and they are still ordering them today.”
Because he wants his dolly to maintain a reputation for durability, Anderson said he is selective about the parts he orders. “The parts come from around the world, but everything is assembled at the company’s facility in Hamilton, Ohio. We have a fabricator in Cincinnati — we stay very close to the whole process — and we do the assembly work in-house,” he added.
Safe, easy, economical
Anderson said the message for operators is simple. The Anderson Dolly eliminates a real safety issue, it is easy to use, and it allows an operator to do installations with one person. “I understand what vending operators go through moving equipment. There isn’t a better dolly out there for the money, that is for sure,” he said. “I’m proud of the product, we stand behind it, and I put my name on it.”
To learn more about the Anderson dolly from Anderson Dolly:
- Visit andersondolly.com
- Call 513-919-2982
- Email [email protected]
Bob Tullio
Bob Tullio is a content specialist, speaker, sales trainer, consultant and contributing editor of Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com. He advises entrepreneurs on how to build a successful business from the ground up. He specializes in helping suppliers connect with operators in the convenience services industry — coffee service, vending, micro markets and pantry service specifically. He can be reached at 818-261-1758 and [email protected]. Tullio welcomes your feedback.
Subscribe to Automatic Merchandiser’s new podcast, Vending & OCS Nation, which Tullio hosts. Each episode is designed to make your business more profitable.
