PSA: I just learned how much a real anvil actually weighs and my back is still mad at me

I was at the old hardware store over in Millerton last weekend, just browsing the used tool section. I saw this beautiful, old Peter Wright anvil sitting there with a price tag that seemed too good to be true. The owner, a guy named Frank, said it was about 150 pounds. I thought, 'Sure, I can move that.' I tried to lift it into my truck bed by myself. Let me tell you, 150 pounds of solid, compact steel is a whole different beast than 150 pounds of anything else. I got it about six inches off the ground before my legs just quit. Frank had to come out with a dolly and help me, laughing the whole time. He said most new folks make that exact same mistake. I always pictured anvils as heavy, but feeling that density in my hands was a real shock. Anyone else have a story about seriously underestimating the weight of a tool or piece of equipment?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica_hernandez171mo ago

Oof, that's a lesson you only learn once.

betty_butler7324d ago

Yeah, I learned that the hard way moving my old cast iron tub... tried to muscle it myself and felt something pop in my back. Now I always use a dolly with straps, or if it's really bad, those moving blankets underneath to slide it. Just takes one wrong move and you're done for weeks.

skylerb151mo ago

Holy cow, you tried to lift a 150 pound anvil by hand? That's pure madness! I can't even get my 80 pound bag of concrete mix off the ground without help. The fact it's all one solid chunk of metal makes it so much worse.