Written by Chris Smith · Illustrative case study
The situation
It was a single-item job on paper. A bloke at a property in Gold Coast had replaced his old gear and the delivery company wouldn't take the original away. The trouble was where it sat and what it weighed: treadmills and cross trainers, exercise bikes and rowers and weight benches and racks were all in the mix once we got talking.
Why the customer needed help
Their main worry wasn't the cost. It was not knowing what could legally go where, and not wanting to damage the house getting it all out. Both of those are part of the job for us.
What was at the property
By my count there were treadmills and cross trainers, exercise bikes and rowers and weight benches and racks, along with the usual loose odds and ends that build up around a job like this. It's typical of what we see from households with unused equipment.
Working in Gold Coast
Gold Coast is a city of beachside towers, canal homes, family suburbs and hinterland acreage. We run trucks across the whole Gold Coast every day, from Coolangatta to Coomera and out to the hinterland, so wherever you are there is usually a crew nearby. We bring the right truck for the street, from tight unit driveways to wide acreage tracks.
The initial assessment
I arrived at the property and the first thing I noticed was the access. Before I look at the pile, I walk the route it has to travel: doorways, steps, the driveway slope, overhead wires, where the truck can park. For this job I paced it out and worked out we'd need about two-thirds of the tipper.
How the job was planned
I gave them a fixed price there and then, based on volume, and explained what was included: on-site dismantling, heavy plate and frame handling and floor protection on the carry route. They said yes on the spot, so we planned to load in one visit rather than two.
Preparation
We checked the weather, laid out the straps and blankets for anything worth saving, and agreed a hand signal for "stop" because the truck was right on the road.
Step 1
Step one was clearing a working space. We shifted the easy, loose items straight onto the truck so we had room to manoeuvre around the awkward ones.
Step 2
Step two was the stuff in the hard-to-reach spots: the top of the garage racking, under the house, behind the water tank. That's usually where the surprises live, and this job was no different.
Step 3
Step three was the clean-up. Once the last item was out, we swept the floor, raked the ground where needed and walked the customer through the space to make sure nothing they wanted had gone.
Removal, sorting and loading
I'm fussy about the load. A well-packed truck means one trip instead of two, and that's the difference between a fair price and an inflated one. We netted the top before we drove off.
From the truck it went to a licensed transfer station, where recyclables were dropped off separately, and anything usable went to a local op shop before the tip run.
Challenges we ran into
There were still fittings and connections attached, and the floor around it was soft from years of slow leaks.
How we handled them
We disconnected what was safe to disconnect, capped what wasn't ours to touch, and laid boards to spread the weight on the way out.
Completion and final result
When the last load was strapped down, the space was empty and swept. The customer walked through with me, signed off, and paid the price we'd agreed at the start, not a dollar more.
What I learned
What stuck with me was how much of it could be reused. People expect gym & Exercise Equipment Removal to mean everything goes to landfill. On this job, close to a third of it went somewhere useful.