A front-loader on spin generates enough force to move itself across a room, and the machine is only ever the third thing on the list of reasons it does.
The floor, first
Put a spirit level on the top of the cabinet, front to back and side to side. Then push down on each corner in turn. If it rocks, nothing else matters yet.
A machine that was fine for four years and started walking after somebody refinished the basement floor has a floor problem, not a washer problem. So does one standing on a raised pedestal that was never bolted down.
The feet
Adjust them until the cabinet does not move under hand pressure, then tighten the locknuts up against the base. That last step is the one people skip, and without it the feet turn themselves back out over a few months and you are where you started.
Rear feet on many machines are self-leveling: tip the machine forward onto its front feet, set it back down, and they set themselves. Trying to adjust those by hand is wasted effort.
The shipping bolts
Worth saying because it happens more than it should. A front-loader ships with three or four bolts through the back panel holding the drum rigid, and they have to come out before first use. A machine that has always walked, from day one, usually still has them in.
Then the machine
If the floor is sound and the feet are right, you are looking at the suspension: dampers, springs, or on some designs the counterweight bolts working loose. Grab the drum and pull it towards you, then let go. It should return once and settle. If it bounces, the dampers are done.
Why it matters
A machine that walks is not just noisy. Every unbalanced spin loads the bearing, and a bearing is the repair most likely to end a washer’s life. This is the cheapest problem on the site to fix early and one of the most expensive to ignore.
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