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Warehouse Efficiency: Using the Right Material Handling Equipment

Warehouse Efficiency Using the Right Material Handling EquipmentMoving loads around, that is what a warehouse is all about. You might need to unload a truck and place the loads into storage, or you might be packing a truck to deliver your products to a store or customer. You might even be moving materials and product around just to improve the order of things and make your access easier. In any of these situations having a piece of material handling equipment will make the job easier, but only if you choose the right equipment.

This is where the dedicated team of service professionals at Douglas Equipment can help. Whether you need to move palleted loads around at floor level or lift skids onto shelves, we can match your needs with the equipment that will do the job best. Here are just a few solutions that may work for you, but be sure to contact us for additional suggestions and help.

Moving Pallets and Skids Around the Warehouse

A pallet truck can be invaluable if you need to move pallets or skids around a warehouse, into the manufacturing facility, or even on and off of delivery trucks. These movers come in light to heavy duty models and can be either manual or powered depending on the load that needs to be moved.

Moving a palleted load is much easier than unloading all of the material off of the pallet by hand. Delivery of pallets to and from the manufacturing facility can be as easy as walking them into position with the right piece of equipment. Here is an example of one manual and one powered option that could possibly suit your needs:

  • Standard Deluxe Pallet Truck: This basic model 20-1/2 X 42 steel pallet mover can easily move a standard pallet up to a capacity of 5500 pounds. Dimensions are Width 21”, Height 48”, Depth 57” with a unit weight of 152 pounds and 8” mold-on polyurethane steering wheels and polyurethane load wheels. 20-1/2 x 36 and 20-1/2 x 48 sizes are also available.
  • Light Duty Powered Walkie Pallet Truck: This 27 X 48 electric pallet truck has a steel construction and includes a large rechargeable electric unit that moves the unit while the operator walks behind manually steering. The unit weighs 672 pounds with 10” polyurethane steering wheels and dimensions are Width 26.5”, Height 57.5”, Depth 65.5” and a capacity of 3300 pounds. There is also a heavy duty version available with a capacity of 4400 pounds and both light and heavy duty options are also available in 21” X 48” size pallet trucks.

Lifting Pallets Onto Shelves or Into Working Position

When you run out of floor space, you’ll want to take advantage of all that vertical space with shelving. To effectively use this space and make storing items on high shelves easy, you’ll want to use a pallet truck or fork stacker.

With these extremely useful pieces of equipment, you can move pallets around the warehouse and place them onto a shelf or beside a machine at a height that makes it easy for an operator to reach. High lift pallet trucks can lift loads up to ten feet in the air and can accommodate very heavy loads as well. Below are a few examples of high lift pallet trucks that we offer.

  • Manual High Lift Pallet Truck: This standard 27 X 44.5 pallet truck incorporates a scissor lift mechanism that allows the unit to lift a pallet onto a low shelf or into a working position. The unit has a steel construction that weighs 228 pounds with 6” steering wheels made of mold-on polyurethane. Dimensions are Width 27”, Height 48.5”, Depth 63” and a capacity of 2200 pounds.
  • Powered Telescoping Fork Stacker: This stacker makes it easy to lift heavy loads onto shelving, even high shelves with a steel frame and a capacity of 2000 pounds (which it can lift over ten feet into the air). Dimensions are Width 48”, Height 87.5”, Depth 68” weight of 1230 pounds and incorporates 8” Nylon drive wheels and 6” Nylon casters at the front.
  • Electric High Lift Pallet Truck: This 27 X 45 pallet truck incorporates an electric scissor lift that allows you to raise the pallet load into working position or onto a low shelf. The truck weighs 373 pounds and incorporates 6” mold-on Polyurethane wheels. Dimensions are Width 27”, Height 48.5”, Depth 60” and a capacity of 2200 pounds.

What About Specialized Loads?

Of course not everything is on a pallet, and one of the most common heavy loads that is moved in a warehouse is the 55-gallon barrel. Moving these around can be made easier and more efficient by applying the right drum moving equipment to the task at hand rather than trying to struggle with other equipment that is “just good enough.” Here are some pieces of equipment designed to work with drums:

  • Pallet Truck Drum Lifter – Model PTDL: This pallet truck is specifically outfitted for safely clamping and lifting steel drums with a capacity of 660 pounds and will accommodate full steel drums easily. Dimensions are Width 28.5”, Height 47.5” and depth 42”, unit weight of 115 pounds with 8” Nylon steering wheels and 1” nylon casters.
  • 5BTW Economy Series Drum Truck: This specially designed hand truck is made to hold a drum up to 1000 pounds for moving with heavy duty double welded joints on a 1” structural pipe frame. Both 55 gallon and 30 gallon steel drums can be handled easily. Unit dimensions are width 24”, height 62”, depth 17” weight 53” with 10” polyolefin wheels for easy movement.

Helping You Improve Your Warehouse Efficiency With the Right Service

We know what you need when you are trying to choose the right warehouse equipment, which is both top of the line equipment and professional assistance. The dedicated service team at Douglas Equipment offers both exceptional service and unparalleled advice, thanks to our wealth of experience in the material handling industry. Call now to find material handling equipment that will make your warehouse more efficient.