Improved efficiency and speed is worthless if the material-handling equipment doesn’t ensure the safety of the people and materials involved. Anywhere you are utilizing material handling equipment, whether it’s in a warehouse, factory or manufacturing area, safety needs to be the top priority.
Knowing what you will be moving when choosing your material-handling equipment can make it easier to ensure the safety of your product and employees when loading dollies and hand trucks.
Why You Shouldn’t Overload Dollies or Hand Trucks
Dollies and hand trucks have a maximum load capacity. This is something that should not be overlooked. Many businesses will go with the less expensive hand truck or dolly, but neglect to respect its load capacity. This could be a costly mistake.
Overloading handling equipment can lead to early fatigue of the equipment and handler—and in the worst cases, catastrophic failure of the operation. During the transport of heavy loads is no time to have the casters fail or the welds break because it’s stressed from the weight it’s towing.
While light and medium duty equipment is great for smaller jobs, there are many heavy-duty pieces of material handling equipment that can be purchased for large and extremely heavy loads.
The following are a few of the heavy-duty models that are available for larger loads:
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HeviMover Machine Roller Model BC2637
This extremely heavy-duty dolly from Wesco is made from steel with steel rollers for motion. It’s great for putting under extra large loads that need to easily slide in and out of place, the unit weighs 52 lbs. but can carry a phenomenal load of 30,000 lbs.
Unit Dimensions: 6.5” x 12.75” x 4.875”H with 1.1875” steel rollers. An optional steering handle is also available.
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900# 25T73 Hand Truck
This Wesco hand truck is made with a frame of 1 ¼” tubular steel and heavy gauge steel fenders to prevent the load from rubbing against the wheels. This gives it a stout 900 lb. capacity for heavy loads. For better handling, the hand truck includes dual handles for controlling loads using both hands.
Unit Dimensions: 50” H x 21”W with a base plate measuring at 7” X 18” with 8” mold-on rubber wheels. Other wheel types are available as well.
The Importance of Stabilizing Handling Equipment for Transport
There a variety of hand trucks and dollies for different jobs, and using the right one is important. Using a hand truck that incorporates a curved frame is ideal if you are moving a barrel or drum because a flat-backed frame could cause the drum to roll when being moved. Conversely having a flat-backed hand truck for boxed loads gives the load more friction across the entire surface. This helps hold it all together when in motion.
Here are a few items that demonstrate the differences:
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800# 56T60 Hand Truck
This hand truck from Harper Trucks has a continuous frame loop handle of 1 1/4” tubular steel with a ¼” beveled steel base plate with four curved frame straps to allow for handling of curved objects like barrels. 5/8 D-Lokaxle prevents the axle from spinning in its bracket, 10” polyflex wheels provide maneuverability over curbs and obstructions while providing an 800 lb. capacity, but other wheel types are also available.
Unit Dimensions: 50”H, 20”W, with a base plate 8” X 14”
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Series 470 Cobra-Lite Aluminum Hand Truck Model 470-T18-R3
This Wesco aluminum hand truck has a flat backed aluminum frame with 2” wide cross braces for additional strength, which is ideal for moving stacked boxes. A heavy-duty cast nose plate gives a loading surface area of 7.5” by 18” wide.
Unit Dimensions: 18”W x 52”H, 20”D with a weight of 21 lbs. and a load capacity of 600 lbs. For easy movement, the unit includes 8” mold-on rubber wheels.
Don’t Leave Your Dolly or Hand Truck Unstable:Secure the Load
Shaky loads can cause a problem if they shift while being moved. This is why it is im
