Moving materials around on pallets is one of the most common activities in a warehouse or on a factory floor, and there are many different ways to accomplish this task. People will often think first about using a lift truck for this activity, but this is not always practical due to the size of lift trucks and the tight spaces often afforded around equipment.
With companies looking to fit more machinery into a smaller work area, rather than expanding their workspace, it is commonly necessary to load and unload pallets in extremely tight areas. For these unique situations, pallet jacks are invaluable for moving materials on pallets around your work area without taking up large amounts of space in your warehouse.
Pallet Jacks: Ideal for Tight Spaces
Pallet jacks, also called pallet trucks, are small and inexpensive tools that allow you to easily lift and move a pallet or skid with material from one place to another within your facility. With two long forks and a handle for steering, the pallet truck rolls under the pallet or skid and by pumping the handle will raise the load off the ground so that it can be easily moved on the casters of the truck.
By using a pump handle, a pallet truck is very small compared to other pieces of material handling equipment often used to move material around. Since the forks fit almost entirely under the skid or pallet, there is no added space needed on either side of the pallet when you are moving in tight spaces. This is especially important if you are delivering a skid of material to a machine and need to leave the pallet truck in the small area next to the manufacturing line.
The CP3 Pallet Jack: Lightweight yet Powerful
The CP3 Pallet trucks from Wesco, available in three sizes, are ideal lightweight pallet trucks with an impressive load capacity. With 3mm thick forks to fit under the smallest pallet, these three trucks still have a maximum load capacity of 5,500 lbs. The three sizes have load areas of 21” x 36”, 21” x 48” and 27” x 48” with equipment weights of 139 lbs., 152.5 lbs. and 164.5 lbs. respectively.
For ease of use these units include entry and exit rollers on the top of the forks to aid in guiding the forks under pallets. The load wheels under the forks are 3” moldon polyurethane wheels and the steering wheels are 7” moldon polyurethane wheels for rolling and good floor protection. In order to make steering easy, the steering mechanism moves in a 210-degree rotation and the pump and control handle is covered in rubber allowing for a safe and secure grip.
High Lift Pallet Trucks: When You Need to Raise Pallets
One of the limitations of the standard pallet truck is that it will only raise or lower a load by a few inches above the ground. This is acceptable if you need to move a pallet of drums into place beside a machine, but what if you have a pallet of boxes that need to be unloaded onto a waist-high table beside that same machine? For an activity like this, a high lift pallet truck is a better alternative.
Although these trucks will have a lower load capacity (up to 3,300 lbs.) they do allow you to lift the load to the right height so that you don’t need to lift a box off of the pallet, but instead can slide it into place (up to 31.5” above the ground). While this will not let you place the pallet onto a shelf, it will allow easy unloading of the pallet at waist height (for loading pallets onto shelves, we suggest you look at the many pallet truck stackers we offer). Wesco has several models of high lift pallet trucks available, and the team at Douglas Equipment can help you find the right model for your unique needs.
Powered Pallet Jacks: For Walk Behind Moving of Heavy Pallets
Another common concern about a standard pallet truck is how easy it will be to move a large load by manually pushing it. While it is easy to raise and lower with aid from a hydraulic pump, and the wheels are designed to offer easy rolling, if you are routinely moving heavy loads and have some room to spare behind the pallet, a powered walkie pallet truck may be a better alternative.
These units are still fairly small and lift the load with a hydraulic pump action, but come equipped with battery powered drive and steering wheels that allow you to walk behind the palleted load and easily move it into place. Wesco powered units are key operated to limit access when needed and include an ergonomic handle for safe and easy use. For very high lift operations around shelving, there are also powered pallet truck stackers available to suit these needs.
Douglas Equipment: Your Source for Quality Pallet Jacks and Top of the Line Service
If you are looking for pallet jacks, or for lifting equipment to make your material handling easier, the team at Douglas Equipment is ready to assist in any way possible. We have been in the material handling equipment business for almost 60 years and in this time our dedicated team has learned what it takes to provide the best customer service when finding the right material handling equipment.
From our location in South Florida, we can easily provide the best service for our customers in the United States while also serving customers in South America and the Caribbean as well.
We can easily be reached by phone locally at 305-888-3700 and national customers can call us toll free at 1-800-451-0030. If you prefer to send your questions via email we can also be contacted online where we will reply as soon as possible with the information you need. If you are having trouble finding the right piece of material handling equipment for your needs, reach out to us today for help.
