Hand Trucks 101: Types, Features and Benefits Explained

Moving materials, both small and large, is one of the main functions of a warehouse, alongside storing them. To make this possible, warehouses rely on specially designed equipment. The use of such equipment is crucial not only for the smooth running of operations but also for maintaining safety and efficiency.

Material handling equipment comes in a wide range of types and sizes. Some are powered, while others are manually operated. Regardless of the mechanism, their purpose remains the same: to help complete daily tasks efficiently. Among the many options available, the reliable hand truck stands out as one of the most common and useful solutions. Much like pallet jacks and roll cages, their simple yet effective design makes them a staple in many facilities.

What Matters in a Hand Truck

Wheels

A key feature of a hand truck is its wheels. These can vary, including rubber, star, pneumatic, puncture-proof, or non-marking types. The wheel design plays a crucial role in reducing resistance, making it easier to manoeuvre loads. This is especially the case if you go for one with larger wheels. This ease of movement is one of the reasons warehouse hand trucks are so widely used.

Material

Hand trucks are typically made from either steel or aluminium. Aluminium models are lightweight, making them easier to handle, even when carrying bulky loads. Steel versions, while heavier, are far more durable and better suited to transporting heavy or dense materials, as they can withstand greater impacts.

Handles

The shape and placement of handles significantly impact both safety and ergonomics. Choosing a hand truck with anti-crush handles provides a firm grip while also protecting your hands during use. Handles that are horizontally placed and well-contoured are easier to push and more comfortable to hold, helping reduce strain during prolonged use.

Toe Plate

The toe plate, the platform where items are loaded, comes in two main designs: fixed or foldable. A foldable toe plate allows for more compact storage, especially useful in tight spaces. Fixed toe plates, on the other hand, tend to be more affordable due to the lack of moving components.

Weight Capacity

The amount of weight the truck can safely have on it is referred to as its weight capacity. The higher this capacity, the more items you can move from one place to another, but keep in mind this also makes for a less manoeuvrable trolley. Trolleys with a lower weight capacity are easier to turn around and stop with, but, as you’d expect, they can’t handle as much weight.

Types of Hand Trucks

Heavy-Duty

Talking about weight capacities, a trolley that won’t disappoint you in that department is a heavy-duty one. As its name suggests, this hand trolley is made for heavy items in mind, and not just that, it’s also more rugged and corrosion-resistant than a regular trolley.

Stair Climbing

With a stair-climbing model, you are able to go up and down stairs with ease, even when you have a lot of items on it. These trolleys are made for vertical use as they have a set of three wheels on each side, which rotate together to make sure that no step will leave you standing.

Convertible

While not as unique as a stair-climbing trolley, when it comes to its use, a convertible trolley is able to have two or four wheels in total, depending on what you need it for. Their flexibility is what makes them the opposite of a stair-climbing trolley, as convertible trolleys can be used in almost any setting, no matter how challenging.

The Benefits of Using a Hand Truck

Safety

Using a trolley over almost any piece of warehouse equipment is much safer. The simplicity of the truck is what makes it easy to avoid accidents and mishaps on a daily level. But keep in mind, though, you still need to follow safety rules in order to stay safe with hand trucks for sale.

Ergonomics

Another benefit of a trolley is the fact that it’s made to be pushed, and that means it’s quite easy to do so, as its design makes it feel natural. The ergonomics of a trolley are at a much higher level than that of, say, a pallet jack or roll cage. It all starts with the handle and goes down to the base, which also affects how easy it is to push the trolley.

Productivity

Because of their simplicity and ergonomic design, trolleys make it easy to implement them in any warehouse configuration and make the model more productive. Since you can move more items at once with ease, you can get more done and thus productivity increases quite a bit.

Cost-Efficient Solution

You can increase the productivity of your storage facility without causing any accidents or long downtime periods, all at a low cost. That’s why hand trucks are one of the most cost-effective pieces of material handling equipment and thus so common.

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