Powered Hand Trucks-An Easy Job Made Easier

Any company that has utilized hand trucks to get jobs done understand the intrinsic value of these material handling equipment. They are less time consuming, more methodical and exert little or no strain on the back. What if it were possible to make the job done with a simple manual hand truck even easier? The powered hand truck would be the answer. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) a powered industrial truck is ‘a mobile, power-propelled truck used to carry, push, pull, lift, stack or tier materials’. Cost cutting can be beneficial to a company provided they are implemented in the relevant areas. Where manual labor can be made easier by introducing a powered hand truck, it must be done, as it would naturally mean a decrease in time, work load as well as WMSDs. They simply enhance the benefits of a regular hand truck by improvements made in specific areas to hone their performance.

Powered hand trucks, motorized hand trucks, or walkie hand trucks, as they are also referred to, come either battery operated, run on gasoline or on electricity. Since they are automatically powered, the operator can either walk ahead of or behind the load. Under the category of powered hand trucks are pallet trucks, forklifts and rider trucks, which are all similar to a large extent and differ only in minor characteristics. The approximate speed of these trucks is 4 miles per hour (6km/h) which supports the average walking speed of a human being and is therefore extremely user friendly.

While motorized hand trucks increase efficiency, they should be used with care. This means that personnel should be trained thoroughly in the day to day maneuvering of such equipment as a haphazard handling style can be detrimental to the cargo and the operator. Some imperative safety handling factors that need to be heeded are to never operate a powered hand truck with wet hands, always make sure hands are non greasy and dry, and last but not least that the truck is maintained and checked thoroughly for safe handling. One hand should always be on the handle of the hand truck facing the direction of travel, and riding on the hand truck should always be prohibited. Apart from the above, an experienced trainer should be recruited to give a thorough run-through on the implementation and daily usage of these trucks.

Powered sack trucks are generally utilized when transporting heavy cargo up and down stairs. They are versatile in that they are capable of supporting extremely heavy cargo, heavier than those supported by extra heavy duty sack trucks. The added advantage in the powered sack truck is that it supports heavier weights and are automatically powered which means they move with ease. Built using ultra strong aluminum, magnesium or steel, sturdy alloys, heavy duty casters, and reliable brake systems, the powered sack truck is ideal to be used in the aviation industry, utility companies, trucking and delivery companies, plant maintenance and in warehouses.

Optional accessories are similar to the standard sack truck and can be found in various modifications to fit the various models of these powered sack trucks.

For more sack truck and hand truck resources contact www.bil-sack-trucks-machine-jacks.co.uk