Pallet Jack – an Essential Piece of Equipment for Your Warehouse Operations
Pallet jacks are one of the most used pieces of equipment in warehouses today thanks to their incredible capacity to increase productivity as they can transport one or more pallets without the use of expensive forklifts or other pieces of heavy equipment. With a pallet jack, one employee can lift and easily move an entire pallet of goods in less time and without needing other resources to complete the task.
They are simple devices that feature a set of blades aligned to slide under a pallet and lift it off the ground, featuring a control panel that allows the user to adjust the spread between the two blades, accommodating pallets of different sizes and a base that supports the controls and the blades. All these parts are mounted on a set of small wells, making the pallet jack easy to be maneuvered. One of the greatest advantages of pallet jacks is their small design, which makes them easy to be used in tight spaces where a regular forklift would never fit. Due to this reason, warehouses have at least a couple of pallet jacks that can be used in a variety of departments for a variety of purposes.
How to Choose the Right Pallet Jack for Your Applications
A pallet truck is a sturdy yet lightweight piece of equipment designed to meet various needs in a working environment. In order to make the right choice and ensure the best return on your investment, you should consider the following factors.
- The common weight of the load you will be moving on the pallet truck: choose a pallet jack that can support at least 15% more weight than your common load. This way you will ensure the safety of your goods and the longevity of your equipment.
- The material type of the wheels (nylon or PU): Nylon wheels are the most common option due to their longevity, hardiness, and ease of maintenance. However, they tend to make more noise and become rough. PU wheels are softer, give a better rolling feel, are quieter, don’t get rough and don’t scratch the floor. However, they have a shorter lifespan of about 3 years.
- Pallets profile: Standard pallet trucks can lift loads as low as 8.5 cm with ground clearance. But if you have a special load type on a low profile and low clearance pallets, then you will need a low hand pallet truck that goes down to 6.5 cm ground clearance.
Although pallet jacks are basic pieces of equipment, they can still be customized. A variety of load capacities and different fork lengths are available, which can make a great difference in your warehouse operations.
