How to Use a Hand Truck – a Step by Step Tutorial

A hand truck is a great way to move freight short distances, like from a building to a truck or through a warehouse. The hand truck is a simple machine, an upright cart with a "plate" at the bottom for stacking all kinds of stuff on. But there are a few things to think about when using a hand truck, including the physics of displacing heavy or large boxes or objects. It is very important you know how to use it and know how much weight belongs on it or it can lead to serious injury.

Instructions

1.Make sure your hand truck is in good condition. There aren't a lot of moving parts that can break or wear out on a non-powered cart, but most hand trucks have wheels (or casters) that can deflate. You have to make sure the wheels are good and have the proper air pressure in them, or else you wont be able to push you load because flat tires don’t roll so well.

2.Make sure your cargo fits. Trying to load the hand truck with thin sheets or a whole lot of small stuff can be a headache. Put items into a container that you can stack easily for transport.

3.Load the heaviest stuff first. Unless you want a top heavy, half-crushed load, the heaviest boxes should go on the bottom. This is one of the easiest ways to get hurt especially if your load starts to tip over. You may have to use a cargo restraint

4.Pick up the hand truck about halfway, so that the handle comes up to your waist or slightly above, and the cargo rests neatly against the back of the cart. This allows the wheels to carry most of the weight. It is much harder to load the truck and then tip it up, and it is a good way to wrench your back trying to tilt the cart with a heavy load.

5.Choose which way you are going to go before you start. Moving forward (with the cart in front of you) is more stable, but your vision of what is in front of you is obstructed by the cart. Going backward means you will be in front of the cart, but the cart stands a greater chance of tipping over if you hit something, and it’s more difficult to control when you’re dragging the load behind you. It can be easy to bump the wheels on things and even knock product off of the truck. Pulling the load behind you helps you see what is in front of you, but you can’t see the back of the cart to avoid obstacles and hang-ups.

6.Move at an appropriate pace: rushing or pushing too hard can cause the load to shift and become unstable causing damage to the product. It can cause injury not just to you, but people around you.

In addition to the vertical stacking approach, most hand trucks have a set of wheels near the top to accommodate a different stacking method. Convertible hand trucks can act more like a cart. For very heavy loads, you can try setting the hand truck horizontally, and using it as a flat platform to roll these objects to their destination or consider using a dolly or a pallet jack.

It is very important to know to have an idea on of how much your load is going to weight and never overload your hand truck. Make sure you have a clear route to take the item and give yourself plenty of space to navigate. Be careful and you will be able to move loads easily, productively, and best of all safely.

Written by:

Ted Thorsen Material Handling

Since 1953, we have proudly offered competitively priced, cost-effective materials handling solutions, as well as custom designs Leading source for Material Handling and Reusable Packaging
Hand Trucks and Moving Dollies

How to Safely Use a Pallet Jack Safely : Step by Step a Breakdown

The utility of the pallet jack is in being able to lift heavy pallets off the ground, move them around, and set them back down again with relative ease. They need to have an excellent turning radius (unless you have a lot of space), strong load arms, and good load wheels.

Step 1.
Find the pallet you wish to load, making sure that the two load arms (or forks) of the jack will fit into the space under the pallet- if not, and then you may need a narrow aisle, low profile, or an adjustable fork jack. To get the jack under the pallet, you'll need to release the pressure in the jack's pump unit – to do this pull the small lever within the top of the handle, or use the foot release at the base of the handle to loosen the prongs/forks/load arms so that they sink to the lowest level.

Step 2.
Insert the pallet jack forks or load arms in the slots underneath the pallet base, making sure that the two load rollers on the tips of the load arms are resting in gaps between the wood on the bottom of the pallet. If the load rollers are on top of one of the wooden supports, they will split the pallet apart as the lift mechanism is engaged.

Step 3.
The next step is to raise the pallet by pumping up the jack handle. Switch the lever contained in the top of the handle assembly to the down position to lock the jack into lifting mode. Now, 'pump' the whole handle up and down in a levering motion (the handle pivots at the base of the jack). If it is an old jack and there is no pressure, and you do not see the jack rising up, it could be that the jack is broken or not in lifting mode. For most cases, you'll see the jack lift the pallet off the ground in just a few pumps. Take care to listen out for cracking wood if the jack has not been correctly positioned - correct by lowering again go back to Step 1, and moving the jack either further in or out of the pallet.

Step 4.
Using the handle to push or pull the jack and pallet to desired location. Generally, pulling the jack is the best mode for transporting the pallet, but pushing on the handle will also be useful when trying to accomplish tight turns. (If you have really tight turns you may need a jack that has the ability to move sideways)

Step 5.
Lower the pallet when you have reached the desired destination using the action described in Step 1 (pull the small lever in the top of the handle assembly towards you and hold or use the foot release pedal at the base of the handle). Take care to ensure feet, fingers etc. are not under either the pallet or jack.

It is very import to know how much your load is going to weight and never exceed the capacity of your pallet jack. Also, make sure you don’t overload the pallet jack or you may not be able to push or pull the load safely. (If the load is too heavy you may need a powered model of pallet jack) Make sure you have a clear route to take the item and give yourself plenty of space to navigate. Be careful and you will be able to move loads easily, productively, and best of all safely.

Written by:
Ted Thorsen Material Handling
Since 1953, we have proudly offered competitively priced, cost-effective materials handling solutions, as well as custom designs Leading source for Material Handling and Reusable Packaging


Industrial Jacks & Lifting Equipment