Almost nothing can make a delivery job easier than having the right material handling equipment available for the job.
A company that relies on fast and efficient delivery will need to be sure that they have the material handling equipment that they need to deliver fast and efficient service to their customers.
Hand Trucks
For moving smaller boxed loads, the hand truck is probably the most obvious choice to make the job easier, faster and more efficient. The hand truck allows you to stack boxes on top of each other and use the wheels of the truck to make the movement easier. There are even some hand truck models that include electronic belt attachments to aid in transporting a load up a flight of stairs. There are many models to choose from; depending on the loads you will be moving, from a light duty to a heavier duty. Some examples include:
- SR Economy Hand Truck: ECONO TRK: 51.5″(RED) “PE” WHEELS: This is a simple hand truck with steel frame and pneumatic wheels. Dimensions are Width 21.5”, Height 51”, depth 19” with capacity of 500 pounds. This hand truck weighs 26 pounds.
- Greenline Economical 2-in-1 Hand Truck: This simple hand truck has a steel construction with semi-pneumatic main wheels and additional solid rubber swivel casters. The hand truck has two large main wheels for moving objects vertically and two smaller wheels so that you can lay the hand truck down to use like a cart. Dimensions are Width 20”, Height 48”, Depth 16” with a capacity of 300 pounds on 2 wheels and 400 pounds on 4 wheels. The hand truck weighs 37 pounds.
- Spartan Jr. Economy Aluminum 2 in 1 Truck: This hand truck has an aluminum frame construction with solid rubber wheels and non-marking swivel casters. Dimensions are Width 22”, Height 52”, Depth 19” with capacity of 500 pounds on 2 wheels and 1000 pounds on 4 wheels. The hand truck weight is 54 pounds.
- Stairclimber for 100 Series Hand Truck: This larger hand truck includes a belt attachment for hauling heavy loads up stairs. It fits on the 100 series hand truck, which has a steel frame construction and semi-pneumatic wheels. Dimensions are Width 22.5”, Height 48”, Depth 24” with a capacity of 500 pounds for the 100 series hand truck. The hand truck weighs 37 pounds and the stairclimber attachment adds an additional 7 pounds.
Platform Trucks, Carts & Dollies
For medium sized loads moving on a flat surface you can’t beat using a platform truck or small dolly to help move the load. Dollies are small four wheeled carts with a flat deck and no handles. These are great for moving a larger box when you don’t want the cart to extend past the box, for example when there is a tight fit. Meanwhile, platform trucks and carts have additional handles to help hold the load, and are more easily maneuvered as the casters swivel.
- 480020 Steel Deck Machine Dolly: This small dolly has a steel construction with a very large capacity of 10000 pounds. The dimensions are Width 8.5”, Height 2.5”, Depth 11.75” and a weight of 11.84 pounds. Rides on 2” outside diameter carbon steel radial thrust bearings for an ultra-low overall height. Since they are placed on straight axles, they do not swivel. This dolly is made for moving large containers down a straight path with no loss of control.
- 272250 Aluminum Economy Telefolding Truck: This platform truck has an aluminum frame with an open frame aluminum deck for a lightweight truck with good mobility. Folds when not in use to the size of a briefcase. Dimensions when in use with handle extended are Width 16”, Height 36.5”, Depth 20” and a capacity of 300 pounds (6.75 cubic feet). The weight is only 20.9 pounds and the unit has four ea. 4” rubber casters.
- 272239 Economy Steel Folding Handle Truck: This steel frame truck has a large folding handle for easy storage when not in use. Dimensions are Width 23”, Height 32.5”, Depth 35” with a capacity of 400 pounds (15.14 cubic feet). The truck weighs 40.8 pounds and has 5” thermoplastic rubber casters.
- 272019 Telescoping Handle Platform Truck: This platform truck has a small folding handle that can telescope into a longer handle if necessary. Dimensions are Width 19”, Height 32”, Depth 29” and a capacity of 400 pounds (10.2 cubic feet). This truck weighs 27 pounds and has size 4 thermoplastic rubber casters for good control.
Lift Equipment
For heavy lifting you want to consider some larger lift equipment. Although this is often available at the unloading dock itself, it is one of the easiest ways to take large pallet loads from trucks onto a dock without moving things from the pallets by hand. If you are moving pallets from the truck and then lifting them onto a low shelf some pallet trucks even incorporate a lift option.
- CP3 Pallet Truck: This simple 27 X 48 pallet truck makes moving a 40 x 40 or 40 x 48 pallet easy. Dimensions are Width 27”, Height 48”, Depth 63” and a capacity of 550 pounds. The unit weighs 172 pounds with 7” mold-on polyurethane steering wheels and 3” polyurethane load wheels. 20-1/2 x 36 and 20-1/2 x 48 are also available.
- Electric High Lift Pallet Truck: This 27 X 45 pallet truck incorporates an electric scissor lift that allows you to raise the pallet load onto a low shelf or simply into working position. Dimensions are Width 27”, Height 48.5”, Depth 60” and a capacity of 2200 pounds (45.46 cubic feet). The truck weighs 373 pounds and incorporates size 6 mold-on Polyurethane wheels.
Like an efficient delivery driver our experts at Douglas Equipment have been providing excellent customer service for almost 60 years to satisfy the material handling equipment needs of our customers. We can be contacted online, or if you are local to South Florida, call us at 305-888-3700, and national customers can call us toll free at 800-451-0030. We are ready to serve you with answers to all your questions on material handling equipment, so give us a call and let us help you improve the efficiency of your delivery workers.
