Keeping your temperature correct in cold climates is crucial if you want to maintain the life and proper functionality of your material handling equipment. If you live in a cold climate or any climate where it is cold for at least part of the year, then you’ll need to start thinking about your material handling equipment as the temperature begins to drop.
Make Sure Your Operators are Safe Or You Might be Sorry!
The use of material handling equipment must always be performed with safety in mind, but what counts as safe when the weather is warm is unlikely to count as safe once the temperature drops a couple of degrees. You will need to ensure that all your material handling equipment is still safe to use in cold weather just as it is during warmer temperatures.
Safety experts are always quick to point out the impact that the cold has on all forms of equipment, and especially when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. If you only use material-handling equipment indoors, and you can keep your production facility at an acceptable temperature, then you shouldn’t have to worry about your material handling equipment too much. If, however, your material handling equipment ventures outdoors during cold spells, then you will need to make specific considerations.
How Does a Cold Climate Affect Material Handling Equipment?
The most common material used with heavier-duty material handling equipment is metal, and the most common metal that is used is steel. Steel, which is manufactured using a combination of iron, carbon and other elements, has high strength qualities but is relatively cheap. It is also a very ductile material – that is, it can be stretched without losing strength or snapping. When cold, the bonds with the steel material become easier to break, meaning that the steel becomes brittle. This means that when cold any piece of equipment that is manufactured by steel is more likely to break, or at least fail in some way.
Material Handling Equipment in Cold Climates – What Are the Best Practices?
There are several ways that metal is treated to minimize the effects of a cold climate. As steel is an alloy, the mix of iron, carbon and other ingredients can be altered to create steel that is much stronger than ‘normal’ steel, and that is less likely to underperform in cold climates.
In addition, steel can be finished with powder epoxy or a galvanized coating simply to protect it from the effects of lower temperatures. There are two basic types of galvanized coating – epoxy coating and hot dip. An epoxy coating is extremely hard and friction resistant. As well as protection from the cold, it will also protect against corrosive elements, and excessive heat too.
Hot dip galvanizing is both reliable and effective, and is best used in environments that are harsh as well as being cold – for example in production facilities and warehouses close to the sea. The corrosive factor of salt water is another aspect of the local environment that should not be ignored, especially if you have concerns over the longevity of your material handling equipment.
What Other Factors Are Important When it Comes to the Effects of Cold Weather on Material Handling Equipment?
The strength of the steel or metallic components of your material handling equipment are not the only aspects you need to concern yourself with. Motors, electronic components, hydraulics and lubricants are all affected by the cold, and will adversely effect your equipment if you do not make sufficient considerations. For example, hydraulic liquids such as oil thicken when cold. This could mean that your pallet trucks become difficult to pump when cold, or impossible to use. Additionally, lubricants will solidify and become stiff, and the ‘in motion’ items within your material handling equipment may seize up altogether.
There’s certainly a lot to consider when it comes to material handling equipment and the cold!
Which Manufacturers of Material Handling Equipment Are Considered the Best When it Comes to Cold Climates?
When it comes to material handling equipment that’s effective in cold climates, we always recommend the products that we carry that are manufactured by Wesco. These products include:
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Pallet jacks
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Platform trucks, carts and dollies
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Lift equipment
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Hand trucks
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Drum handling equipment
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Dock and shipping equipment
Naturally, not all equipment manufactured by Wesco is suitable for cold climates, so if that is an issue for you, then you will need to contact us first for advice.
Wesco is one of the largest and best suppliers of material handling equipment in the USA, if not the world, and as a company have been in business since 1922. They offer a full range of business services, and serve multiple markets – industrial, utilities, contractors and government to name just a few.
What Else You Should Know About Wesco Equipment
Virtually all Wesco products have been manufactured with longevity in mind, and it’s both our and their aim to create reliable items that you know will remain dependable for the full term of their contribution to your business. Wesco material handling products are made from high quality steel that will not buckle under pressure, and will need little to no maintenance for as long as you use them.
When you are looking for material handling equipment items that are particularly suitable for use in cold climates, it’s always best you seek out our advice, or else you may end up with equipment that actually under performs. That’s why it always pays to speak to a member of our expert sales staff before you make a purchase. Our team features genuine experts when it comes to all technical inquiries about material handling equipment. They are also friendly and approachable, and will listen attentively to your needs before discussing a range of possible solutions with you.
Contact Douglass Equipment at 1-888-982-9078, or use our online contact form if that’s more convenient. We look forward to connecting with you soon.
