Hand trucks are one of the most useful pieces of material handling equipment that are available, and have many options that can make your job easier. Choosing the right truck for you or your business can often be difficult. You want to ensure that you choose a model that performs the necessary task at hand while also keeping the safety and workload of the operator in mind at all times. Douglas Equipment offers a large selection of hand trucks in a variety of capacities to meet the growing needs of our customers.
How Heavy are Your Loads?
With maximum capacities that vary from several hundred pounds to almost 2000 pounds, knowing the load you will carry is important. While it is never a problem to have a load that is very light on a higher capacity truck, excessive weight above the load capacity can damage its structure and lead to poor performance and failure. Always ensure you use a hand truck that is rated for the task at hand.
Wesco SuperLite Folding Truck Model 220617
This model fold up truck from Wesco is an all aluminum frame for strength while still being extremely lightweight. Elastic straps are included to secure loads and the unit includes 7” rubber tread wheels with a 1.5” thickness to provide shock absorption without marking the floor. Load capacity of this hand truck is 175 pounds. Dimensions in use are width 15.5”, height 41”, depth 17.5” and a weight of 11.4 pounds. The cart has a space saving folding design so that it can fit into small storage spaces or car trunks when not in use. The unit folds to 19” by 29.5” by 2” with height adjustment of 29.5” to 42”.
Model 6873-49
For taller loads, this truck features a retractable rear caster carriage attachment and high quality glass filled nylon continuous belt stair crawlers if you need to transport materials up a flight of stairs. This unit has 8” mold-on rubber wheels with 5” hard core, soft tread casters that come out and turn the unit into a four wheeled truck using the caster carriage attachment. The unit is equipped with a patented double lock ratchet with a 14’ poly belt and also has an optional auto-rewind ratchet. Dimensions are height 66”, width 18” with a 5” X 24” base plate and a capacity of 1000 pounds.
Wheel Size is Extremely Important
Large wheels allow you to move your hand truck more easily over uneven ground or with heavier loads. You should also consider whether you want pneumatic wheels, which cushion the ride, or solid wheels, which can never go flat. Hand trucks commonly have 8” or 10” wheels but can have other options, so knowing what you’re transport and how smooth the ride needs to be will be an important part of the selection process.
Heavy Duty Auto-rewind Appliance Truck with Swivel Casters
This truck is constructed of 1” heavy duty steel tubing and can be used in 2 wheel or 4 wheel mode with a dynamic lever activated fulcrum system where the fulcrum changes as the truck is tilted to decrease break over effort. The swivel caster carriage can kick out for 4 wheel support and 2 webbed cargo belts with ratchet tighteners to apply maximum load security. The truck has 10” poly hub main wheels with 6” rear swivel casters. Dimensions are width 27”, depth 16” height 72” or 78” with a load capacity of an amazing 1800 pounds for extremely heavy loads.
Do You Want Four Wheels?
Hand trucks work on the premise that you will tilt the load back to rest on the wheels when moving. But for larger loads, preventing the hand truck from falling over can be problematic, especially when moving. This is when it can be helpful to have a hand truck that has an additional set of wheels that kick out and help hold the load upright during movement.
Greenline Economical 5-in-1
This hand truck can be used in an incredible 5 positions:
- 2 wheel standard hand truck
- 2 wheel hand truck with folding nose extension
- 4 wheel hand truck in tilted 45 degree position
- 4 wheel platform truck with nose extension lowered
- 4 wheel platform truck with nose extension raised
With these five positions this truck can be used in almost any application. The hand truck frame is a 1” 14 gauge welded tubular steel frame for heavy use and durability with a recessed folding nose-plate measuring 11” wide by 29” long. The standard beveled nose-plate is 8.5” deep and 14” wide. When in the full 4 wheel position, the bed size is 13.75” by 49.50”. The unit comes with two 10” pneumatic tires and two 3.5” urethane swivel casters that allow for load capacities of 600 pounds in all positions. Overall dimensions are width 22”, height 51.5”, depth 19.5” and weight 56 pounds.
Contact Douglas Equipment today for help choosing a hand truck that meets your exact needs.
