The two-wheeled hand truck is a great tool to have around the warehouse. The basic general-purpose model, sometimes known as a “dolly”, is perfect for moving stacks of boxes, or small heavy items. We see them everywhere: delivery drivers roll them from their trucks, loaded with goods for customers; warehouse and factory workers use them to shuttle products from one point to another; and wise homeowners use them when it’s time to move.

As good as they are, general-purpose hand trucks are not well-suited for moving large appliances. If you’re in a situation where you must load appliances from a warehouse, it’s important to know that there are hand trucks made for that specific purpose.

Appliance hand trucks are designed specifically to lift large, bulky objects, roll smoothly across floors, and even go up or down stairs. A well-designed appliance truck has special features that make the difficult job of loading appliances much easier.

• A Wide, Tall Frame – Compared to a standard hand truck, the frame of the appliance hand truck is much taller. This gives you more leverage when you tilt the load, and lift it off the ground. The frame is also wider, which gives good lateral stability. This is important in moving bulky appliances.
• A Wide, Narrow Nose Plate – To balance the appliance, the nose plate (the part that slips under the load) must be wider than nose plates found on general-purpose hand trucks. Twenty-four inches in width is recommended. The depth from front to back should be approximately 5 inches – just enough to slide under the edge of the appliance.
• Padding – All surfaces that might come into contact with the appliance are padded. This includes the frame and nose plate. The padding keeps appliances from getting scratched or dented.
• Strap to Secure Load to Truck – an appliance truck has at least one wide strap, which wraps around the load like a belt, and is tightened with a built-in ratchet or hand lever. When the frame is tilted, the strap pulls the load off the ground.
• Treads for Climbing Stairs – rubber treads located behind the main wheels can roll up and down stairs, making it easier to move an appliance on staircases.

A well-designed appliance hand truck makes it easy to move refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers, and other appliances.

Top 3 Appliance Hand Trucks

Douglas Equipment is an authorized distributor for Wesco Industrial Products, Inc. Wesco manufactures an extensive line of appliance trucks. We’ll describe three of Wesco’s top appliance trucks below.

1. Economical Aluminum Appliance Truck – This appliance truck from Wesco is constructed with a lightweight aluminum frame. For maximum durability and strength, the frame and handles are fully welded. It has a single auto rewind ratchet; for greater cargo security, a model is available which has a double ratchet design. The wheels are 6” x 2” Moldon rubber wheels, with poly hubs. To support heavy loads and also make it easier to balance the load over long distances, a model is available with a 4-wheel swingout design; the two extra wheels, 2” x 1” casters, help support the load in the inclined position. Overall dimensions of this appliance truck are 61” in height, and 24” in width. The nose plate is 24” wide and 5” deep. This truck is rated to handle loads up to 550 pounds.

Visit Douglas Equipment’s webpage for more information.

2. Steel Appliance Truck – This Wesco appliance truck is constructed from rugged tubular steel, with all joints double welded for maximum strength and durability. All contact surfaces are covered with non-marking gray vinyl, securely mounted to the truck. The belt is a heavy-duty web belt, 2” wide; it’s positioned 26.5” above the nose plate. Two belt tightening systems are available: “Manual” or “Auto Rewind”. The Moldon rubber wheels are available in three sizes: 6” x 2”, 8” x 1.625”, and 8” x 2”. With a nose plate that’s 24” wide x 5” deep, and overall dimensions of 24” wide x 59” in height, the Steel Appliance Truck can easily handle loads weighing up to 750 lbs.

Visit Douglas Equipment’s webpage for more information on steel appliance trucks.

3. Heavy Duty Appliance Truck – To handle loads up to 1,800 lbs. with ease and maneuverability, Wesco’s Heavy Duty Appliance Truck is the top choice. It’s constructed of heavy-duty steel tubing, 1” in diameter, and is available in two heights. It has two sets of wheels, and can be used in 2-wheel or 4-wheel mode. In two-wheel mode, the load is supported on the main 10” poly hub wheels. For 4-wheel mode, simply pull a release lever, to engage the swivel caster carriage kick out mechanism. In this mode, the 6” rear swivel casters, with their ability to turn in tight spaces, makes the appliance truck highly maneuverable – even when fully loaded – and gives 4-wheel support, which helps when long distances must be covered.

Another lever activates the dynamic fulcrum system; this allows the fulcrum point to change as the truck is tilted, which significantly decreases the break-over effort required to incline the load from the vertical position to the tilted position. For maximum load security, the Heavy Duty Appliance Truck comes with two webbed cargo belts, each with ratchet tighteners. The truck is 27” wide, and ranges between 72” and 78” inches in height. The nose plate is 24” wide and 5” deep.

You can find more information about Wesco’s Heavy Duty Appliance Truck here:

For Top Appliance Hand Trucks – Call Douglas Equipment!

At Douglas Equipment, we carry the top three appliance hand trucks discussed above –

but keep in mind, Wesco manufactures many other models of appliance trucks, some of which have features you might be interested in. For more information, please call our customer service team at 800-451-0030, or 305-888-3700 in the Miami area. We’re also available online through our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you soon!