Pallet Truck - The Key To Reducing Manual Work In Your Warehouse

A construction site requires a variety of tools and equipment. Each of these tools and equipment serves a different purpose. But these all are very helpful when it comes to reducing the manual work and increasing the efficiency of the process with reduced time.

One such tool is a pallet truck It is also called a pallet jack. It’s a tool employed to raise and move those heavy pallets. The primary purpose is to reduce manual work in lifting heavy weighing goods. It looks like a trolley with wheels meant to lift and transport heavy pallets.

Structure of a pallet truck 

Pallet trucks or pallet jacks consist of 3 main parts. These are listed below.

  1. Wheels
  2. Forks
  3. Hydraulic jack

The forks are tapered and slotted underneath the pallets. The handle of the pump then raises and lowers the load as required. It is the basic structure of a pallet truck.

Types of pallet jacks 

There is more than one type of pallet jacks employed across multiple industries.

Types of pallet jack are:

  1. Manual pallet jack
  2. Electric pallet jack
  3. Scissor pallet jack
  4. Weighing scale pallet jack
  5. Paper-roll pallet jack
  6. Stainless steel pallet jack

pallet truck

Working of a pallet jack 

  • The tiller functions like a pump handle in the case of a manual pallet jack.
  • The handle on a tiler or pump handle releases that hydraulic fluid.
  • Due to hydraulic fluid, the forks lower down.
  • When the end towards the handle is lifted, the links between the lever and cylinder forces the wheels to lower.
  • The forks are raised vertically inside a trailer in case the forklift truck is not available.

Areas of application 

The pallet jack is used extensively in warehouses to lift and organize goods. They are safer to use than humans doing the same task. The efficiency of the process increased too. At some warehouses, these are used to stack goods one on top of another as well.

Areas of application include:

  1. Manufacturing plants
  2. Specialty and big retail stores
  3. Factories and manufacturing units
  4. Warehouse facilities

Limitations 

Despite being a very useful tool, the pallet jack has a few limitations, just like any other tool. Reversible pallets haven’t been used yet. In the case of double-faced non-reversible pallets, there are no deck boards where the front wheels meet the floor.

However, despite these operational limitations, pallet trucks are a useful tool helping humankind move forward.