8 Things to Look for In Hand Trucks

When you are looking for hand trucks for your business, there are several factors you should consider. The type of work will determine what type of hand cart or dolly your employees need and what features it should have. There are also factors such as customizability that can affect what brand of hand truck you equip your employees with. When it comes time to buy hand carts for your employees, you need to consider certain factors. These determine what your employees need and which ones are right for your business. Here are some things to consider before buying hand carts for your business.

Durability

One of the most important factors in a hand cart is its durability. It needs to be able to withstand everything from harsh weather to handling boxes and other heavy items day in and day out. For example, you might want hand carts made of aluminum. This makes the hand truck resistant to rusting and highly durable. Yet, it is still lightweight. Your employees may need to move items when it’s raining or snowing out. The loading dock could be wet, and your employees won’t want to use rusty equipment. A lightweight aluminum hand truck is much for your employees to move.

Reliability

Another factor is reliability. Your company’s hand carts should simply work. It doesn’t matter if it’s a classic hand cart or a powered hand truck. It should work without a fuss. Powered hand carts should operate easily with a battery. Whether it is just coming out of the back of a delivery truck, in a warehouse, or in a store, it should be reliable enough to work every time. When buying hand carts for your employees, make sure they are reliable.

Customization

When choosing a brand of hand trucks, look for one that offers plenty of customization. Your employees might need wheels that are safe to use on a customer’s home’s floor. Or they might need wheels that work well on a concrete warehouse floor. Different handles offer different types of ergonomics. There might also be stair climbing options. You should be able to customize your company’s hand carts to exactly what your employees need to do their jobs. It can make them faster, safer, and more efficient. Delivery drivers, for example, have to handle a hand truck often, stacking boxes and moving a lot of items. The more items they can deliver at a time, the more they can get done.

Ease of Use

How easy are the dollies to use? This is especially important for powered models. A classic hand cart is obviously easy to use. A powered stair climbing dolly should be simple to use. This lets your employee focus on staying in an ergonomic position. They won’t have to worry about the dolly going up the stairs. Instead of pulling it up, the dolly does the work. Holding a small lever could make the powered stair climbing dolly go up the stairs, making it easier for your employee to move the item. Customization can also make it easier for your employees to use. Different handles might make it easier for your employees to use the hand carts, depending on how they need to use the hand carts.

Optional Accessories

Are there optional accessories for the hand carts? You might want optional accessories if you are equipping your appliance delivery drivers with heavy duty hand carts. Optional accessories can be helpful. Side wings for wider loads such as big refrigerators or ratchet straps to hold items in place can make your employees’ jobs easier. This can have a great impact on employee efficiency. Depending on the kind of hand cart your employees need, accessories might be an important factor if your decision.

Weight Capacity

Do you expect your employees to move large items or smaller boxes? The classic hand truck has a weight limit that needs to be factored into how your employees will use it. They might need a heavy duty hand truck instead of a classic dolly. Do they need to move a large item across a longer distance? This might be across a warehouse or moving an event tent into place on a property. In that case, they may need a motorized hand truck. This also has a higher weight capacity, making it an alternative that is perfect at a store or warehouse. A motorized hand truck is too heavy to take on deliveries unless the truck has a lift gate.

Versatility vs. Specialized Hand Trucks

Another factor is whether you need versatile hand carts for your employees, or they need something specialized. If it needs to be versatile, a classic hand truck might be what they need. If they need to raise kegs behind a bar, but little else, a powered lifting hand truck could be what your employees are looking for. This is also where customization and optional accessories factor in again. Finding the right hand truck for your employees could depend on how versatile or specialized it needs to be. This factor may be important, depending on what type of business you run. You may also need both versatile and specialized equipment.

Safety

Will the hand trucks keep your employees safe? When they move a few boxes at a time by hand, it’s hard to see where they are going. This means they have a higher chance of tripping. They could not only drop the box and break the contents or the item, but they could also hurt themselves. A hand cart can help keep them safe as they won’t have to worry about tripping. They can safely move objects while keeping them secure with the hand truck. It can also save them from having to constantly bend over to move items as they can quickly stack them instead of repeatedly bending over.

About Magline

For 75 years, the Magliner name has been synonymous with excellence in the material handling industry. It’s a name that represents an incomparable standard of reliability and durability. Magliner hand trucks are relied upon every day to deliver industry-leading, top-quality dependability. The traditional Magliner hand truck is ultra-customizable and is the cornerstone of the Magliner lineup. Magliner offers other exceptional products, including their powered hand truck line, convertible hand truck series, hand lift truck selection, and more material handling equipment. If you need to move, deliver, or lift items, you need Magliner products. These material handling solutions can help ensure your employees’ toughest jobs get done efficiently and safely.

Find the right Magliner dollies for your business at https://www.magliner.com/