One of the most common but neglected materials handling a piece of equipment is Pallet jacks. It’s always that one piece of equipment that gets thrown around, mistreated, and neglected while having to handle it fair burden of work, moving equipment around a business floor.
It goes by many names, the pallet jack, pallet truck, pallet lifter, the jigger, and the pallet pump. Just to name a few.
The two different types of Pallet Jacks.
Manual Pallet Jack
The manual pallet jack is simply a manual-operated hydraulic pallet jack. It is maneuvered under a load (usually a pallet) the lift mechanism is pumped a few times to raise the legs, and then the pallet is pulled or pushed around by an operator using the pallet handle.
Advantages
They are cheap to buy
You can buy a manual pallet jack for under $500 plus GST. Nationwide Sale Service and Rentals have the Eurolifter for $385 Plus GST brand new, or a Used Eurolifter for $250 plus GST.
12 Months Warranty
Most brands will offer a standard 12-month warranty on equipment failure. This gives you peace of mind if anything goes wrong in that time.
Disadvantages
Maintenance can be problematic
With the price of a pallet jack so cheap to buy now, if they develop a maintenance issue, it can be cheaper sometimes to replace and not repair your pallet jack. Yes, that means they are a throw away item.
Manual handling
A standard Chep Australian Pallet is rated for 2 tons, and most common pallet jacks have a 2.5T rating, meaning that at times the operator can be pushing or pulling around a load over 2T. This can cause back-related issues if the operator is not careful in how they operate the pallet jack.
Electric Pallet Jack
The electric Pallet jack is the battery-operated version of a manual pallet jack. With the same functions, just all electric.
Advantages
More versatile
These electric units can also come in ride-on versions. In a warehouse with a very long floor, it can be faster for the operator to ride with the load, than just walk behind it.
No Tickets Required
These types of units are deemed pedestrian-operated operated, as such do not require a forklift licence to operate. Just familiarisation training provided by the business.
Disadvantages
Cost more
They will cost more than a manual pallet jack, depending on the type of electric pallet jack required, they can start at $1500 plus GST and go up to $20 000 Plus GST.
More maintenance
They will cost more money to maintain. As they cost more to buy, and you will not be replacing these units regularly. So you will need to start some sort of maintenance program for your unit.
Unique Application requirements
Sometimes due to the nature of the business and the application, it is a requirement to have a slightly different pallet truck. There are so many different variations that can be supplied from:
- High-lift pallet jacks
- Narrow Pallet Jacks
- Stainless Steel Pallet Jacks
- Hot Gal Dipped Electric pallet jacks
- 3 ton Pallet Jacks
- Ride-on pallet jacks.
There are so many different businesses that cater to materials handling applications. Talk to your local supplier today and find the pallet jack that is right for your needs.
Leave a Reply