Pallet jack forklifts are simple motorised or hand-operated walk-behind lifts used to move palletised materials around warehouses, plants, supermarkets, distribution centers, and similar environments.
Read More (About Pallet Jack Forklifts)Although material handling experts generally consider pallet jack forklifts to be the most basic form of forklift there is, they all consider these handy machines as vital equipment in warehouses, manufacturing plants, logistics centers, production facilities, supermarkets, food and beverage distribution centers, and other environments where operators are routinely moving palletised materials around the facility. This is particularly true in settings where manoeuvering pallets through tight spaces is necessary and where ground-level storage is in heavy use. Also known as hand pellet trucks, jiggers, and hand forklifts, pallet jack forklifts have been around for decades. Today, they’re available in manual (or hand-powered) and motorised (typically electric-powered) models, with walk-behind, stand-on, and scissor-lift options available.
Typically, pallet jack forklifts have load capacities of 2,500 kilograms or less and lift heights of generally less than 300 millimetres. Broadly speaking, pallet jack forklifts are simple to operate and move around. While options and features vary depending on the model, pallet jack forklifts may include solid steel and galvanised construction, C-channel forks in different widths and lengths, tight turn radiuses, travel speeds around 5 mph or less, cushioned handles that lessen operator fatigue, parking brakes, foot-release pedals for quick lowering, and quick-lift abilities. Compared to motorised models, manual models require more physical operator involvement to pump the handle and lift the forks, as well as to push, pull, and turn the pallet. Hand models are also more limited in their lift capacities but are easier to maintain due to their fairly simple construction. Motorised units are bulkier and more expensive but often easier to navigate and better at lifting taller pallet stacks. Motorised units do require more training time to operate.
Although traditional forklift trucks provide greater overall flexibility in terms of their ability to move both light and heavy pallets and other materials at higher distances and with far less physical exertion, they also require more space to operate than pallet jack forklifts. Additionally, forklifts require greater ongoing resources in terms of operational- and maintenance-related costs. Moreover, although forklifts require far more training to operate, they can work both indoors and outdoors. Although pallet jack forklifts are used in some outdoor applications, they’re mostly relegated to indoor use. Due to the pros and cons of each machine type and how well they complement one another, many operations view pallet jack forklifts as ideal assistants to forklifts.
You will find a variety of pallet jack forklift models from numerous manufacturers every day on LiftsToday.co.uk. Some popular pallet jack-makers include Crown, Hangcha, Hyster, Linde, and Yale.