Which warehouse trolley to choose?

Do you want to find out which hand trucks are essential for any warehouse? Or are you interested in the prices at which forklifts from top manufacturers can be purchased? Before deciding and buying a warehouse forklift, it is a good idea to determine the size of your loading and storage space. On this basis, you will be able to choose the best forklifts.

Types of warehouse trolleys – what is the breakdown?

Choosing the right warehouse trolley for your warehouse is not as simple as you might think. In this regard, it is worth noting the basic division of equipment for transporting goods in storage areas. The most popular are pallet trucks, platform trucks and even forklifts, although the latter are mainly used on spacious warehouse halls.

Which type of transport trolley you choose can make a huge difference to your comfort on the warehouse floor. For really large sites, the best option will be forklifts and shelf trucks, where the maximum load capacity can reach up to several tonnes.

However, what to choose when there is not much storage space on the work site, such as in large-scale shops? Then you need to take into account the technical parameters of the trolleys and their size, in order to have access to fast transport of goods within the warehouse or even the shop.

The basic division of transport trolleys includes manual and automatic models. When it comes to manual warehouse trolleys, we distinguish between the following:

• pallet trucks – these are commonly used devices that facilitate the transport of pallets weighing up to several tonnes. When choosing such a trolley, it is worth taking into account its maximum load capacity and dimensions.
• Platform trol leys – these models are usually fitted with four rubber or inflatable wheels. You can successfully use them both in large storage areas and those slightly smaller, such as the backroom of a grocery shop. This type of trolley is characterised by a high level of stability, a considerable load capacity of up to several hundred kilograms and ergonomic use.
• shelf trolleys – you can say that this is the bigger brother of the platform trolley, which is additionally equipped with shelves on which you can place larger quantities of goods.
• cradle trolleys – these are professional trolleys that are not subject to greater technical supervision, allowing loads to be lifted to a relatively low height.
• box trucks – these are ideal for shops and warehouses with bulk goods. With their help, it is possible to transport goods in bulk without the risk of things falling out of the trolley.

Of course, there are other warehouse trolleys available on the market, which can be used not only in warehouses, but also in all places where frequent transport of goods from one place to another is required.

Advantages of manual warehouse trolleys – what is worth knowing about them?

Professional warehouse trolleys are products that have been developed to facilitate work in warehouses, production halls or even shops. It is also worth mentioning that you can buy a transport trolley for your own needs, although this is often a considerable expense of at least several hundred PLN. When it comes to the most important advantages of warehouse trolleys, we distinguish such as:

• robust construction – usually metal,
• high level of stability – mainly due to the tyres used, as well as the fastening of the wheels,
• excellent steering precision – warehouse trolleys from reputable manufacturers are truly manoeuvrable and easy to steer,
• ergonomic design,
• resistance to high overloads – a good transport trolley is often able to withstand much more than the manufacturer claims.

What to look out for when choosing a warehouse trolley?

When choosing warehouse trolleys for your business, it is worth paying attention to a few basic technical parameters that determine the profitability of buying a particular model. Here are some points to help you make the right choice.

• Load capacity of the trolley – despite appearances, this is the most important parameter to consider. The higher the load capacity, the more goods you will be able to carry at one time on the platform.
• Size – of course, this does not only refer to the size of the trolley itself, but also, for example, to the surface area of the transport platform.
• Price – this is not the most important determinant of the profitability of buying a specific model of forklift truck, although in the case of forklift trucks whose prices oscillate around even more than 100 thousand PLN – it is worth analysing the market prices in order to save a bit.
• Type of wheels – this is another equally important issue. The type of wheels is worth considering especially for platform models. You can choose off-road or classic wheels – depending on where the trolley will be used.

The turning radius, the size of the wheels, the travel speed and the distance of the centre of gravity of the load from the fork face are also important parameters that are equally important at the warehouse trolley purchasing stage. However, these parameters apply to forklifts – both electric and internal combustion.

Pallet trucks or platform trucks – which is more useful?

The transport trolleys available on the market for use in warehouses can be used to transport both pallets of goods and individual cartons. Wherever the warehouse is large enough, it is worth choosing a pallet warehouse trolley, which will allow items to be transported quickly from place to place. Interestingly, forklift trucks have also become known as pallet trucks, as they are most commonly used to transport pallets of goods and even place them on high storage racks.

Platform warehouse trolleys are a good solution not only for smaller warehouses, but wherever the need arises to load goods manually, such as on shop shelves. To ensure that the trolley works well in the warehouse, it is advisable to choose a model with the highest possible load capacity. This will guarantee that the trolley will not be damaged after heavy goods have been placed on the platform surface and will still allow comfortable manoeuvring between the shelves in the company.

Warehouse and platform trolleys – where do they perform best?

There are many possible applications for warehouse trolleys. They can be successfully used in the narrow aisles of shops. Models equipped with a flat platform are ideal for construction sites, transport warehouses, production companies and even heavy industry.

The purpose for which the trolley is used should depend on the type of trolley. Models with pneumatic wheels and electric drive are ideal for use both outside storage areas and indoors.

Leaving aside which models of warehouse trolleys are available on the market, it is worth pointing out that such equipment finds its use in places such as:

• production and industrial halls,
• hypermarkets,
• transhipment warehouses,
• transport/courier companies.

The ideal warehouse trolley – summary

When choosing the right warehouse trolley for your business, it is worth bearing in mind that the main feature of the trolley should be its robust construction and that the size of the trolley should fit perfectly into the structure of the warehouse premises. Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine a warehouse that does not have the capacity to transport and pick goods/loads without warehouse trolleys. The types of pallets used in the company are also of great importance, as individual pallet trucks can have different transport fork dimensions.

A good forklift truck is essential for the efficient execution of work in a company involved in the shipping or production of goods, as well as food processing. In summary: it is worth investing in both platform, pallet and forklift trucks – depending on the needs of the company and the type of goods to be transported.