Hand trolleys: guide to choice

Looking for a hand t rolley and don’t know how to choose it? Don’t know how to juggle stairlifts, everything trolleys, wheeled t rolleys and folding trolleys?

How to choose in a market where the offer is so rich and varied? The number of trolleys on the market is large and the prices disparate, but each product meets very specific needs.

In this article, we will explain how to identify the most suitable one for your business and how to use it in the best possible way, avoiding possible related risks and always in compliance with regulations.

Trolleys are not all the same

Therefore, having in mind the purpose for which you are making this purchase, it will be useful to identify the basic characteristics that distinguish a hand trolley:

• Wheels: not only the number, but also the type, diameter, load capacity and materials. It is also important to consider whether or not there are brakes, and the terrain on which the trolley will be used (outdoors or indoors? In an office or in production?).
• Materials: there are trolleys of all prices on the market and very often the big difference is the material. Quality is an aspect that should not be overlooked: it may not have an immediate impact, but it will be visible after a short use on the strength and durability of the product purchased. To be sturdy, a good trolley must be made of aluminium or steel, but also pay attention to the presence or absence of accident-prevention rubber grips to ensure a secure grip.
• Type of use: double platform stair climbers, for office or archive use, with multi-purpose high sides, for transport or storage of any product, lockable containers, manual with multi-purpose sides and shelves, elevator. Identify the activity for which you will use the truck.
• Accessories and components: folding luggage carriers, aluminium folding, folding with platform, with vertical handle (easy to manoeuvre), with double platform, convertible into three positions (upright, reclined and with platform), with single and double-sided platform. Don’t overlook the accessories and components, they are essential.

Warehouse and office trolleys: all types

Find out which one is right for you:

Folding trolleys

Are you short of space and looking for a lightweight and manoeuvrable trolley? The folding trolley is extremely practical due to its foldable and compact design.

Once you have finished using it, it can be easily folded and stored thanks to its folding shovel and wheels and telescopic handle.

Luggage trolleys

Looking for an inexpensive but durable and reliable trolley? The standard trolley is the one for you. It weighs only 9kg and can carry up to 150kg. Also available with pneumatic wheels!

If you need to transport bulkier loads try the trolley double platform. In addition to the plate (also present in the standard trolley), it has a 40x47cm loading shovel.

Ladder Trolleys

Ladder trolleys make it possible to transport any type of load safely and easily on ladders. They are the ideal solution for warehousemen, freight forwarders, craftsmen and movers.

Equipped with 6 starred wheels, it can ascend or descend flights of stairs, effortlessly negotiating obstacles and transporting even very heavy loads.

Trolleys

This type of trolley, as its name suggests, is designed for transporting cylinders. They allow you to safely transport cylinders of all shapes and sizes.

They are available in two variants, for transporting one or two cylinders.

Platform Trolleys

They are among the most versatile trolleys and can come in handy in many situations: in the office, in the warehouse and in the shop. For example, is the material piling up in the office and you don’t know how to organise it? The platform trolley is very useful for transporting heavy folders and miscellaneous equipment. It is available either with a double shelf or foldable for those with limited space.

If, on the other hand, you transport light and occasional loads and are looking for a very economical trolley, try the folding with platform. Besides being very good value for money, it is equipped with:

• lacquered steel platform
• non-slip coating
• folding tailboard
• multi-directional wheels

Trolleys with shelves

Available with two or three shelves, they can carry up to 300 kg. They are perfect for organising the material you are transporting.

Trolleys with sides

The sturdiest trolleys are undoubtedly the sideboard trolleys. Adjustable and adaptable, they can carry even the heaviest and bulkiest loads.

They also exist in the variant with multi-purpose high sides

Roll container

You can use roll containers or containers with cage wheels to store, move and store food, industrial, hospital, packaging goods.

They are also perfect for easily controlling the quantity of products in stock.

Trolleys for heavy and bulky loads

If, on the other hand, your need is to transport special, long, irregularly shaped or heavy loads weighing up to 3,500 kg, you will have to turn to specific .

Pallet trolleys

Pallet trolleys are specially designed to transport all types of pallets. They are available in various models:

• E-shaped
• Height-adjustable
• For low pallets
• With locking device

Transformable trolley

Looking for a single tool that solves 3 transport needs? The transformable trolley can be used as an upright, reclined and flatbed trolley. It will become indispensable in your warehouse!

Manual forklift truck

Reaching a maximum height of 2 metres, it is ideal for effortlessly lifting products onto pallets. Very robust thanks to its steel frame, it is also easy to manoeuvre. The payload is up to 1,000 kg!

The forklift: an ally in supply chain management

Goods not only have to be produced, but also distributed. For optimal supply chain management, the warehouse and logistics must be optimally organised.

One of the first tasks is to optimise the movement and handling of goods from one point to another.

The hand truck is a useful investment for any business that has to handle goods.

It saves you time, increases productivity and is versatile because its capacity and uses vary depending on the type you choose.

Trolleys are indispensable for the daily actions of transporting and handling goods. They are robust, hard-wearing and suitable for transport in different conditions and sectors. They can be used for delivering and unloading goods, for DIY and gardening work, for warehousing and logistics, but also for archiving and moving folders in an office environment.

At RAJA you can find a complete range of more than 100 warehouse and office trolleys to meet your every need and to facilitate and simplify your company’s supply chain!

Regulations

Remember though, the use of hand pallet trucks can entail certain risks for operators linked to the characteristics of the truck, its load and the environment in which it is used.

Legislation provides much guidance on the safety characteristics of hand trucks,

less regulated, however, are the issues related to how this equipment is used. It is therefore essential that each company defines safety operating procedures for the use of hand pallet trucks and takes care to train the operators in charge.

Finally, the workplace in which the forklift is operated is very important.

Lack of space or uneven floors are often the cause of the most serious accidents related to the use of hand trucks.

The main risks and how to avoid them

It is important to provide in-house training for forklift operators to minimise the risks that can arise from the use of hand trucks.

Here is a list of the risks that can occur:

• risk of tipping due to uneven floors, incorrect loading or mode of use
• risk of investment due to incorrect lay-out or missing signage
• risk of falling material due to lack of slinging, unsuitable preparation or overloading, incorrect manoeuvring or improper use

Hand pallet trucks are commonly considered simple equipment, but, as we have seen, this is not always true!

Adequate training is important for the operators who use them and for others working in the same working environment.

Still in doubt about hand pallet trucks and their correct use?

Contact us on 848 815 815, our experts will answer all your questions.