What Is A Pallet Jack?

Pallet jacks are also called pallet trucks. People mainly use a pallet jack to move pallets. Pallet jacks include manual pallet jacks and electric pallet jacks. Pallet trucks are small in size and light in weight. They are mainly used for loading and unloading operations in the warehouses.

How Does a pallet jack work?

The pallet jack has two fork-like legs that fit into the base of the pallet. There are two wheels at the legs’ root to support the pallet’s weight and goods. When working, the fork inserts into the pallet, the handle shakes up and down to make the hydraulic jack lift the fork, and the pallet lifts off the ground accordingly. Then use a manual or electric drive to make it walk. After the goods arrive at the destination, lift the handle, and the fork will drop and put down the pallet.

Types of Pallet Jacks

We can divide pallet jacks into two categories:

Manual Pallet Truck

Because the manual pallet truck is small and exquisite, economical and affordable, convenient and easy to use, many people love it. Manual pallet trucks are mainly flat point-to-point handling tools. However, since the manual pallet truck is mainly operated by hand, you should pay attention to some small details of the manual pallet truck before you use it.

The first thing to do is to find out where the brakes of the manual pallet truck are so that they can brake in time.
The handle of the manual pallet truck is flexible. When loading goods, try to pay attention to the way of pulling so that it is more convenient.
When using a manual pallet truck to work, especially when it is necessary to turn, pay special attention to the surrounding environment and do not touch other goods or people.
When using a manual pallet truck to fork goods, ensure the pallet balance to prevent the goods from tipping.
After using the manual truck, you must put it in a no man’s land to avoid hindering other people’s work.
For manual trucks, you should pay attention to parts that are easy to wear, especially tires, axles, etc. When finished, place the forks on the bottom.
After using the manual pallet truck for a long time, it should be lubricated, checked, and cleaned once a month. And lubricate with lubricating oil to ensure the safety of the manual pallet truck.

Electric Pallet Jacks

We know manual pallet trucks rely on people’s physical strength to remove goods. Electric pallet trucks rely on electricity to move goods. When you need to raise and lower the forks of your forklift, you only need to press a button to achieve it. At the same time, when moving the goods, you can pay less effort. Just pull the handle, and the truck can move towards the handle, just like electric toy cars.
Therefore, whether it is moving the pallet truck or adjusting the up and down position of the fork, the electric pallet jack will have power assistance. The electric pallet truck greatly liberated the labor force, allowing people to have more energy to do other things.

the Common Pallet Jack Dimensions

The Standard Width Of A Pallet Jack

The width of the pallet jack is obtained by measuring the distance between the outer edges of the two forks, and the general width is 20 or 27 inches. In daily life, we see more is 27 inches.

The Width Of The Pallet Jack Fork

A single pallet jack fork is approximately 6.25 inches wide.

The Length Of The Pallet Jack Fork

When choosing the proper pallet jack, you also need to pay attention to the length of the pallet jack fork.
Generally speaking, the most common pallet jack fork length is 48 inches. It is the most common length size for both manual and electric pallet jack.

The Load Capacity Of Pallet Jack

Most pallet jacks can carry 1500-2000 kg of items. Some electric pallet Jack can bear more weight.

How to choose the right pallet jack?

When buying a pallet jack, you need to consider the following aspects.

We need to pay attention to its height when purchasing a pallet truck. Different pallet jacks are capable of moving pallets to different heights. Generally, the height of the jack’s fork at the lowest point is 85mm and 75mm. When the pallet jack fork reaches the highest point, the height is usually around 185mm. We usually choose low-level manual hydraulic pallet trucks because of their lower cost, operational efficiency, and simple operation.
Pay attention to its width. Here, you need to observe its pallet size. The pallet jack can divide into two types: narrow car and wide car. The size of the wide car is 680*1220mm, and the size of the narrow car is 550*1150mm. If you choose specifically, you need to see which size pallet you need.
It is necessary to observe the hydraulic cylinder. Our standard hydraulic cylinders include welded and one-piece cast cylinders. Each of these two cylinders has its advantages, and its quality is quite different.
It is necessary to observe the wheel material. The wheel materials we often use are nylon and polyurethane. Which material to use for the wheels depends on where you often need to carry goods. For example, where the ground is relatively flat and smooth, you need to use polyurethane wheels; in some places where the land is rough, you need to use nylon wheels.

Before purchasing equipment, you must check out the manufacturer’s manufacturing license and maintenance license to ensure that the company has certain R&D and manufacturing capabilities. Simultaneously, to safeguard your rights and interests. It will not cause waste because you can’t use the pallet jack after purchase.