The Evolution Of The Pallet Truck
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”-Albert Einstein
First and fore most how does your organisation work. What are your basic requirements. At Clearlift we have seen a greater number of people contemplating why to make the move from the manual pallet truck to the electric pallet truck. In this article I have addressed the subject with one statistic at the front of my mind......."33% of all non-fatal injuries and the consequent personal injury claim are the result of a manual handling process"
So how can we reduce this number?
Manual Pallet Truck
The manual pallet truck is approximately 100 years old. It was considered the first "forklift" ever made. They operated on a mechanical link system as opposed to the current hydraulic system. Considering the volume of trucks out there and their time in operation they may even have covered the most mileage!
Pros
· Low initial cost
· Very little training needed to use
· Basic design that is very versatile
· Very compact size that allows the operator to work in confined spaces
Cons
· Loads limited by workers strength.
· Very high level of initial inertia needed to get heavy loads moving
· Injuries from usage are very common
· Moving loads over distance much more strenuous
Electric Pallet Truck
At a basic level, the electric pallet truck does the same as its manual counterpart. The key difference however is that the operator does not experience any strain what so ever whilst operating them and they make every task much quicker. There are a couple of options available. Semi-electric pallet trucks operate using one motor (for drive) which means the operator pumps the forks up and the motor then operates the movement of the truck forward and back. Fully electric pallet trucks operate using two motors.
One lifts the truck up and down and the other drives the truck back and forwards. EP Equipment however have developed an electric pallet truck that uses one motor that both lifts the trucks and drives the truck.
Pros
· Operator strain greatly reduced
· Increased productivity
· Increased control of moving load
· Can be used over rougher terrain
Cons
· Initial cost
· Increase in cost to maintain
· Physical size and weight
EP Equipment are the worlds leading producer of semi-electric and full electric pallet trucks. Innovation and producing cost effective trucks, that simply work, is what they do. The concept of a "semi-electric" truck was pioneered by EP and the idea of developing good quality equipment that makes moving pallets easier, at a very reasonable price continues to evolve.
The decision to move to electric pallet trucks from manual pallet trucks, to carry out a task would always be a very easy one.....right? You would always take the strain free, safe and faster option. Up until recently the cost might have put you off but EP Equipment has completely revolutionised this thinking with a broad range of very competitive (even when compared to manual trucks), light and very compact semi- electric and full electric pallet trucks.