Most ingenious products we see today were the fruit of the imagination of people centuries ago. Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about hand trucks. Indispensable in today’s world, particularly useful when moving into a new home, as well as with businesses handling items, this invention goes back in time. Some of these businesses where hand trucks are most useful are those dealing with delivery, and logistics.
Incredible as it might seem, hand trucks were in fact patented as far back as the 1700s and 1800s, but were a concept familiar since ancient times when people started using the knowledge of lever to multiply forces to reduce the physical effort (e.g. people in stone age carrying heavy items with the help of trees).
The invention came to be out of the necessity to pick up loads, transport them from point A to point B without relying on manual lifting. This undoubtedly helps save effort and time, and prevents certain injuries from happening; talk about bad backs when doing all the heavy work manually, constantly going through repetitive strain.
Speaking in terms of business, a company that has hand trucks as part of the basic equipment can count on more profits, lesser risks for the workers (no need for compensation money to pay for physiotherapy!), and equipment being damaged. What required a group of men before, and even animals to make operation possible, now only needs the adequate hand truck dolly and all the load is easily carried.
Not surprisingly, as soon as the transporting needs of companies started becoming more specific based on the different materials being handled, the hand trucks began undergoing changes to suit those needs, something we can see in the variety of names too – from hand truck dolly, trolley, to two wheeler, fork truck, box cart, and trundler among many.
Don’t let the many names confuse you though, they are all still platforms on wheels meant to make lifting and transporting loads easy. Of course, depending on the equipment it is you have to transport, you can buy hand truck dolly with an extra large platform, platform with a cage, heavy duty cage, foldable deck, 2 tiers, 3 tiers, with or without features such as picking ladders, and drawers.
Having in mind the safety of the workplace is more in the focus today, with stricter rules being applied to ensure the workers’ safety, the hand trucks are constantly being upgraded for the better, particularly when it’s to do with handling bigger and heavier equipment, so when purchasing a hand truck dolly it’s important to know what its capacity is.
You’d find it most advantageous to purchase online because specialised shops have all of the detailed information, including that of the height of handles, platform height, and width, as well as the materials used.
Along with that, purchase can be done in no time since you can make your order in a matter of minutes and have the hand trucks delivered to you. Just remember not to exaggerate with the loads afterwards if you want to avoid injuries and damages to the material handling equipment. The capacity is given with purpose!
Of course, the variety of hand trucks doesn’t end here, considering there are different materials used in the production of the different types, from platforms made of rubber, ultra-light nylon or fibreglass for light loads (for the office, and home use), to stainless steel, and heavy duty aluminium for heavy loads.
The purpose is to get more sturdy, durable material handling equipment even when used daily, that’s affordable at the same time. We have to admit, this concept has come a long way from trees, branches, and the basic unmachined wrought iron axles, and cast iron wheels based hand trucks.
Differentiating between upright trucks, convertible trucks, and specialty trucks, they are really designed to help you make the most of material handling, and count on their easy storage altogether; particularly with the convertible type indicating the importance of moving hand trucks out of the way as soon as the handling is finished to avoid further accidents.
Then again, the changes made over the decades weren’t only those regarding the platform size, and material used, but with wheels too. If you need a hand truck with large weight capacity and support, look for one with large wheels.
In the case of moving to a new home, you could transport your valuables with a hand truck dolly that has inflatable wheels (just make sure you inflate them well), or dolly with a strap – essential when moving large furniture pieces and appliances like wardrobes, or refrigerators.
If you find going through stairs difficult, there is a feature some hand trucks are equipped with for that reason: stair climbers. Another type that makes more of an investment is that of 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 providing quick conversion into two or three configurations respectively, perfect for multiple uses.
Some of the biggest hand trucks being used by industrial facilities today are the appliance ones. Designed in large sizes, with heavy capacities, they serve for transporting large items, including shelves, and power equipment; in other words, anything and everything that can be found at the industrial facilities.
Since technology is constantly advancing, we can expect to see more developments in the concept of hand trucks, seeing new types with more advanced features and configurations, further simplifying material handling. What we can agree on is they all make a valuable investment, both at home and the facilities.
