Pallet Jack

[guest]

I recently invested in a pallet jack and I am glad I have it. I needed it on the very first load after I bought it. No dock at the shipper. I was loaded with a forklift and I had to do the rest with the pallet jack.

How many of you carry a pallet jack? Where do you store it? It's a pretty bulky item. I put mine at the front of my cargo box and I haven't needed the extra space yet. When you need it, though, it's sure a nice tool to have.

 

[Broompilot]

If you have E-track on the floor get a load bar and secure it into a corner and turn the hanlde so it cannot roll forward or back. Also throw a rag between the bar and pallet jack as to keep rubbing at a minium.

When you need all the room in the box put the pallet jack on last under a pallet lift slightly and secure with a load bar to prevent rolling around.

Do not tip this on the side and strap it to store as it will mess up the grease and will not work properly so keep it upright.

 

[LDB]

I've been seriously considering getting one. I'm putting a liftgate on and thought a jack would be another good addition. If I get one I will probably get the kind that you can move side to side if you jack it up farther.

Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[ATeam]

Pallet jacks and lift gates are good investments. While a small number of facilities prohibit straight trucks with lift gates at their docks, the lift gate/pallet jack combination opens millions of other freight pick-up and delivery locations to you.

Do the math. Give up a few locations, gain millions. Or, lose millions of locations and gain a few. Which is better? No rocket scientist needed to solve that one.

Note that pallet jacks come in various sizes and capacities. Fork length is an important consideration. Shorter forks are easier to deal with inside the truck, but they are sometimes problematic given the numerous types of pallets that are out there. Longer forks generally extend through the pallet and cause few problems.

Narrow or wide refers to the space between the forks. Wide forks provide stability but take up a lot of space in your truck. Narrow forks save space but are not as stable. If the forks are too narrow, the pallet jack won't work with some pallets, especially plastic U.S. Mail pallets where the center foot is wider than narrow forks can handle. On the flip side, narrow forks are great for inside deliveries, like when you're wheeling freight into a small freight elevator and then down an office hallway.

By the way, if you're going any distance at all with a pallet jack on an inside delivery and especially if the load is tall like with a fireproof file cabinet, it's wise to use a ratchet strap to secure the freight to the jack. Pass the strap under the forks and over the freight to cinch things up.

5,000 to 6,000 lbs capacity gives you more than enough to use the pallet jack safely. We've found that when pallets go over 2,000 lbs, it's either time to get help or call in a fork lift. The excess capacity ensures the jack will hold up under loads much lighter than the jack is rated.

When spec'ing a pallet jack, pay attention to the capacity, fork length, and width. Pallet jacks are not something to skimp on when it comes to quality. You want a good hydraulic mechanism that responds instantly to the user. The better jacks have small leader wheels on the front of the forks in addition to the regular front wheels. Those make it easier to negotiate door sills, dock plates and such. If you do inside deliveries, steel wheels are a bad idea. They can damage floors.

The higher quality pallet jacks we've used include Crown and Jet brands. Wesco is also a good name in freight handling equipment but I can't say from personal experience how their pallet jacks are. Haven't used one of those.

If we were buying another one, (which we will do soon), we'd spec a 5,000-6,000 lbs capacity pallet jack with long forks, medium width or adjustable width.

Good pallet jack pricing can be found at:

www.handtruckstore.com

If you want a GREAT price in a brand new, never-used narrow-fork, short-fork Jet pallet jack, contact me by private message. I've got one for sale. Paid $350 for it brand new, before pallet jack prices rose with steel prices. It's yours for $100 if you pay shipping.

 

[Panzer]

Thanks for the link. They also sell adjustable pallet jacks for both kinds of pallets.

 

[davekc]

In response to message #0


Ateam wrote;
Pallet jacks and lift gates are good investments. While a small number of facilities prohibit straight trucks with lift gates at their docks, the lift gate/pallet jack combination opens millions of other freight pick-up and delivery locations to you.

As to whether they are good investments depends on the company you are leased to. Numerous companies don't get involved in this kind of freight. It would be a poor investment to purchase it and your carrier doesn't fully utilize it. What would be the point?
Many sides to this issue, as editor Jeff Jenson pointed out in a written article several weeks ago.
Additional costs have to be factored as well because of maintenance, safety issues, insurance, and additional weight.


Davekc
owner
21 years

 

[geo]

when i was with fedexcc and had a pallet jack it help it picking transfer point and how far you could run on a run you had share with some one and fedexcc add extra money to run to use your pallet jack for the run and with a piece of steel plate you had a dock plate so you could move from truck to truck

than with egl it help to be able to load your self and unload yourself so you could get out the door faster and not have to wait on a forklift

also get a good pallet jack 6,000 and you won't go wrong

 

[jaminjim]

With PII we get more options for switch locations with our pallet jack, and lift gate. and $100.00 a pop. Ihate the narrow jacks, to unstable for my taste. Lift gate should have the knife blade edge, mine does not and I hate it for that reason.

 

[RichM]

I have had a pallet jack for many years and while very usefull in some circumstances there is a downside to having one.

Since your carrier has it logged that you have a pallet jack there will be times when the phone rings at 0 dark hundred with a plea to help us as there is a truck that has broken down and we need to transfer the freight,and you are the only truck within 300 miles that has a P/Jack. So off you go ,deadhead maybe 200 miles to finish the trip which might be 50 miles and then have the 14 hour clock kill your next day.

Also Dave's post is very relevant as if YOU are buying the p/jack and l/gate can you realize the return on this investment. If you drive for an owner who has his truck equipped with accessories it is his dime that made the investment,not you. So it is easy to say for a driver to invest in this equipment, because he is not buying the accessories out of his pocket.

I tend to get annoyed at guys who are not truck owners telling the expediting world how to live.

 

[Jack Jackson]

>
>I tend to get annoyed at guys who are not truck owners
>telling the expediting world how to live.

I know how you feel.

I tend to get annoyed at 'Bitchy Old Washer Women' disguised as truck drivers, who just can't let a day go by with out ripping on their favorite target.

 

[guest]

Aside from the obvious uses discussed above, I also like being able to move my freight to the back of my box if I have a little time before a delivery. For example, this morning I had one pallet that was pretty heavy. I had to wait about an hour before receiving opened, so I got in the back and used my pallet jack to move the pallet so that it was right on the edge of the cargo box. When I backed up to the dock the forklift unloaded it without having to drive into my box. Any time I can keep a forklift out of my truck I want to do it.

 

[ATeam]

<snip>

>Additional costs have to be factored as well because of
>maintenance, safety issues, insurance, and additional
>weight.
>
>
>Davekc
>owner
>21 years

Maintenance is a non-issue to any truck driver that regularly does pre-trip inspections and otherwise maintains the truck. See the maintenance items for a Leyman lift gate is posted below. Nothing challenging or expensive there. Note that on straight trucks, battery power comes from the truck itself, not from additional installed batteries (like for a trailer) the schedule talks about. Some gates have greasless pivot points. No greasing required. Where grease is required, Speedco will grease the fittings as part of the truck lube job at no additional cost. Just be on hand to make sure they spot all the fittings. In general, grease the gate if required and keep an eye open for faults as it operates. Watch for oil leaks as you would for other leaks on the truck. Not much to lift gate maintenance if you buy new and high quality.

Of course, the cost/benefit equation must be done on lift gates as with all other truck components and even a truck itself.

No insurance company I know of increases rates because lift gates are used. Rates do go up if drivers handle freight, but that's a freight handling issue, not a lift gate issue.

Safety issues are of course a concern. For lift gate safety tips, see my post of July 11, 2005 entitled "Lift Gate Safety."

Link: http://www.expeditersonline.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=3026&forum=DCForumID1


MOTOR – PUMP COMPONENTS
Check battery(ies) for water level and corrosion.
Check battery(ies) for proper charge level. CHARGE LEVEL:
Check the voltage of battery(ies).
Check all wiring connections for corrosion and tightness.
Check solenoids for loose fittings and operation.
Check reservoir for correct amount of fluid (platform on ground and tilted)
Inspect fuse links and/or circuit breakers and replace if necessary.
Check the charge line or power line and connections.
Remove and clean all pump solenoids cartridges.
Replace hydraulic fluid in reservoir.
Check and adjust the relief valve setting.
Check brushes and armature in motor. Replace if necessary
Check amperage draw of motor.
LUBRICATION
Steam clean the lifting gear.
No lubrication should be required at pívot points.
STRUCTURE INSPECTION
Raise and lower the lift gate. Check both power and gravity down operations.
Check lifting gear for impact damage. Repair if necessary.
Check up and down cylinder for leaks. Repack or repair if necessary
Inspect for broken and/or missing roll pins.
Inspect for worn bushings and/or bearing. Replace if necessary.
Steam clean gate. Repair any structural welds as needed.
Repaint where needed and replace any worn or missing safety decals.

 

[davekc]

Ateam wrote

No insurance company I know of increases rates because lift gates are used. Rates do go up if drivers handle freight, but that's a freight handling issue, not a lift gate issue.

You are thinking of truck insurance. I am refering to additional medical, accident, and personal liability. When it comes to accidents and job related injuries, trucking is way at the top. Liftgate equipped trucks increase that risk two fold.
This additional insurance plus downtime if you don't have this coverage, has to be factored in.

With regards to maintenance, you are correct if you are just driving. If you own the truck, there isn't a item on there that doesn't have a associated cost. They are pretty reliable when I have just kept them down south. Running them anywhere they salt the roads and they have many corrosion related issues after about a year of use. The newer models are getting better, but I wouldn't stretch to the point of calling them cost and trouble free.

Davekc
owner
21 years

 

[greg334]

i agree with davekc, i had two trucks with lift gates and those two cost more to insure. even though that was 15 years ago, it is stil the same today.

 

[davekc]

I agree with davekc, i had two trucks with lift gates and those two cost more to insure. even though that was 15 years ago, it is stil the same today

You are correct. If you have never owned a truck then you wouldn't necessarily know that. For those that do, or have in the past, this is pretty common knowledge.

Davekc
owner
21 years