Material handling equipment is engineered to help businesses improve their productivity and enhance their workflow. Without machinery to aid hefty processes like transporting, lifting, and unloading goods, even the simplest tasks in the warehouse would require unimaginable amounts of time and effort. From retail stores to factories, plants and warehouses, each establishment requires effective ways for handling and transporting heavy packages.

Image by Michael Kauer from Pixabay

One of the most practical and versatile solutions to this requirement is the pallet lift, also referred to as a pallet jack. It’s mostly used to carry items like bags, pallets, and sacks. Its efficient operation and relatively small size make it the perfect fit for situations where machinery is required, but not as large as a crane or a forklift.

As pallet jacks can conveniently cover large distances while carrying heavy loads, they can efficiently and safely transport goods and pallets from a factory building’s point A to point B. With just a little bit of practice, operators find it easy to manoeuvre them between aisles as they organize and pick up products. While most pallet lifts have a set of fork blades controlled by a hydraulic system, like the euro bkg pallet lift, not all of them are the same. Based on their differences, they’re mainly classified into three major categories.

Different businesses have varying warehousing needs, and there are several kinds of pallet jacks to cater to them. Here are the three major types of pallet lifts available in the market today.

1. Electrical Pallet Jack

Electrical pallet jacks are versatile in terms of their use cases. It comes in handy for tasks like transporting goods or pulling loads. They’re easily operatable and highly efficient, making them a great fit for taking care of day-to-day warehousing needs.

The lift consists of a drive wheel and a control button designed to lift and displace loads. The worker driving the pallet lift can pick up and lower goods with one press of a button. Electrical pallet jacks can lift up

Usually, workers make use of electric pallet jacks to lift and stack up several layers of inventory pallets. Most electrical pallets lift have an industrial battery powering them which need to be regularly charged.  

2. Manual Pallet Jacks

Manual pallet jacks aren’t much harder to use than their electrical counterparts. However, their way of operation is almost entirely different. Most manual pallet jack models have a hydraulic pump that a person can control with a handle.  

Manual pallet jacks are more compact and much cheaper. Covering long distances in them is possible, but as they’re manually operated, it’d require lots of effort and time. That’s why most manual pallet jacks are assigned relatively shorter transportation tasks, whereas electrical pallet lifts comfortably handle longer distances.  

3. Rider Pallet Lifts

Rider pallet lifts can be thought of as an enhanced electrical pallet jack. It comes equipped with both, powerlifting and driving capabilities. It has a platform on which the operator can stand while driving the lift. As an advanced form of a pallet jack, it can easily transport larger loads and cover longer distances.