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A pallet jack, also known as a pallet truck or pump truck, is a tool used to lift and move pallets.
The front wheels are mounted inside the end of the forks, and as the hydraulic jack is raised, the forks are separated vertically from the front wheels, forcing the load upward until it clears the floor. The pallet is only lifted enough to clear the floor for subsequent travel.
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Types
Manual pallet jack
A manual pallet jack is a hand-powered jack.
Powered pallet jack
Powered pallet jacks are motorized to allow lifting and moving of heavier and stacked pallets. These generally contain a platform for the user to stand while hauling pallets around a warehouse or loading/unloading trucks. The powered pallet jack is generally moved by a throttle on the handle to move forward or in reverse and steered by swinging the handle in the intended direction. Some contain a type of dead man's switch rather than a brake to stop the machine should the user need to stop quickly or leave the machine while it is in use.
Operational limitations
- Reversible pallets cannot be used.
- Double-faced nonreversible pallets cannot have deckboards where the front wheels extend to the floor.
- Enables only two-way entry into a four-way notched-stringer pallet, because the forks cannot be inserted into the notches.
See also
External links
- OSHA hazards of working with pallet jacks
- Pallet jack history -- This New Truck Gets Under the Load and Lifts It, Popular Science monthly, December 1918, page 54, Scanned by Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=EikDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54
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