Tuesday, February 6, 2007

What is the difference between a Forklift and a Pallet Stacker

I get asked this question all of the time...my business has "forklift" in the name, but I don't sell any forklifts.....

Ok, here is the story. Several years ago, I needed a way to lift heavy pallets onto pallet racking so I went out and looked for a forklift. What did I know, I never worked in a warehouse or on a dock before. I called the local Crown and Hyster dealers and asked questions about buying a forklift. All I wanted was to lift a 2000 pound pallet to a height of 10 feet. The dealers were quoting me prices of $10,000, $20,000 and even $30,000 for a forklift.....I passed out. That was more money than I started my first business with.

Well it turned out, I was asking for the wrong piece of material handling equipment, I really wanted a pallet stacker. I wouldn't know the difference if I tripped over these.

I looked at several material handling association websites, OSHA, and manufacturers, but I couldn't find any real definitions. So I made my own up.

  • A forklift (sometimes incorrectly spelled as fork lift) is a lift truck used in warehouses, factories and loading docks which the operator sits down and drives. They are typically powered by either gasoline, diesel, propane or electricity.
  • A pallet stacker is also a lift truck with many of the same uses as a forklift, but the operator walks behind or rides on a platform while standing up.
In a few days, I'll write about the advantages and disadvantages of each of these pieces of equipment.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

The post was truly very much informative,Stacker Manufacturer in India would like to appreciate your effort for giving such good post.

daisegom said...

Well I prefer Pallet stacker if ground is flip-down else I hire second hand forktrucks or lifters in my need of heavy weight lifting. But truly both are great in use and easy to operate as per my experience.

Mister Mechanic said...

Your blog is so much informative and delivering useful information about Pallet Truck Rental

Unknown said...

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