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Hand Trucks
If you regularly move heavy objects, whether
at your place of business or
at home, get
a hand truck to prevent muscle
strain and
possible serious injury. Using
a hand truck
also lessens the chance that
you will drop
and damage valuable merchandise.
The size,
shape, and weight of the objects
that you
must move will determine the
proper type
of hand truck for your purposes.
- Size: a common injury when using a hand truck
occurs when you sandwich one of your hands
between the truck’s handle (which you are
gripping) and a wall or other large object
along your path. Before buying, determine
both the size of the things that you will
move and the spaces that you will have to
negotiate. The truck must be wide enough
to safely hold the objects, but not so wide
that you cannot maneuver in tight spaces.
- Shape: the most familiar models, commonly
seen in supermarkets and other retail stores,
are appropriate for stacks of boxes or other
items with a box-like shape. Other models
are specially designed to lift barrels or
drums, and then cradle them securely during
transport so that they do not roll off. Using
a standard flat-backed hand truck (the type
designed for boxes) to move cylindrical canisters
can be dangerous.
- Materials: hand trucks are made of aluminum
or steel. Steel is less likely to bend or
break. On the other hand, aluminum is lighter
weight and more portable. Be sure that your
hand truck is guaranteed to support the amount
of weight that you plan to load on it without
bending or breaking. Also recognize that
eventual bending and breaking due to metal
fatigue (that is, the cumulative stress placed
on the metal by use over time) is more likely
with aluminum.
- Wheels: the type of wheels or tires on your
hand truck should be appropriate for the
surfaces on which you will move. If you will
work on rough surfaces like asphalt, the
tires must be durable or else they will wear
out prematurely. Understand how to replace
tires that wear out, and at what cost. On
the other hand, if you will work on interior
floors, look for tires that do not tend to
leave scuffmarks.
- Storage and portability: to aid with portability
and storage, some hand truck models have
folding parts. If you like one of these,
be sure that its durability is not compromised.
It is safer to walk forwards
rather than
backwards when using a hand truck.
Accordingly,
look for a model that easily
allows you to
push the load rather than pull
it. |
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