What is a sack truck?

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From house movers to warehouse operatives, a lot of us see sack trucks on a regular basis but don’t know about how useful these tools can be. Versatile and cost-effective, we explore how a Sack truck can be used in a wide variety of industries and applications and discuss how they’re different from other moving & handling equipment, such as pallet trucks.

What are Sack Trucks?

An essential piece of equipment in environments such as warehouses, factories, breweries and even logistics, sack trucks generally consist of two wheels, a platform and a handle or pair of handles. By placing the load (this could be a container. a barrel or any number of items) on the platform and using the wheels as a fulcrum point, an individual can tip the sack truck and wheel the heavy load with minimal effort. It’s also worth noting that unlike a pallet truck where the load is transported behind the user, a sack truck positions the load in front of the user. This means it’s important to ensure that the load doesn’t obstruct the user’s view.

What benefits do they provide?

The efficiencies generated by sack trucks don’t stop there. Not only do they make moving heavy loads safer and quicker they also improve productivity. A task that took two people 5 minutes and carried potential risks is suddenly significantly safer and takes one person almost half the time. This greater efficiency means that businesses can focus more on generating revenue quicker whilst also knowing that the health of their workforce is being protected.

Sack trucks also have a variety of model variants including stair climbers and multi-positional sack trucks. Designed for more specialist environments, these models help to ensure safety and efficiency wherever they’re needed.

Types of Sack Truck:

Standard Sack Trucks:

The standard sack truck is made from strong, resilient materials, and with a load capacity of around 200kg is an efficient and safe way to ensure heavy loads can be moved around a site. Manutan are a leading distributor of sack trucks, with brands like Rolson, Alutruk, Armorgard and more.

Folding Sack Trucks:

Folding sack trucks, like standard sack trucks, can efficiently and safely move heavy loads around a site. What makes them unique is their folding platform, allowing for easier storage and portability whilst not in use. At Manutan, we’re proud to manufacture our own folding sack trucks. We’re so confident in their quality we give them a 10-year warranty.

Heavy Duty Sack Trucks:

As the name implies, heavy duty sack trucks are designed to transport heavier loads than other variants. Whilst our standard models can bear loads up to and around 250 to 300kg, our heavy-duty models can transport loads of up to 500kg.

Multi-Position Sack Trucks:

Multi-position sack trucks are our range of highly versatile trucks, capable of folding out into different positions to carry different loads more effectively. are much more versatile than other sack truck variants. For example, our Manutan Three-Position Sack Truck carries loads up to 250kg whilst also being able to transform itself to suit a variety of loads and environments. Like other products in the Manutan range, it comes with a 10-year warranty and a competitive price.

Stair-Climbing Sack Trucks:

Moving and handling can’t always be done on a flat surface. There are times when you might be in a situation where you need to transport an item up some stairs for example. Fortunately, stair-climbing sack trucks are uniquely designed with a specialised wheeling system designed to climb with you as you move carefully up flights of stairs. The special design also reduces the risk of jarring or jolting the object being carried, a potential risk if someone were to use a standard sack truck to move an item up some stairs.

Ultimately sack trucks are pretty handy at what they do. With the ability to improve efficiency but more importantly reduce potential health risk involved with carrying heavy objects, they’re a must-have piece of equipment across a number of industries. Whether you need to transport barrels from the storeroom to the bar, move cartons from the office archive or even if you’re looking for a creative solution to carry your golf clubs, Manutan UK has a number of sack trucks in our range that will be able to help. For more information on our range of sack trucks, click here. Alternately you can view our full trucks and trolleys range here.

Victoria Vaughan