The construction industry is known for its heavy work, with sites taking deliveries of all sorts of materials, including stone, bricks and timber. Large deliveries can be difficult to transport around sites without the right equipment – read on to find out more about some of the best lifting and moving machinery for dealing with deliveries.
Manual stacker lifts
Among the most common types of lifting equipment used on building sites are manual stacker lifts. These can be laden with goods and feature a foot plate that you use to raise the forks once they’ve been piled with products. Manual stacker lifts are available in a range of lift heights and weights, such as 1m tall with a 500kg capacity, or 1.6m in height with a capacity of 1,000kg, for example.
Manually-powered lifts can cost upwards of several hundred pounds but are cheap to run because they use man power as opposed to electricity or batteries. Look out for features like steel pulleys and reinforced forks to make sure you’re getting the most for your money.Big Dug stocks a wide range of manual lift trucks,so visit the site for some inspiration.
Powered stacker lifts
Stacker lifts are also available in powered forms, which means they use a battery rather than being operated manually. Most powered stackers come with a battery and a charger in a variety of heights and weight capacities. It’s also possible to find stackers that are semi-electric, which use a combination of manual movement and electric lifting. Powered stackers will often cost upwards of a couple of thousand pounds.
Work positioners
Work and pallet positioners tend to have a flat surface for products to be placed on, as opposed to the forks of stacker lifts. Work positioners are often lightweight and can be moved around easily, featuring wheels and a brake. Some work manually while others are electric. Manual options are operated by hand and electrical versions have a battery and a charger. These sorts of lifters are useful in a variety of industries and are priced from around £500 for a manual version, with models often coming with features like a removable handle and boom attachment.
Air-operated pallet positioners
Another option for lifting goods that are being delivered to a construction site is air-operated pallet positioner lifts. These useful tools work by automatically lowering or raising pallets with mechanical springs whenever you need to load or unload deliveries. The equipment adjusts automatically as the weight it’s bearing changes, and also features simple pallet rotation so the user doesn’t need to strain or reach. Using a pneumatic operating system, pallet positioners can eliminate bending among workers and are priced upwards of around £2,500.
Platform trucks
Work positioners and stacker lifts are ideal for moving goods upwards, and some models with castors can be moved around sites, but if you want to transport a large number of products from one end of a construction site to the other, you might want to consider platform trucks.
These are trolleys available in a range of shapes and sizes from around £28 upwards, with features like tall sides, shelves and tiers, as well as basic open options. Heavy duty versions with sides are useful for transporting sheets of materials like wood, while open version can move slabs and bricks around the site. Sack trucks and multi-position trucks, meanwhile, are ideal for a range of bagged products.