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Hand Dollies 101: Types and Benefits Explained

· Industry Equipment,Industry,Workplace Equipment

Simple to use and simple to maintain, a dolly is a piece of equipment that can be used in both a warehouse and when moving. Dollies give you the much-needed leverage to lift and move objects. They are essentially platforms on wheels which make it easier to handle heavy loads. Their simple design is what makes them so useful in many different scenarios which is also why they're confused for hand trucks.

A hand truck may do the same thing, but it's not exactly the same piece of equipment as it features 2 wheels instead of 4 and it has an L-shaped design with a small bottom ledge. A hand cart dolly, on the other hand, comes with a raised flat platform which makes it useful for large and bulky items.

Benefits of Using a Hand Dolly

pushing dolly cart

Efficiency

No other type of manual equipment is able to increase workplace efficiency as much as a hand dolly. This is because with dollies you are able to move loads much easier and without anything slowing you down. All dolly carts for sale can be used by any staff member with minimal training, meaning there's almost no downtime with a dolly.

Safety

Although you might think that manually operated material handling equipment is not a good solution when it comes to safety, the opposite is usually the case. Since you're not the one picking up and carrying items, you're not as much at risk of injury. Although there are no hydraulics or electrically powered movements, still, a hand dolly is quite a safe piece of equipment.

Maneuvering

A simple piece of equipment is also simple to use which is the case with dollies. This makes them safe and great for improving workplace efficiency too. Although you only get a handle, it's because of it that a hand dolly is quite easy to control even when you have it stocked up with large items. That is as long as you use a dolly the right way.

Affordable

Due to its simple approach to handling items, a hand dolly cart is quite a cost-effective solution. No matter how much you'll need to use it on a daily basis you'll rely on it for a long time without an issue as long as you look after the dolly properly.

Types of Dollies

close-up of six different types of dollies

Drum

Because of their straightforward base, dollies are found in many different industries and therefore are available in many different shapes one of which is a drum dolly. This type of hand cart dolly has raised sides so that it can transport drums usually with a capacity between 110 to 210 litres.

Moving

Although similar to material handling dollies, moving dollies are made so that you have to push them. Because of this they are quite commonly used together with pallet jacks when heavy lifting is required.

Crate

When you need to transport goods for short distances then you should go for a crate dolly. These dollies are made for moving crates of beverages, meat boxes and bins.

Carpeted

With a carpeted dolly you get the most economical solution when it comes to moving items through doorways. This is because carpeted dollies have two raised ends that are lined with carpet.

H

An H-dolly is a heavy-duty dolly that has non-marking wheels and a thick rubber thread deck. This makes it suitable for loads that weigh up to 450 kg whilst the dolly itself usually weighs about 10 kg.

Rubber Cap

When you want to move heavy furniture but don't want furniture pieces to be falling off every time you move your dolly, go for a rubber cap one. This type of dolly cart has thick rubber ends and non-marking double ball-bearing wheels.

Keg

If you have a brewery or a restaurant that deals with kegs you'll want to have a keg dolly. This type of dolly is able to move barrels and kegs and it typically comes with a capacity between 180 and 230 kg.

Chair

As you'd expect a chair dolly is made to both transport and store chairs. Be it stackable, foldable or barstool chairs a chair dolly is able to accommodate a maximum weight between 90 kg and 620 kg.

Bin

A bin dolly makes it easy for you to move a bin from one place to another. Their design makes them look much like drum dolly carts for sale, but bin dollies don't have raised sides.

Table

Just like chair dollies, table dollies are made to transport and store tables efficiently. You can either have the tables flat stacked or edge stacked. Typically these dollies have a maximum carrying capacity of 900 kg.

Dish

Also known as a plate caddy, a dish dolly cart is able to transport dishes in bulk thanks to its circular compartments. Commonly used in cafeterias and restaurants, dish dollies can hold up to 500 kg.

Glass Rack

With a glass rack dolly, you can stack glassware and dishware for both transportation and storage. Like a dish dolly, a glass rack dolly can be found in restaurants but also in bars and tap rooms.