A pallet truck, sometimes we called them pallet jack pump truck or forklift, is a trolley designed to be used for lifting and transporting pallets. It works by using tapered forks that slot beneath pallets, then workers use the pump handle to raise or lower the pallets.
Some simple steps will help a newbie sort through the challenges of how to operate a handle manual pallet jack well.
1.Find the release lever
Stand behind the manual pallet jack as this is the position you will be in when you move it. Find the small lever that allows the pallet jack prongs to drop all the way down toward the floor.
The pallet jack drop lever is often a small lever in the middle of the rounded handle, on the vertical stem of the manual machine. It may be distinguished by a different color of plastic, or otherwise marked, or it may not be.
2.Press the lever
Move the pallet jack to whatever you want to move and engage the lever to lower the prongs. Next, push the pallet jack over to the pallet you would like to move. Press the release lever up and inward to lower the prongs to about one-inch off of the ground. If the prongs are already lowered, they will not move when you press the lever.
3.Push the fork under the pallet to load
Once the prongs have been completely lowered, you can slide them underneath the pallet you would like to move. If they are still too high to easily slide under the pallet, they may not be lowered all the way and you should press the release lever again. Make sure you push the prongs all the way through the underside of the pallet so that the wheels are resting on the floor and not on any part of the pallet.
4.Use the handle to jack up the pallet.
Once the prongs are positioned underneath the pallet, pull the handle and the entire center bar toward you at an angle. You should feel some resistance and notice the prongs slowly lift up the pallet. Repeat this several times make sure that the pallet is jacked up from the floor before moving the manual pallet jack.
5.Move the pallet.
When it looks and feels like the pallet is sufficiently raised so that it will not drag, pull on the pallet jack handle to move the raised pallet in any one direction. Alternately, you can push against the pallet when it’s time to move the pallet up over a lift gate or onto a truck.