The Basics

A hand truck goes by many names, some of which are two wheelers, trolley, trundler, dolly, and box cart. A hand truck is an L shaped cart with a flat ledge at the bottom. It has handles on one end and wheels on the other. Objects are placed on the flat end and the cart is tilted back which helps distribute the weight evenly over the two wheels. Objects such as boxes are then easily moved to another location.

Hand trucks or trollies are available in a variety of sizes and are made with different materials, making some better at certain jobs than other. When you decide to buy a hand truck, you want to choose one that is best suited to handle your load, so keep in mind the size and shape of the load you need to move. Also think about the terrain, will you be pushing the cart over sand and gravel or uneven ground? Then a hand truck with oversize wheels will give you a definite advantage.

Using a Hand Truck

Hand trucks help you move large, sometimes bulky items from one place to another. Anyone who plans to move from their home or their office should invest in one as it makes the most difficult items easier to move, especially if you are by yourself. You can’t pick up a dryer and carry it to the moving truck, but you can slide the flat end of a hand truck underneath the base of the dryer, tilt it back and push it to the moving truck. Relocating office equipment or getting your luggage from the car to the airport terminal becomes an almost effortless task.

It is hard to resist the temptation to stack as many boxes or items as possible onto the hand truck in order to reduce the amount of trips you have to take. However, overloading the hand truck makes it difficult to maneuver and unsafe for you, those around you, and the merchandise on the truck. If the items are not placed correctly on the hand truck, the centre of gravity shifts and items fall to the ground. Items should be placed from the heaviest on the bottom to lightest on top which keeps the centre of gravity working with you rather than against you.

Your Back Says Thank You

Lifting and carrying heavy items is damaging to your body. It is hard on your knees and especially brutal to your back. Most on back injuries occur because someone lifted a box instead of safely using a hand truck. Using a hand truck not only saves you from back injury, it also reduces the effort you have to put in and decreases the risk of getting overexerted.

Hand carts have some minor hazards of their own such as feet and legs being bumped by the cart, or slipping from the improper loading of the truck. These can easily be avoided with a little training in how to safely move the cart. You have saved your back by using a hand cart, now keep the wear and tear of your body to a minimum with a little training in body positioning for the type of cart you are using.