More people are discovering that hand trucks are really useful pieces of equipment. They are strong, easy to use and prevent lifting injuries. Companies that supply heavier items are now looking to prevent their workers from getting hurt. It is now common for companies to build or have equipment built specifically designed to transport their items. A special hand truck is made to perform a specific task. The truck is molded to perfectly fit the shape of a certain item, making it unsuitable for transporting other items. For example, a drum truck is made with a rounded base and handrails and is suitable for transporting drums.
A square object like a box would not sit correctly on the rounded base. During transport, the box could slide off the base because it is not sitting securely. Another type of specialty truck is HVAC, which is suitable for the heating and cooling industry. Its shape is designed to fit heaters, fans, and air conditioners. Unlike the drum truck, the HVAC truck’s shape means it can carry more than just heating and cooling equipment. Distributors and manufacturers also use the HVAC truck because it can handle large, bulky boxes.
The design of a truck is so versatile that people from all industries strive to design their own model. There are trucks for vending machines, appliances, pallets, drums, bags and boxes. In some designs, the focus is not on the items being carried, but on the situation in which they are used. These situation-built trucks result in some strange combinations. Combination trucks take the basic idea of a hand truck and build on it. What if you are using a truck and come across stairs? Then you get a stair climbing truck. What if you want a truck and a dolly, but don’t have room for both? Then there are convertible trucks that can be one or the other. Out of this burst of creativity came some strange combinations.
For example, there is an all-in-one combination of truck, dolly, and stepladder. The creator of the device does not mention any situation where it might be useful to have all three at the same time. If you use the stepladder to get something heavy off a shelf and then convert the stepladder to a hand truck, that’s quite a bit of trouble and effort. It is also dangerous to lift heavy objects from high places. The device might make sense for people who use ladders and trucks frequently, but there’s a great deal of deconstruction and rebuilding involved in using that product.
Hand trucks are available to solve a number of heavy lifting needs. People have been building their own to suit their needs for some time. Some companies even offer a “Build-Your-Own” option for people to design a hand truck to suit their specific needs. Special handcarts are gaining popularity because everyone has their own idea of how they should be used.