An Ultimate Carts & Dollies Buying Guide

It’s no secret moving large quantities of items can be very tedious and time-consuming. We see this become even more time consuming when we employ human labor in transporting these items but without adequate tools. But what if I tell you that carts and dollies can make a big difference?

Due to the varieties of carts and dollies, people often choose a cart or dolly that may not be the most efficient for the task at hand. So are you shopping for large quantities of items? Are you a moving company transporting heavy sets of boxes? Do you need easy accessibility to your goods or items? Well, you're in the right place if you are in any of these categories and more. Here, I'll show you how to choose the perfect cart or dolly that will suit your line of operation.

In a few minutes, I'll be taking you on a guide to choosing the right type of Carts and Dollies for your activities. Here, we will be achieving the following:

• An understanding of what carts and dollies are
• The importance 
• How to select carts and dollies based on your specifications.
• Where to purchase appropriate carts and dollies.

What Are Carts and Dollies?

Carts are lightweight and are often  four wheeled basket-like vehicles for temporarily storing items that need to be moved. They are either fashioned with plastic or metal.

On the other hand, dollies are like carts with little differences. The major distinction is the L-shaped structure design of the dolly. It can come in both four and two wheeled structures.

These two words are often used interchangeably for each other as both serve the same basic purpose. It should also be noted that Carts and dollies can also be called platform trucks, hand trucks, two-wheelers, or bag trucks but more light will be shed on this later.

Now that that's settled, we should venture into why Dollies and Carts are very important in short-distance transportation.

The Importance of Carts and Dollies

In workplaces where they deal with heavy equipment/goods, people often find it difficult to move these items on their own. Hence the invention of carts and dollies.

Bulleted below are reasons carts and dollies are so important.

• Carts and dollies improve the level of productivity in a workspace. One major factor that influences the level of productivity is a friendly work environment that employs the use of tools that makes work easier and faster. And that’s when dollies and carts come in.
• Carts and dollies have wheels that allow for easy maneuvering. You can either pull or push them with so much more ease than lifting or sliding.
• Carts and dollies reduce the risk of incurring injuries to the barest minimum, primarily back injuries.
• Carts and dollies eliminate the tasks that often result in back pains, tired legs and even falling over from the weight of the items.
• And finally, because carts and dollies are lightweight they don't require a specific level of manpower to operate.

Types of Carts and Dollies 

As said earlier, what distinguishes carts from the dollies is the shape and capacity of what they can carry. For better insight on this, we will go through the major types of carts and dollies based on their structural builds. 

 Hand trucks are two-wheelers. Hand trucks are often used for handling tall items like refrigerators or stacks of boxes. The long rails of the hand truck provide stability for the upper portions of the load. While the two wheels provide excellent maneuverability in tight corners.

 On the other hand, platform trucks are four wheelers. They are often used to transport heavier and bulkier items like cargo bags and heavy irregular-shaped items. Platform trucks are offered in a variety of materials, with different handle options, variable deck heights, and can even be nestable or stackable. 

The four wheels on a platform dolly provide a strong support for the large platform that normally  has enough space to handle more items and cargo than the hand trucks. But that depends on your specifications, platform dollies can be specifically divided into:

• Drum dollies: These types of dollies are round-shaped, they are used for the transportation of heavy duty steel, fiber or plastic drums and containers. 
• Furniture dollies: They are as their name implies. Furniture dollies are used to move specific types of furniture items. 
• Piano dollies: These dollies are designed to move pianos. 
• Plate/slab/panel dollies: These dollies are utilized to use large flat “sheet” material. These dollies can accommodate a variety of materials. 

Tips and Tricks to Buy Carts and Dollies

Whether you are browsing the market or surfing through the net for your preferred model of carts and Dollies, you will come across different types of dollies listed above. However, here are some things you need to look out for when buying carts and dollies.

• First off, you need to know what you want. What types of items are you interested in moving? The shape of the items and how heavy they will weigh? Answering these questions will help you figure out the type of dolly you are interested in getting. For instance, if you are into small package deliveries, it will be advisable to purchase hand trucks. But for home relocations you will need both the hand trucks for boxes and platform trucks for bigger items like furniture.
• The second thing you need to take into consideration is your warehouse. The type of dollies you purchase depends heavily on the size of your warehouse and the way it is organized. The maneuvering of dollies differs depending on the type of dollies you get. For example, hand trucks are easier to maneuver than the platform trucks because of their specialization for carrying tall items.
• Also, creating pathways that are free of obstruction will allow you to move your dollies with ease. To achieve this, create exits and entries that will be easy for you to move in and out of within your warehouse. Furthermore, take into account steps, elevators, and how to move the dollies through them.

Conclusion

By now, I believe you are familiar with carts and dollies. You understand the various types and what you should get.