When it comes to transferring heavy pallets of materials over short distances within your warehouse, pallet jacks are a critical component. Not only are they less expensive than costly forklifts, they’re also more versatile.
However, if your warehouse staff aren’t well versed in how to operate manual and electric pallet jacks safely, it could ultimately end up costing you—in more ways than one!
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Three-quarter-ten
Fortunately, keeping staff safe and your goods intact can be accomplished in just 4-5 simple steps. If you or your staff could use a refresher on how to properly operate a manual or electric pallet jack, read on:
Operating a Manual Pallet Jack
- Start by locating the release lever.
Get in position from which you’ll ultimately move the pallet jack to get the best vantage point of the release lever (behind). It’s a small lever which when manipulated drops the jack’s flat metal prongs to the floor. Typically, the release lever is located at the center of the pallet jack’s rounded handle which appears on the top of its vertical stem.
- Lower prongs to the ground by pushing inward on the lever.
(Note that this step only applies if the prongs aren’t already flush with the ground, though it can be a good idea to try the drop lever just in case.) Prongs should rest roughly an inch or two off the ground to fit flush with the openings at the bottom of your pallet.
- Gently slide the prongs of your pallet jack into your skid or wooden pallet.
Visually check to see that the pallet jack prongs will fit underneath your product. If you foresee an issue, try lowering the machine further by engaging the drop lever.
- Pull down on handle to lock pump and begin raising the pallet.
Once the metal forks or prongs are securely fitted beneath the pallet, pull down on the stem handle towards the operator until it nears the floor. Use the same diagonal motion to ‘pump’ the handle up and down, slowly raising the prongs and pallet off the ground. Continue this pumping motion until the pallet is lifted completed from the floor.
- Use the pallet jack to move your goods.
Once the pallet is sufficiently raised off the ground, you can manipulate the pallet jack handle in the direction you wish to travel and transport your goods. Or, if you need to move goods onto a truck to be shipped, you can push against the jack to lift up the pallet itself.
Operating an Electric Pallet Jack
- Unplug from power source.
If your pallet jack is charging, start by unplugging from its power source or charger. Make sure to remove any charging cables from your path before you use the pallet.
- Find and familiarize yourself with the pallet jack’s control handle.
These controls are laid out intuitively with four arrows that point down, up, right and left.
- Use the ‘forward’ button to move the pallet jack.
By pushing the forward and reverse buttons you can effectively move the jack in the direction you need it.
- Push the fork of the jack into the pallet.
Align with your pallet and use the ‘forward’ button to slide the prongs of the electrical pallet jack into your load.
- Use the arrow buttons on the handle to steer the pallet jack.
Move the pallet from its current location to its new, desired location by steering the pallet jack’s directional arrow buttons in the center of the pallet jack’s handle. On a motorized pallet jack, the driver need only focus on steering, letting the jack do the manual labor of their analog counterparts.
- Charge battery after use by re-plugging back to its station or power source.
Ultimately, once you know the proper steps, operating an electric or manual pallet jack is so easy a child could do it!