Moving Heavy Objects: Essential Tools for Your Lifting/Carrying Needs

When it comes to carrying, moving, and lifting a wide variety of objects in a warehouse or work site, some numerous devices and attachments can make the work more easy and efficient. The majority of work in conjunction with forklifts, expanding the uses of these already versatile machines.

In a warehouse, forklifts, a MatJack, industrial casters, and skate machines are exceptionally useful pieces of equipment, but there are novelty accessories and products that expand a machine’s level of functionality. This is where the specialty attachments, extensions,  and accessories come in, like self-dumping hoppers, drum handlers, and man-baskets, which increase your forklift’s safety and make it more versatile, for increased efficiency and higher productivity. The return on investment on this specialized equipment is very fast, with the majority paying for themselves within a bunch of uses.

A few of the most highly recommended accessories, extensions, and attachments for your needs of lifting, carrying, and Moving Heavy Objects include:

Carpet Poles: Rolled carpets are usually quite difficult and heavy to bear. In certain situations, they might also be stored on high or elevated shelves, making them dangerous for workers to pull down. Carpet poles or forklift rug rams allow the forklift’s driver to slide the pole into a rolled carpet’s center, lifting the carpet from its shelf and moving it to a different location.

Drum Handlers: If you utilize a steel, fiber, or plastic chimed drum, a drum handler is a perfect tool for you. They typically come in light, mid-size, and heavy-duty models with capacities that range from 750 pounds to 4000 pounds scale.

Forklift Forks: Forged forklift forks are produced in twin sets, giving you the confidence that every pair of forks you buy will be even in tip density and blade height. A standard locking pin kit comes along with a forklift replacement fork to hold the blade in place on the lift truck. They are normally available in several classes, such as Class 2 or Class 3 mount, in varying lengths of up to 96 inches.

Forklift Extensions: A forklift fork extension enables the handling of odd-shaped loads with greater stability and less product damage. Just slip the extension over the fork, and it will lie on top of your fork and secure to the fork hanger.

Boxed Fork Extensions: A boxed fork extension is designed for extended capacity, handling 4,000 pounds per set, opposed to the 2,500 pounds capacity on regular extensions. They are intended to be used on shaft-mount forks but can be applied to almost all types of forklift forks.

Lift Jibs: Lift Jibs allow flexibility in the lifting of big, bulky loads, like bar stock, tubes, and pipes. The forklift lift jib glides over forks and attaches to the lift truck with a safety chain. Multiple hole spots and two standard swivel hooks with shackles offer you different lifting options.

Self-Dumping Hoppers: When you are striving to keep your job site clean or maintaining a plant, consider a self-dumping hopper. These inexpensive units help in collecting, storing, and transporting bulk materials, and it’s easier for a forklift driver to transport them by slipping forks into their fork pockets. When it has been moved to the right place, open the safety latch, and the hopper will tilt forward and let its contents loose. After that, the self-dumping hopper will return to its position, and it is reusable for a new load of materials immediately.

Load Backrests: Steel load backrests are manufactured to secure the load from falling toward the equipment operator. This allows the product to lay against a flat, square surface that makes loading processes safe.

Forklift Man-Baskets: These safety man-baskets are designed to lift employees above the ground with a forklift.

Snow Bucket: These are made for forklift use and are easily attachable with a safety chain. The snow bucket is a fast attach snow plow, usually with a self-dumping mechanism that activates with just a pull on the release cable by the forklift driver.

Trailer Mover: A fork-mounted trailer mover is a perfect way to make use of your forklift for moving towable trailers around in a facility. No more time is wasted in acquiring a tow vehicle connected to a trailer; simply insert your forks into the trailer mover, wrap the safety chain across the carriage, and voila! You are ready to go!

Industrial caster: An Industrial Caster is a heavy-duty caster that is manufactured and designed to carry heavy loads, in some instances up to thirty thousand pounds. These casters may have either a rigid caster design or a swivel

MatJack: MatJack can offer you high-pressure air lifting bags, medium pressure lifting cushions, low pressure lifting cushions with which you can lift several tons, with only a click of a button.

Equipment for the Material Handling Industry: Industrial Lift Table

Moving around heavy objects is an essential part of the material handling industry. In the past, industries relied on traditional equipment for moving around or elevating heavy loads around the assembly floor, such as cranes or forklifts. With technological progression emerging to the forefront, these traditional types of equipment were replaced with pneumatic lifting devices. In doing so, these conventional pieces of equipment were replaced with air casters.

These air casters create a film or seal of air between the floor and the object, allowing the load to be lifted off the ground easily. Using only compressed air, this alternative reduces man-power, reduces safety hazards, and reduces various other limitations associated with the traditional tools of the trade.

Be it an air bearing system or an industrial scissor lift table, each equipment is built by harnessing years of knowledge and experience of operating within the manufacturing industry. Understanding how these equipment are required to facilitate various industrial applications, Hovair builds air caster products that are high on quality and high on value. Whether used within a cold storage, a warehouse, a manufacturing unit, or in logistics, any of the top processes of moving around heavy objects can easily be handled through an air-powered system.

By seeking to leave behind tools and processes that are a safety-hazard and higher in cost, a manufacturer can opt to trickle in the following benefits:

  • The size, speed, duty cycle, safety features, and capacity of a lift table can be customized easily.
  • A lift table works to maximize operator efficiency, as a single man can handle the task, rather than requiring a group to handle the heavy load.
  • It reduces the chances of injury, leading to reduced costs for the manufacturer and reduced safety risks for the personnel.
  • It requires operators to maintain a normal posture when operating the equipment, resulting in no strain or development of a health condition.
  • No maintenance and no lubrication results the manufacturer to incur no additional costs
  • Easy to handle due to a narrow and lightweight footprint
  • No requirement for additional power, as it runs wholly on compressed air
  • Consistent and reliable lifting power
  • A dependable and cost-effective solution for shuttling, stacking, transferring or elevating the material
  • Elevate overall productivity and ergonomics
  • Not vulnerable to any oil leaks or spills linked to hydraulic units
  • Complete stability and assurance while lowering and raising heavy-load material
  • No damages to the floor as the load doesn’t fall or drop to the fall causing cracks, scrapes or dents

With there being a constant need to lift and lower material within industrial environments, an ergonomic lift table, AKA a scissor lift table, works in a multi-purpose manner. Being adjustable to any height, being portable, and with the manufacturer possessing the liberty to fine-tune the capacity, the ergonomic lift table can be the perfect equipment for your facility.

With durability and reliability being the core features, a ergonomic lift table is engineered to provide ultimate user safety. By settling their primary focus on versatility and strength, Hovair Systems produces scissor lift tables and ergonomic lift tables that serve different industries in an all-embracing manner, even if they are used as a working table for teams working within a construction zone.

Rather than endangering their personnel’s health and rather than opting for ways that are long-forgotten by their fellow industrialists, it is essential that industries take up avenues that work in their interest. By choosing an ergonomic lift table that works for their unique environment and their unique industry, manufacturers can change the culture around their assembly unit.

Making it more effortless and easier, using an ergonomic lift table, they can increase productivity and can gain from seamless processes running on their production floor. Owing to the demand for ergonomic lift tables growing all across the globe, the tool is the futuristic heavy-load moving equipment that should be included in any facility.

Air Powered Systems 101: Why An Air Caster Is Necessary?

Replacing the inefficiency and safety hazards associated with traditional moving equipment is a pneumatically powered system. Being a lifting device used to lift and move around heavy-loads on a flat surface, an air caster works by utilizing air. Rather than relying on a power source, it allows heavy objects to float around, by simply being suspended in the air with the supply of compressed air.

Creating an air seal between the floor and the airbag, an air caster works in an ingenious manner. Within any industrial plant or assembly unit, the moving of heavy objects is an inevitability. However, manufactures need to take up a proactive approach in protecting the personnel and equipment located within the unit. Air casters are a departure from traditional heavy-load moving equipment, as they don’t include the challenges that are associated with traditional equipment.

Finding Innovation within Assembly Floors

A forklift requires maintenance, specialized training, has a set load capacity, and requires constant open communication. Without following this procedure, a manufacturer can either not go ahead with executing mechanical movement or either endanger the lives of their personnel. Sustaining injuries and sustaining high costs becomes a reality when dealing with traditional heavy-load moving equipment. At a sharp contrast, a wise investment is to make use of air caster products, such as air beams, air bearing, and air pallets.

Commonly used to lift delicate, awkwardly-shaped, and heavy loads, an air caster product works to move unbalanced load across a facility. High maneuverability and precise positioning are its defining characteristics, leading this low-profile moving equipment to fit into any manufacturer’s assembly unit. Being ideal for the uneven weight distribution of load and providing the necessary support, an air beam can easily be customized to meet a manufacturer’s specific requirements.

Made using sturdy material such as aluminum, Hovair produces high quality and cost-effective air caster equipment to facilitate the need for different facilities within the material handling industry. Simply placed beneath a heavy-load or object, they are easy to use, easy to incorporate into processes, and easy to sustain. Realizing consequential gains in safety and cost reduction, both in terms of manpower and downtime, a manufacture gains through the following features:

  • Low floor load and no damage to the surface or floor, such as cuts, dents or scrapes.
  • Effective space utilization, leading to efficiency
  • Can work in areas where cranes, overhead lifts, and forklifts cannot work, as air cushions can easily shift direction. This makes taking u-turns and spinning a load an easy undertaking.
  • Need for reduced manpower, as a single man can easily control and move a load weighing up to 5000 lbs., which weighs more than an average car. Staying within the bounds of safety, personnel aren’t exposed to unnecessary safety hazards
  • An air caster product requires no lubrication, has no moving parts, and doesn’t have a maintenance schedule. If dirty, they can be cleaned with soap and water, rather than requiring an industrial solvent
  • No complexity involved with the handling of the equipment, leading to no wastage of time or hassles.
  • Powered completely through compressed-air, rather than any other power source.
  • Minimized risks, as no extensive pushing or pulling is required
  • Ability to quickly move around objects and loads with no vibration. This is particularly beneficial for personnel who develop health conditions, as a result of handling machines and loads that vibrate.

If a manufacturer or floor manager is looking for a cost-effective, safe, and reliable solution for moving around heavy-load with omnidirectional maneuverability, then opting to get an air caster product from Hovair Systems can prove to be beneficial, both in the short and long term.