Moving a load across a floor is a different problem from lifting it, and the equipment reflects that.
Pallet trucks and furniture movers take the weight and let it roll. Drum lifters, crane forks and magnetic lifters take a load a sling cannot easily grip and give it a lifting point. Each solves a handling problem that would otherwise be done by hand, badly.
The floor is the specification everyone forgets. Wheel loadings under a laden truck are concentrated, and a floor that carries a static load comfortably may not tolerate it rolling across on small hard wheels. Assess the route, not just the load.
Manufacturer specification. Automatic balancing system. Adjustable height and forks to suit various pallet sizes. White painted finish. Fitted with restraint chain. Marked with CE, capacity and traceability code.
Key Features
- White finish: As supplied by the manufacturer
- Automatic balancing system: As specified by the manufacturer
- Adjustable height and forks to suit various pallet sizes: As specified by the manufacturer
- White painted finish: As specified by the manufacturer
- Fitted with restraint chain: As specified by the manufacturer
- Marked with CE, capacity and traceability code: As specified by the manufacturer
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Part No. |
Capacity (kgs) |
Adjustable Fork Width (mm) |
Hook Height (mm) |
Fork Length (mm) |
Weight (kgs) |
| GTCF2 |
GTCY20 |
2,000 |
400 - 900 |
1655 - 2355 |
100 |
220 |
Full specification and capacities are given in the manufacturer information sheet.
Manufacturer Specification | LOLER Ready
Automatic balancing system. Adjustable height and forks to suit various pallet sizes. White painted finish. Fitted with restraint chain. Marked with CE, capacity and traceability code. Under LOLER 1998, lifting equipment and accessories require thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months. Work equipment that does not lift falls under PUWER 1998 and must be inspected and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Suitable Applications
Warehousing, workshops, plant rooms, machine shops and installation work: moving palletised goods, drums, machinery and awkward loads across a floor. Crane forks and magnetic lifters extend a crane's reach to loads that are otherwise difficult to sling.
More About This Product
Material handling equipment solves the problem that most manual handling injuries come from: moving something heavy a short distance. Cranes handle the long lifts; the damage is done shifting a machine six metres across a workshop because it seemed too short a distance to be worth rigging.
The equipment is straightforward. The considerations that catch people out are the floor, the route and the momentum of something heavy once it is rolling.
The Route Is the Risk
A load on wheels behaves entirely differently from a load being lifted, and the risks move with it.
Point loading comes first. Wheel loads under a laden truck or skate concentrate onto small hard wheels, and the pressure at each contact patch is far higher than the load's own footprint would suggest. Slabs that carry the static load comfortably can crack, and floor coverings can be marked or cut.
Level changes are where control is lost. A multi-tonne load rolling at walking pace and stopping abruptly against a threshold, an expansion joint or a change in floor covering keeps trying to move. Anyone with a hand on it at that moment finds out how much energy is in it. The answer is to slow down before the change, not at it.
Gradients compound the same problem. Even a slight slope in a workshop floor will accelerate a heavy load on good wheels, and a load that gets away has no brakes.
Nobody walks alongside. The instinct is to have people at the sides steadying the load, and that is exactly where they should not be if it shifts or a wheel collapses. Push or pull from a position of control, keep feet clear of the wheels, and treat the route as part of the plan rather than as the bit between the lifting points.
How to Use
- Assess the floor and route: Wheel loadings are concentrated. Look for expansion joints, thresholds, weak slabs and gradients.
- Check the load is within capacity and stable: Uneven or top-heavy loads behave badly on wheels.
- Move slowly, especially at level changes: A multi-tonne load stopped against a threshold will keep going.
- Keep feet clear: Of wheels, forks and the load path.
- Never allow anyone to walk alongside a moving load: Push or pull from a position of control.
- Inspect wheels and mechanisms before use: A jammed wheel turns a controlled move into a drag.
Warning: Assess the floor and the route before moving a load. Wheel loadings under a laden truck are concentrated, and a floor that takes a static load may not tolerate it rolling across. Never let anyone walk alongside a moving load, and keep feet clear of the wheels at all times.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the rated capacity.
- Assess the floor and route for point loading and obstructions.
- Keep feet and hands clear of wheels, forks and the load path.
- Move slowly and control the load at all times.
- Never walk alongside a moving load.
- Do not use on uneven, damaged or sloping surfaces without assessment.
- Inspect wheels, forks and mechanisms before each use.
- Work equipment under PUWER 1998 — inspect and maintain per the manufacturer's instructions.
Inspection and Maintenance
Check the wheels for flat spots, cuts, embedded debris and separation from the core — a wheel carrying embedded swarf will score the floor it was meant to protect. Confirm every wheel and castor turns and swivels freely, since a jammed wheel turns a controlled move into a drag. On hydraulic types check for oil weeping and test the lift and lower action through full travel. Inspect forks, saddles and clamping faces for distortion and wear, and keep moving parts greased per the manual.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the floor really matter?
More than the load weight suggests. Wheel loadings are concentrated on small hard wheels, so a floor that carries a static load comfortably may not tolerate it rolling across. Assess the route, including thresholds and expansion joints.
Q: How many people should move a load?
Enough to control it without anyone walking alongside. The danger is a heavy load on wheels gaining momentum on a slope or stopping suddenly against a threshold.
Q: Is this covered by LOLER or PUWER?
Equipment that lifts a load falls under LOLER. Equipment that only moves it across a floor is work equipment under PUWER. Both require inspection and maintenance; the regimes differ.
