Hand Trucks vs Dollies (2024)

Anupright hand truck,which isoften called a utility dolly, is your traditional, general-purpose hand truck and it works bestfor moving items short distances.It features a strongmetal frame and typically has a single, rounded handle at the top of the unit.A drawback of a general-purpose hand truck is that most of them do not feature a foldable design, so they can be awkward to store out of the way.

Upright Hand Truck Uses:Moving boxes, crates, small furniture, and appliances

Upright Hand Truck Capacity:80 lb. to 1,500 lb.

Where to Use an Upright Hand Truck:Warehouses, delivery services, and catering companies

Appliance hand trucks, which are often called appliance dollies, are specifically designed for moving large, heavy appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, washing machines, and vending machines. They feature heavy-duty straps and side rails to secure the appliance in place.

Appliance Hand Truck Uses:Movinglarge, heavy appliances, boxes, and equipment

Appliance Hand Truck Capacity:250 lb. to1,200lb.

Where to Use an Appliance Hand Truck:Distribution centers, warehouses, delivery services, and moving companies

Convertible hand truckscan switch between two- and four-wheeled support to provide an upright and platform hand truck all-in-one.Use it upright on 2 wheels for moving tall, slender objects or lay it completely horizontal and use all 4 wheels for especially big, bulky loads.

Convertible Hand Truck Uses:Moving boxes, crates, and raw materials

Convertible Hand Truck Capacity:100 lb. to1,250 lb.

Where to Use a Convertible Hand Truck:Warehouses, delivery services, and catering companies

Machinery moversare designed to safely and easily lift and transport heavy industrial equipment from one location to the next. Machinery movers include an ergonomic lifting system to lift and lower cargo onto the platform or fork, and they typically come in pairs for a two-person operation. There areeither manual lift or hydraulic lift options,and hydraulic lift systems require less physical effort to operatethan manuallifting systems.

Machinery Mover Uses:Movingheavy industrial equipment, vending machines, and irregular-sized loads

MachineryMover Capacity:1,300 lb. to10,000 lb.

Where to Use a Machinery Mover:Warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other industrialfacilities

Motorized hand trucks make it easier and quicker to move heavy, bulky loads. Some feature stair-climbing technology and most include an automatic brake that activates when the throttle is released for maximum safety as well as straps and hooks to secure the cargo to the cart. If you need to move loads upstairs, motorized hand trucks are the best hand truck for steps since the motor can help propel the hand truck upwards and lessen the burden on your back.

Motorized Hand Truck Uses:Moving heavy boxes,drums, pails, and barrels

Motorized Hand Truck Capacity:600 lb. to3,500 lb.

Where to Use aMotorized Hand Truck:Delivery services, event rentals, and catering companies

Drum trucksmake transporting heavy drums throughout your manufacturing plant or warehouse simple and safe. They come with two or four wheels and some feature a drain stand to make draining drums easier.Pail trucksare a variation of drum trucks that feature a supportive frame and hook that make it easy to load, tilt back, and securely move kegs, pails, buckets, or barrels. They are ideal for breweries, restaurants, and bars.

Drum Hand Truck Uses:Movingdrums, pails, barrels, kegs, and other large cylindrical containers

Drum Hand Truck Capacity:250 lb. to 1,200 lb.

Where to Use aDrum Hand Truck:Warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, breweries, andchemical plants

Winch lift trucksfeature a manual winch crank and eithera forkor a large platform for the simple lifting and lowering of objects.A winch is mounted to the back of the truckand itscable runs over the top of the cart and down to the platform or forks to easily lift items. They can be used to help load items on top of other goods or onto storage racks in your warehouse.

Winch LiftTruck Uses:Moving boxes, crates,and bins

Winch Lift Truck Capacity:220 lb. to500 lb.

Where to Use a Winch Lift Truck:Warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other industrial applications

Tilt trucksmake it easy for a single person totransport heavy loads,and their large capacities make them perfect for use in high-volume settings. The ergonomic, durable design is perfect for transporting a wide range of heavy items including waste and industrial materials. Tilt trucks featuretwo largerear load wheels and two smaller-sized swivel casters in the front for easy maneuverability throughout your facility.Plus, their heavy-duty plastic design makes them easy to clean with a simple hose down at the end of use.

TiltTruck Uses:Moving and disposing of waste, recycling, industrial materials, and raw materials

Tilt Truck Capacity:300 lb. to2,300lb.

Where to Use a Tilt Truck:Warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other industrial facilities

Pallet hand trucksare designed to streamline loading and unloading materials onto pallets. Compared tousing a pallet jack, which utilizes a hydraulic pump and two forks to lift and transport pallets andis designed to support heavier weights, pallet hand trucks are better suited for lighter loads and tighter spaces.

Pallet Hand Truck Uses:Moving boxes, crates, and bins

Pallet Hand Truck Capacity:900 lb. to 1000 lb.

Where to Use a Pallet Hand Truck:Warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other industrial applications

Adrum dollyis made from heavy-duty metal and features raised sides to transport 30- or 55-gallon steel drums with ease. Commonly used to transport oils, fuels, chemicals, and dry goods, this type of dolly is great to have on hand for both industrial and commercial applications. Compared to drum trucks, drum dollies are easier to maneuver anddo not require the containers to be leaned back and balanced. However, the drums will have to be manually lifted or lifted with the help of a device.

Drum Dolly Uses:Moving drums and overpack drums

Drum Dolly Capacity:900lb. to 2,000 lb.

Where to Use a Drum Dolly:Warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other industrial facilities

Atrash can dollyallows staff to comfortably maneuver fulltrash cans and recycling cansaround your establishment. Itcan help minimize cleanup time at the end of shifts by making it easierfor your staff to transport full cans from your facility to the dumpsters. Trash dollies are slim in design tomake them easy to maneuver through tight and narrow spaces.

Trash Can Dolly Uses:Movingtrash and recycling cans

Trash Can Dolly Capacity:100 lb. to900 lb.

Where to Use a Trash Can Dolly:Warehouses, industrial plants, restaurants, and healthcare facilities

Chair dollies, or chair carts,are designed to efficiently and conveniently store and transport chairs. Different types of chair dollies can be used to transport multiple folding chairs, stackable chairs, and barstools at once, as well as dollies that can hold both chairs and tables for your convenience.

Chair Dolly Uses:Transporting folding, stackable, and barstool chairs

Chair Dolly Capacity:200 lb. to 1,375 lb.

Where to Use a Chair Dolly:Event rentals, banquet halls, and catering services

Akeg dollycan help you efficiently transport full kegs in your manufacturing or distribution facility.It is also great for bars and restaurantsto have on hand to make transportingkegs from the walk-in cooler to your bar during peak timesa quick and easy task for your staff.

KegDolly Uses:Moving kegs and barrels

Keg Dolly Capacity:400 lb. to500 lb.

Where to Use a Keg Dolly:Breweries, restaurants, bars, and catering services

Table dolliesare designed to efficiently and conveniently store and transport tables. Different types oftable dollies can be used to transport multipleround, square, and rectangular tablesat oncethatcan be either flat stacked or edge stacked, as well as dollies that can hold bothtables andchairs for your convenience.

Table Dolly Uses:Transporting tables of various sizes and lengths

Table Dolly Capacity:5lb. to2,000 lb.

Where to Use a Table Dolly:Event rentals, banquet halls, and catering services

Amilk crate dollycomes in handy whentransporting goods from your receiving area to your kitchen. It features a square or rectangular shape and has four casters, making iteasy to maneuver around tight corners and through smaller spaces. Crate dollies allow your staff to move larger quantities of product from the loading truck to the fridge at one time.

Crate Dolly Uses:Movingcrates of milk and beverages, boxes of meat, and bins

Crate Dolly Capacity:250 lb. to 10,000 lb.

Where to Use a Crate Dolly:Food manufacturers and distributors,grocery stores,restaurants, and bakeries

Glass rack dolliesallow you to easily stack racks of dishware or glassware on one portable unit.They feature an indented platform to securely hold glass racks and most are compatible withmanypopular glass rackmanufacturers.

Glass Rack Dolly Uses:Storing and transporting clean glassware

Glass Rack Dolly Capacity:130 lb. to880 lb.

Where to Use a Glass Rack Dolly:Restaurants, bars, and tap rooms

Adish dolly, or plate caddy, makes it easy to store and transport a high capacity of dishesin one unit.A dish dollytypically has three or more compartments so that it can hold hundreds of dishes at a time to suit your demand.It can be used to keep washed dishes organized, or for placing at buffet tables for customers to take plates themselves.

Dish Dolly Uses:Transporting dishes in bulk

Dish Dolly Capacity:180 dishesto 1,120dishes

Where to Use a Dish Dolly:Restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, and catering services

Sheet pan dolliesare ideal for transporting stackedsheet pans or for transporting them in bulk from your dishwasher to your bun racks. They are also great for storing pans under tables to save space while they're not in use. Some sheet pan dollies feature an easy-to-grab frame and handle for quick maneuvering throughout your kitchen.

Sheet Pan Dolly Uses:Movingsheet pans

Sheet Pan Dolly Capacity:30 pans to 200 pans

Where to Use a Sheet Pan Dolly:Bakeries, cafeterias, diners, and hotel

Insulated pan carrier dolliesare designed to quickly and painlessly transport stacked food pan carriers. Some are even equipped with handles that make iteasierto maneuver stackedfood pan carriers. Typically insulated food pan carrier manufacturers will also have a compatible dolly to ensure the secure transport of their product.

Insulated Pan Carrier Dolly Uses:Transportinginsulated food pan carriers

Insulated Pan Carrier Dolly Capacity:80 lb. to550 lb.

Where to Use anInsulated Pan Carrier Dolly:Restaurants,ghost kitchens, and catering services

• Pneumaticwheels are filled with pressurized airfor shock absorption and a smoother ride when going overloose and uneven surfaces and curbs.
• Semi-pneumatic wheels are partially filled with non-pressurized airforsome shock absorption when going over uneven, bumpy surfaces and curbs.
• Mold-on rubber wheels eliminate flats and providea cushioned, smooth, and quiet ride to protect floors.
• Microcellular foam wheels give comparable cushion and performance to pneumatic wheels, but they do not contain air and thus cannot go flat.
• Balloon cushion wheels eliminate flats and provide more bounce than solid rubber wheels.