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WHEN AND WHERE TO USE WHEELED HANDLING EQUIPMENT...
Non-powered 4-wheel platform and 2-wheel hand trucks - and their close relatives, power-towed trailers-are today's biggest bargains in material handling equipment. They can be invaluable for short-term storage and short-distance, intermittent moves. But like all equipment, trucks and trailers work best when selected thoughtfully. Here are typical criteria for applications where non-powered trucks have been found to perform most successfully and economically.
A. Materials and loads with these characteristics...
- Relatively light
- Variety of needs
- Awkward shapes
- Relatively small quantity
- Relatively limited volume
B. Processes or situations with these characteristics...
- Complex paths
- Intermittent moves
- Limited area
- Minimum noise
- Job shop
- In-process handling
- In-process storage
- Relatively low volume
- Relatively low production rate
- Limited floor loading
- Narrow aisles
- Narrow doorways
- Columns or obstructions
- Departmental ownership
C. Desiring these advantages...
- Low cost
- Durability
- Minimum maintenance
- Light weight
- Economy
- Maneuverability
- Versatility
- Safety
(Adapted from notes of the late Professor James M. Apple, Georgia Institute of Technology)
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VALUE: LOWEST COST IN THE LONG RUN
Floor Trucks and Trailers that are going to perform best and last longest may sometimes cost a little more to buy. But they almost always provide the lowest cost in the long run. Longer life, less downtime, lower maintenance and repair cost, and greater productivity far outweigh initial cost savings.
While Hamilton products have long been respected for the quality materials and skilled workmanship they exhibit, their success begins with design expertise. Unprofessional designs, on the other hand, often result in trucks that are inefficient, awkward, or even unsafe. Perhaps the most penny-wise, pound-foolish mistake of all is seen in trucks that have been equipped with casters and wheels of inferior quality; for how can a vehicle be any better than the running gear that gives it mobility?
"JOB-BUILT" SPECIALS
The most efficient answer to your material handling problem could be a unit somewhat different in configuration, size or capacity from the many standard models shown in this catalog. Hamilton excels in the design and manufacture of custom-engineered trucks and trailers. Our complete machine shop, metalworking department, woodworking facilities, and contiguous caster and wheel plant enable us to produce exactly what you need, and at competitive prices. The Custom Products pages show just a few of the many "Job-Built" Trucks we've built over the years.
CAPACITY RATINGS
Except where otherwise indicated, capacity ratings shown in this catalog reflect wheel and caster ratings established by the Institute of Caster Manufacturers for 3 m.p.h. intermittent operation over
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relatively smooth floors. Although ratings include a safety factor for normal applications, you should choose extra capacity if shock loading, overloading, powered movement, rough surfaces, or unfavorable conditions are apt to be encountered. Remember, too: capacity ratings are often established differently by different manufacturers, so ratings should never be used in place of specifications for making comparisons.
SELECTING THE RIGHT WHEEL AND BEARINGS
You are frequently offered a choice of wheel and bearing types on trucks in this catalog-not to confuse you, but because different conditions are best answered by different kinds of wheel treads, hubs, or bearings. As a manufacturer of its own comprehensive line of industrial casters and wheels, Hamilton can let you "customize" your truck's running gear from its vast inventory at no penalty in price.
ROLLABILITY
Before using the selection chart on the Wheels Selection Tips page, we have one suggestion for the specifier or buyer of wheeled equipment. This is awareness of the importance of rollability, which can be defined as the ease of starting and moving a loaded vehicle. Rollability will be affected by weight of the load, floor conditions, size and type of wheels and bearings, and of course, whether movement is to be manual or power-assisted. All other things being equal, a larger diameter wheel will generally roll more easily. Soft rubber treads-the quietest and the kind needed when floors are rough and littered-unfortunately produce the poorest rollability. So, oftentimes the wheel selected must represent a compromise; the phenolic "Plastex" Wheel, for example, rolls easily and is economical, but may be too hard or too noisy for some applications. Polyurethane wheels combine certain advantages of both...but at a higher price.
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