Pallet Handling in Machine Shop

Electric pallet jacks are nice. There are also hand-operated fork lifts for not much more money. If the shop is under severe financial constraints, there are hand-operated pallet jacks.

The purchasing agent should take a look online. Here is just one of many vendors of this kind of equipment:

http://www.globalindustrial.com/c/material-handling/pallet-trucks-jacks

Yeah, they're fairly inexpensive compared to a regular forklift, and work great in tight places....................you can turn them on a dime.

If you happen to work third shift and most of the plant workers are home sleeping, it's also fun to stand on the forks and drive them around the shop floor backwards.

You can use AGV's some of them also have the flexibility to manualy operate. There are lot of new technology on AGV operation. CPS, guide wire, laser etc. Based on the shop layout you can pick one of them. The main advantage is, you can just call the AGV from your place thereby saving time with varying speed flexibility.

What makes you think that they can afford AGV's if they're too cheap to buy a fork lift? ^{(Automated Guided Vehicle)}

Maybe magic carpets would work.

What's a CPS, BTW?

How about small dollies, you can place them under the corners of the pallets and push them around.

So the existing operation is 'too slow' and the Client can't afford improvements? How intriguing.

Get a new Client.

Sounds like they've got "Cheap Skates" there all ready!

I like this.

First of all I thank all my friends for their valueable suggestion including persons who normaly do not take questions seriously and make fun of it. I had already suggested battery operated pallet truck, monorail system, Crane is not viable also AGV will be too expensive.Thanks again.

other way round ,think about out sourcing to factory nearby having required space.

Try battery operated pallet truck.

I have a small shop with Bridgeport milling machine and an ENCO lathe. I have a full time regular job but use the home shop for hobby work and do some outside work for extra cash. Typically jobs too small for a full machine shop to want. Short story long. I got into a job machining ceramic rods for a glass manufacturing plant. Now all of a sudden I am moving pallets and crates of ceramic rods weighing 1000 pounds or better. I bought a used Crown walk behind fork lift. It is self propelled, wide enough to straddle a pallet, and can lift 2000 pounds from a semi truck. This is an older lift and I was able to buy it for $500.00 and put another $150.00 in batteries. The job has since run its course and is done. I still have the lift and use it around the shop. Quite frankly it is some of the best money I ever spent.

I'm just thinking in terms of a pallet lift that moved appliances from building to trucks. I built one out of a 4 wheeler and two hydraulic cylinders mounted on the front of the 4/wheeler built on the order of a motorcycle lift..Was needing the cash to do other things to keep the wolf away from the door. Used tractor weights on the rear. Worked great an I did'nt start with anything but an idea.. This was some years back, but saved a lot of time and could carry a commercial soda machine..