Pallet jack

A pallet jack is a basic form of forklift which is used mainly to move pallets around a warehouse. It is also referred to as a pallet truck, jigger or pump truck.

Pallet jacks consist of wheels, forks and hydraulic jack. The jack is steered using a lever that also acts as the pump handle for raising the jack. The forks are lowered by releasing the hydraulic fluid, controlled by a small handle on the lever.

As the hydraulic jack is raised, linkages force the wheels down, raising the forks vertically above the front wheels. This allows the load to be lifted off the floor to enable easy movement.

The fork lengths generally match standard pallet sizes, and jacks are available that can handle different terrain and wide loads. In order to avoid overloading, some jacks are fitted with a scale to monitor loads.

Electric pallet jacks lift the pallets and move without manual effort, and may include a small platform for the operator.

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