A Word About Pallet Stackers .

Stackers are used to lift and to lower pallets;  they are not designed to transport pallets over a distance of more than several feet. That is what Pallet Trucks are designed to do: to easily move pallets over distances and to bring pallets to and from stackers.  Stackers are heavy – 650 lbs. to over 1000 lbs (depending on the required lift height), and this weight is IN ADDITION to the weight of the loaded pallet! Pallet stackers, in short, are much too heavy and awkward to be used to move pallets any considerable distance.

Pallet Stackers should NOT be used to off-load trucks, unless the truck bed height and the dock height are the same. Pallet Trucks are much more efficient at this. They weigh a lot less ( 150 - 250 lbs.) and are much more maneuverable. Stackers also get hung up on the underside of their straddle legs if any attempt is made to negotiate the break-over from an incline to a horizontal surface. This is often encountered when a stacker is used (in conjunction with a dock-board) with a truck bed and dock of different heights.

Pallet Stackers work on the Cantilever Principle: the weight of the load is borne on the straddle legs beneath the forks. This means that if you intend to load pallet racks, you must keep the lowest beam level high enough to allow the wheels in the front of the stacker's straddle legs to pass under the beam. This is usually  6 inches from the floor to the underside of the first pair of load beams on your racks.