Move 4,000 Pounds With One Hand
With a greater understanding of MSDs and other workplace injuries amongst employers, moving heavy equipment is becoming a more difficult task to conduct safely and efficiently without implementing some form of ergonomic motorized equipment. One of our distributors ran into this problem when looking into ergonomic, motorized platform carts for a manufacturing client. The client in particular needed to be able to move very long and heavy pieces of steel, sometimes weighing up to 2 tons. The length of the pieces made solutions such as a forklift non-viable, and the weight ensured that without some kind of motorized solution, employee injuries were inevitable. So what motorized options can be easily maneuvered, and accommodate both exceptionally lengthy and heavy materials? The answer was a custom motorized platform cart.
Building A Custom Motorized Platform Cart
In order to meet the needs of our distributor’s client, we had to work within a few environmental restrictions. This is where communication between the client and engineering staff is key. Knowing the dimensions for both the materials being transported, as well as the space in which employees operated, gave our engineers the ability to meet the following specific needs:
- 10 feet long platform length
- Overall platform width kept to a minimum (critical detail)
- Side mounted controls for when materials extend beyond platform end
- Ability to navigate tight corners
The Final Product
In the end, we were able to build a custom cart that met all of the above specifications. As a matter of fact, our engineers succeeded in creating a custom motorized platform cart so easily maneuverable, that we were able to operate it with one hand, despite a 4,000-pound load. Though we don’t recommend operating our carts with one hand, the video below shows just how much material handling ease and efficiency can improve with the right technology.
For more information on custom motorized solutions, and Electro Kinetic Technologies’ engineering services, visit our contact page and consult with one of our experts.