Ride-on and stand-in pallet trucks are some of the most widely used pieces of equipment in the material handling world. In order to optimise your warehouse operations without compromising the safety, comfort, and efficiency of your operators, you need to ensure that the machines you’re investing in are reliable, robust, and ergonomically focused.
The UniCarriers PLF, PLS, and PLR are a range of ride-on pallet trucks that feature a 5-point heavy-duty chassis with an integrated bumper, ideally suited to working over a dock leveller, and are available in three different sizes: Mini, Junior, and Senior to suit your specific requirements.
These ride-on pallet trucks utilise both lithium-ion batteries, which offer 30% lower energy costs, as well as lead-acid batteries, come in ride-on and pedestrian mode and offer a flip-up platform as well as a fixed platform ensuring they’re optimised to meet the needs of both your operator and your operations.
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In this article, we will cover the features and benefits of our pallet truck family: the PLF, PLS, and PLR ride-on pallet trucks, as well as the new ALR stand-in pallet truck.
Key features and benefits of the PLF, PLS, and PLR ride-on pallet trucks
- Patented pallet entry system: with rounded tips for effortless pallet entry, this vehicle is used for entering pallets that are empty without the pallet being pushed along the floor, providing extra strength, durability, and seamless manoeuvring.
- Patented TDS (traction, damping and stability) system: the act of loading and unloading is highly demanding for both the truck and the driver. The PLF, PLS, and PLR ride-on pallet trucks offer a TDS system that’s electronically adjustable. This system is tailored to the weight of each individual driver – an ergonomic feature that is unique to UniCarriers.
Maximum traction, damping, and stability are tough to combine, that’s what makes these pallet trucks so beneficial to your material handling operations. The PLF, PLS, and PLR ride-on pallet trucks are designed for the operator to work them over long periods of time and, to maximise capacity and stability, they don't have traditional suspension systems. This means that ergonomic features such as electronically adjustable dampened platforms are highly important for the comfort and efficiency of your operators. Providing exceptional traction in wet conditions, outstanding damping when navigating over uneven surfaces, and unparalleled stability when cornering, the pallet truck family provides the advanced technology that’s necessary for today’s material handling operations. - Patented castor wheel system: when loading and unloading on the back of a dock leveller or on uneven surfaces, the caster wheels of the pallet truck move up and down within the bearing housing. However, when the operator turns the steering wheel beyond five degrees, the castor wheels are no longer able to do this remaining level. This is beneficial when it comes to manoeuvring tight corners as it offers enhanced lateral stability. The wheels also work to provide a degree of damping, enhancing operator comfort.
- EControl steering: the trucks provide a range of steering options to suit various operations. The PLF offers mechanical steering for ease of use in low-intensity operations and has power steering available. The PLR offers power steering for increased comfort, precision and control, and UniCarriers provides EControl steering as standard for the PLS (which is optionally available for the PLR, too). These options are operator-focused; specifically tailored to increase uptime as well as operator comfort.
This brings us to the newest addition to the family: the ALR stand-in pallet truck. Primarily used for internal transportation, the ALR stand-in pallet trucks have a 4-point chassis, a lift capacity of 2KG - 3KG and, like their ride-on relatives, utilise Li-ion batteries which are more environmentally friendly and sustainable than other diesel or gas-powered machines.
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Unlike the PLF, PLS, and PLR, the ALR, enables the driver to stand within the body of the truck, placing the operator in a vertical, side-facing position for excellent visibility when travelling backwards or forwards.
Key features and benefits of the ALR stand-in pallet truck
- 360-degree steering: this steering type makes the ALR perfect for use within production – the stand-in pallet truck can seamlessly navigate narrow warehouse aisles, manoeuvring with precise agility – without compromising on productivity – working to enhance efficiency and productivity.
- Laser in the platform: the laser accessory on the ALR improves the accuracy of the load handling – projecting onto the pallet, the laser enables the operator to work more precisely whilst remaining in an ergonomic, natural standing position. Additionally, the laser activates the safety mechanism within the pallet truck which enables the driver to detect obstacles and avoid collisions with products, other drivers, or people in the surrounding area.
- Heightened visibility: the ALR stand-in pallet truck boasts heightened visibility when manoeuvring products around a warehouse. The elevated sideways driving position that the operator is placed in makes looking backwards and forwards around a warehouse or operational area seamless which is particularly important when operating over prolonged periods of time.
- Compact body: due to the compact design of the ALR’s chassis, this stand-in pallet truck has a small turning circle, making it perfect for navigating the tight spaces and aisles of a warehouse. Even though the chassis is condensed, the ALR stand-in pallet truck maintains a high level of operator comfort and mobility. As well as the optical presence control (an alternative to a pedal which allows the operator to lift their foot without the vehicle braking), the truck’s compartment has a low step for easy entry, and floor dampening – minimising vibrations to reduce fatigue and helping operators to remain alert and productive through long shifts.
Working to reduce your TCO (total cost of operation)
Primary factors that we’ve discussed throughout this article such as electronic floor dampening, sustainable Li-ion technology, manoeuvrability, impressive capacity, and more, are specifically designed to reduce your TCO. Offering efficient solutions for loading and unloading along with patented systems, the UniCarriers pallet truck family is the right choice for those looking to optimise their material handling operations with our robust, reliable, and ergonomically focused vehicles.
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Smart and flexible solutions
Every business’s demands are different. That’s particularly true in terms of material handling operations. When it comes to energy, we offer flexible solutions such as different battery types, sizes, and spare batteries. UniCarriers provides an in-house system wherein we’re able to design and build bespoke battery change systems to suit your application.
Additionally, at UniCarriers, we use standardised parts. This means that the different variations of our vehicles benefit from working with interchangeable components. This ensures consistency across our range of machines, makes it significantly easier to service, fit replacements and conduct maintenance work, and increases uptime.
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Are you using hand or power-pallet trucks and is that meeting the demands of your operations? We’re focused on helping you achieve your goals by improving your material handling. If you’re ready to take the next step when it comes to loading and unloading or to discover which solution for your operations, get in touch here and one of our team will be happy to chat.
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