is there a maximum safe or recommended (or even legislated) weight to have on any one pallet that is expected to be manouvered with a pump-up hand barrow?
The reason I ask is I did a day’s agency work on shop multidrops, and had 3 pallets of beer, that were 9x 18-packs of 500ml cans per layer, making 108 litres per layer plus tins, plastic, cardboard so about 3kg on top there per layer, making 112ish kg per level… stacked 8 high on 2 and 9 on the other - `a total of about 890kg plus pallet weight on 2 and a smidge over a metric tonne plus pallet on the other.
my back is aching like made just from trying to get any momentum to move the things onto the tail-lift, let alone then doing it again up the little concrete ramps into storage areas
didn’t help that one of the stacks as well, had to ber pushed through a 3-inch deep layer of fallen leaves, grinding me to a halt several times
The heaviest pallets we carry are the McDougals flour, 91 cases on a pallet which weighs in at 1.1 ton. And sometimes we have to pump them to the back of a box trailer
Gordo if you struggle shifting them ask a member of the shop staff for help. if they wont help just tell them they aint getting there delivery as you cant move it on your own, they will either A/ muck in and help you or B/ watch you drive off into the sunset one thing i will say to you is dont under any circumstances [zb] yourself up doing the job you wont get any thanks for it and thats you out of work
I dont think there is a min/max weight for a pallet truck but i think most pallet trucks are weighted between 1500 and 2500 kg’s
Did/Does the pump truck have a plate or label on it saying the max weight it is designed to carry? I’m sure I’ve seen that on pump trucks, and forklift trucks have to have that by law ofcourse.
robinhood_1984:
Did/Does the pump truck have a plate or label on it saying the max weight it is designed to carry? I’m sure I’ve seen that on pump trucks, and forklift trucks have to have that by law ofcourse.
Most pump trucks I’ve seen can carry up to 2500kgs,although I’m sure there’ll be others that can carry more.
Flour is bloody heavy. So is peat at 1.2t per pallet.
Every time I’ve done the multi-drop food deliveries I’ve moaned about that too. It’s OK for the loaders with their electric pallet trucks. The managers don’t give a stuff either. Sadly you’ve just got togrin and bear it in most cases, or do what some agency staff I’ve seen do - tell em to stick their job and walk out. Although I wouldn’t recommend it.
You will learn techniques to help yourself out as you go, like asking the boy at the back door of the shop for a hand. They are sometimes sympathetic as they have to put up with it too. Sometimes.
Good luck with it, but don’t put your back out, it ain’t worth it. If the worst comes to the worst, hand-ball a couple of layers on to an empty pallet.
1 tonne pallets are normal stuff on UK pallets and should be able to move with a pump truck. If the truck has air suspension then lower it slightly to help get things moving, but not to much so you can’t stop. Also a good pallet truck will move easily, but some of them get abused and end up with square wheels and twisted forks, if you are given one like that then refuse to use it and has been said don’t be afraid to ask for a push.
You would have loved my last two days then, Gordo!!
I loaded 26 pallets of tomatoes and cucumbers at Southampton Dock last night with a pumper … took them to Manchester market … pumped them all off. Then for my reload today, I went to Nelson and pumped another 26 pallets of soft drinks on for Tesco’s in the morning!! Thank God, they haven’t got to be pumped off as well. The soft drinks are well heavy … as evidenced by the flat spot at the bottom of my tyres.
Its simple really.tailboard delivery only…well thats my motto…you drive …you deliver…and they carry it in…i wouldnt even think about a job where you have to deliver into the premises…mate of mine tried out a job with bookers…turned ou that the first week was training…the job would have involved not only driving…but delivering the goods to places where you even had to take it up several floors…by lift…and then stacking it either on the floor.or in the fridges…so he had an easy week…then told them to stuff it…ha ha and got paid…i only got caught once when a patel family said he would give me a good drink if i helped then offered a large bottle of R whites lemonade for my trouble…now pound notes make me take notice…but only if given beforehand…and i certainly wouldnt sacrifice my health…for no one…so if that is your job…and the pallet is too heavy…then you need help…or another good rule is let one go over the back of the trailer…with pump truck.(especialy if its not your one)…just say it was too heavy to stop it…also another rule is if it was loaded by fork truck…then it comes off by the same method…
have a nice day
inexperience I’m afraid. only delivery work I’d done before was a bit over a week for a farm firm who loaded for you, then drive to an RDC type site up to a bay, red light on, leave em to it, drive off on the green. prior to that, just delivering the vehicles themselves on trade plates.
never used a pump truck so took a bit to figure out the dynamics of steering, spinning etc.
1st shop (with leaves) were useless. good at standing and staring and saying “that looks wrong” but thin on ideas and helping hands. got upity when I decided to handball the top half of the 1st pallet off as well.
I’ll know for next time I suppose, and won’t make the mistake of pushing and pulling too hard on my own…
Cos I feel like I’ve had a beating this morning. not felt so sore since the [zb] of the school and his 3 mates doled out a beating for going with his girlfriend after the disco in our last year of high school
I think I’m correct in saying that under H & S law you are responsible for your own H & S. thus if you feel unsafe doing something & refuse due to H & S concerns there’s zb all they can do about it.
It also looks bad on them if they try to push you to do something that you had refused to do, as you felt it was unsafe, often a simple are you telling me its safe & are YOU prepared to take the legal responsibility for YOUR decision is all it takes to get their backing.
But basically If in doubt don’t, it’s you health, it’s your safety, it’s not your goods that you are delivering, so look after yourself first & thier goods second.
with working on nettos i deal with heavy pallets all the time. i think the aim is to load pallets up to a ton, although i do think have had pallets heavier than that especially the beer pallets . having said that though all the staff i have come across at netto stores have been there to help if i have asked for it, but this i think could be that i do the same for them if i see them struggle i always jump down and give them a push…which is why i don’t get much trouble from any of the staff as they see me as helpful.
i have been told i am not insured if i jump down and help them, but hey thats my good natured side coming out and i wouldnt moan if i did as they jump up and help and are in same postion as me. i always live by the motto treat people how you would expect to be treated yourself.
Occasionally have to deliver rolls of food packaging film at approx 1.3 tonnes and have to hand pump truck them onto the truck and off at the other end.
Makes things difficult on a 7.5 tonner as the pallet is around 7 feet tall and can’t be placed at the front bulkhead as it would put it overweight on the front so use 2 stacks of pallets as spacers to move it back into the load bay but have to be careful as the total load is usually over 2 tonnes and 20 blue pallets aren’t exactly light.
Try a pallet of sugar. now they are heavy. Never delivered any but dealt with a few in my younger days in the supermarket game. Soemthing like 15 1kg bags per case and about 15 per layer stacked god knows how high
i get at least one pallet of sugar every delivery i make bones, yes i can vouch for that they are bloody heavy you put it on tailift and you can see it really straining to hold it.
I have strained many of times to hold it
The lack of toilet facilities in the UK demand that that is a pre-requsit for the job of a long distant lorry driver!
. having said that though all the staff i have come across at netto stores have been there to help if i have asked for it, but this i think could be that i do the same for them if i see them struggle i always jump down and give them a push…which is why i don’t get much trouble from any of the staff as they see me as helpful.