Moving a full pallet across a warehouse floor by hand is the job that quietly costs sites the most time and the most backs. This 2500kg manual hydraulic pallet truck is the standard trade answer: a hand pump truck with 1150mm forks that slides under a loaded pallet, lifts it clear of the floor on hydraulics and lets one person walk it wherever it needs to go. It is a plain, hard-working unit built for daily goods-in, goods-out and pick-face duty in warehouses, workshops, shops and yards. Choose the fork width that matches the pallets you actually handle and it will run for years with almost no attention.

Why it works

The lifting is done by a sealed hydraulic pump at the base of the tiller. Pumping the handle raises the forks from a lowered height of 85mm to a raised height of 200mm, which is 115mm of lift - enough to clear a typical concrete floor, expansion joints and shallow ramp lips without the load riding uncomfortably high. The 85mm lowered height is the figure that matters most at the pallet: it lets the fork tips enter standard timber pallet apertures cleanly rather than snagging on the bottom deck boards.

Running gear is nylon throughout. Two large nylon steering wheels sit either side of the pump unit and take the steering loads, while tandem nylon rollers on each fork carry the load itself. Nylon is the right choice on sealed concrete: it rolls with far less effort than solid rubber under a heavy load and it does not mark the floor. Small fork tip guide wheels ride up the pallet deck board and stop the tips digging in. The tiller carries an ergonomic handle with an anti-slip grip cover, so the truck stays controllable with gloves on or wet hands. At a rated 2500kg the frame is comfortably over-specified for the loads most sites actually move.

Where it's used

This is the everyday pallet truck for distribution warehouses and third-party logistics pick faces, factory and workshop goods-in bays, builders' merchants and trade counters, retail stockrooms and supermarket back-of-house, food and drink storage, agricultural buildings and farm shops, self-storage sites, and any commercial unit taking regular palletised deliveries. It is also the usual choice for loading and unloading curtain-sided lorries with a tail lift, and for moving stock inside vans and containers where a forklift cannot follow.

Specifications

Choosing the right option

The only decision is fork width, and it is decided by the pallets on your site, not by preference. The 685mm option is the wide-fork version and suits standard UK pallets at 1200mm x 1000mm and CHEP pallets, where the wider fork spread spreads the load across more deck boards and gives a more stable carry. The 540mm option is the narrow-fork version and is the one to pick if you handle EURO pallets at 1200mm x 800mm, because 685mm forks will not enter a EURO pallet from the 800mm face. The 540mm forks will still enter CHEP and UK pallets, so if your site sees a genuine mix of EURO and UK stock, 540mm is the safer single purchase. Fork length is 1150mm on both, sized for the 1200mm pallet run. If you are unsure, measure the aperture spacing on the pallets in your bay before ordering.

Use and care

Unpack, fit the tiller to the pump unit using the supplied pin and chain linkage, then pump the handle a dozen times with the forks empty to purge air from the hydraulics before first use. In service, always enter the pallet squarely and push the forks fully home before pumping, pull rather than push where the floor allows, and lower the load fully before leaving the truck. Keep the load centred across both forks and never exceed 2500kg. Wipe the ram clean, keep the wheels free of banding and shrink wrap, and check the pump for weeping oil every few months. Step-by-step fitting notes and the full specification table are listed further down this page.

Frequently asked questions

Will 685mm forks fit a EURO pallet? No. A EURO pallet is 800mm wide, so entry from the 800mm face needs the narrower 540mm option. If EURO stock arrives on your site, order 540mm.

Does it have a brake? No. This model is not fitted with a parking or foot brake. On a sloped yard or ramp, chock the load or specify a braked truck instead.

How much can one person realistically move? The rating is 2500kg, but effort depends on the floor. On sealed, level concrete the nylon wheels make a full 1000kg pallet comfortable for one operator. On worn tarmac or a rough yard, expect noticeably more effort.

Will the nylon wheels mark my floor? Nylon is non-marking on sealed concrete, resin and vinyl and rolls more easily under load than rubber. On soft or unsealed surfaces nylon can score, so rubber-tyred running gear is the better choice there.

Ordering and delivery

Select your fork width above and add to basket. The truck ships assembled apart from the tiller, which pins on in minutes. At around 79kg it is a two-person lift off the vehicle, so have help or a tail-lift-friendly delivery point ready. Delivery cost and lead time are confirmed at checkout.