Hand trucks simplify the otherwise laborious process of moving heavy loads. Also known as a hand trolley, they feature an L-shaped frame with wheels on the bottom. You can stack objects on a hand truck. You can then roll the hand truck to the desired location. While all hand trucks use a similar design, though, some of them are convertible.
What Is a Convertible Hand Truck?
A convertible hand truck is a type of hand truck that can be converted into a dolly. They look like most other hand trucks. Convertible hand trucks feature an L-shaped frame with wheels on the bottom. But only convertible hand trucks can be converted into a dolly.
You can essentially turn a convertible hand truck into a dolly by making some minor adjustments to it. You can then convert it back into a hand truck. Convertible hand trucks live up to their namesake by featuring a convertible design.
How Convertible Hand Trucks Work
Convertible hand trucks work by supporting adjustments that turn them into a dolly. Dollies and hand trucks aren’t the same. Hand trucks feature an L-shaped frame. They have a long and vertical frame. At the bottom of the frame is a nose plate, which is the surface on which you place the load.
Dollies, on the other hand, are simply wheeled platforms. They feature a square- or rectangular-shaped base with wheels on the bottom. You can place objects on this large base, after which you can roll the dolly. Some dollies may have a vertical frame similar to that of a hand truck. By definition, however, a dolly is a wheeled platform.
Different convertible hand trucks use different conversion methods. Some of them may feature a separate bar that, when lowered, will serve as the wheeled base. On other convertible hand trucks, you can lower the L-shaped frame to create the wheeled base.
Reasons to Choose a Convertible Hand Truck
Some material handling applications call for a dolly. Dollies are better suited for wide objects. If an object is too wide, it may not fit on the nose plate of a hand truck. An alternative solution is to place the object on a dolly. Dollies have a large base that supports wide objects.
You can save money by choosing a convertible hand truck. You won’t have to purchase a hand truck and dolly separately. Instead, you can purchase a single convertible hand truck. If you need to use a dolly, you just need to convert it.
