Best Pallet Truck Reviews 2018

A pallet truck is used to move pallets in and around warehouses. There are so many models and types of pallet trucks, so to help you choose the best pallet truck, we have here a list of the top 5 brands with the best pallet trucks in the market. And though this review is carried out on one product per brand, kindly note that the featured brands still have other great pallet trucks that you may want to check out from the links provided in this review.

Overview

PROS

CONS

SPECS

Load Capacity

Height

Material

Weight

Wheels

Our Top Choice

Mighty Lift Specialty Pallet Jacks Trucks

Mighty Lift Incorporated is a reputable company that manufactures high quality state-of-the-art material handling equipment with stringent quality checks.

Its small footprint ensures a smooth and easy pallet entry and exit while the overload release valve prevents loading up weights beyond its capacity.

The buyer has to assemble this pallet jack on his or her own.

5,500 pounds

2.9” min; 7.5” max

High tensile steel

200 pounds

7 x 2”; 210 ̊

Best Value

JET 27-Inch by 48-Inch Pallet Truck

The Jet Tools Incorporated is the go-to brand for the manufacture of wood and metal works and material handling equipment tailored to meet customers’ needs.

Its low profile build makes it ideal for picking pallets at ground level and the ball-like overload protection valve prevents lifting loads beyond its capacity.

This pallet truck is more expensive than some of the others in the industry.

5,500 pounds

2.5” min; 6.3” max

Cast iron

196 pounds

2.35x3.75”; 210 ̊

SAGA 5,500-Pound Pallet Jack Scale

SAGA manufactures top notch, classic and ergonomic tools and material handling equipment that are highly functional, with distinguishing and high-end features.

Its digital scale display shows the weight of the loaded item with accuracy to avoid overloading and its rechargeable battery makes it easy to use anywhere.

The manual isn’t too helpful.

6,600 pounds

2.5” min; 6.3” max

Cast iron

200 pounds

7x3”; 220 ̊

Crown PTH Heavy-Duty Pallet Jack

Crown is a well-respected brand that manufactures innovative and world-class forklift and hand pallet products with excellent after-sales customer service.

Its reinforced handle has a shape and thickness that makes for optimum efficiency and the well placed metal ramps and rollers ensure enough traction.

The only thing you need with this pallet jack is a solid warehouse worker.

5,000 pounds

5” max

Heavy gauge steel

159 pounds

7x3”; 200 ̊

Roughneck Extra-Long Pallet Truck

Roughneck produces quality and durable material handling equipment and accessories including products in other categories like home improvement and tools.

Its extra-long forks makes it an ideal candidate for lifting up longer pallets and the twin rollers at the fork tips makes pallet entry and exit real easy.

This pallet truck has a smaller load capacity than the others.

4,400 pounds

3.4” min; 7.9” max

Steel

267 pounds

7x3”; 200 ̊

(Updated June 1, 2017)

Skip ahead and go directly to the reviews.

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Watch Our Pallet Truck Review

How Do I Choose the Best Pallet Truck?

Lifting heavy loads is one stressful task that nobody enjoys doing, well except for weight lifters who take it as a way of life. Nowadays, there’s so much equipment designed specifically to lift and move loads; from forklifts to pallet trucks and everything in-between. You'll also want to make sure you've got your hard hat and steel toe cap work boots handy if you plan to use your pallet truck in a warehouse.

There are two types of pallet trucks – the mechanical type and the manual type. The mechanical type is usually powered with electricity and used for large warehouses and establishments. This review is focused on manual pallet trucks, also known as pallet jacks, pallet pumps or jiggers. The manual pallet truck generally employs a pump and piston or hydraulic jack action to raise its forks so as to lift a pallet. For a small to medium scale warehouse, a manual or hand powered pallet truck would be sufficient. With a manual pallet truck, you need not bother yourself with wires, adapters and all other peripherals needed for an electrical connection. It’s quite portable and versatile that you can take it anywhere your job takes you, be it in a truck, van or shopping aisle.

There are a lot of factors you need to consider when you plan on buying a brand new pallet truck. These factors include the fork length, the weight of the pallet jack, lift height, capacity, and wheels and of course, price of the unit. These factors are well treated in this review so we entreat you to stay with us.

Price

A pallet truck is a serious investment and a piece of equipment for which you wouldn’t want to throw away good money. Just like many other products in the market, the higher and trendier the features and design, the more the cost of a pallet truck. On the other hand, there are some really important features that do affect the price of a unit and you’d be better off not skimping on those if you’re really looking to get a great and durable pallet truck. So, one needs to map out a budget that will be sufficient to buy a pallet truck that will at least do the job for which it was bought, satisfactorily.

Depending on the brand and features, the cost of a pallet truck can range from $400 to around $900, and the brands we’ve featured here are all trusted and reputable. During our research, we stumbled on some cheap pallet trucks but we didn’t bother including them here because we know they’re made from materials that are likely to fail in no time. So, keep reading.

Features

Buying the right pallet truck is of paramount importance, but it can become an arduous hunt if you don’t know what to look out for. To make the selection easier, we looked at some features that make for a great pallet truck.
Here are some of those features to look out for:

Fork size
Weight of the pallet truck unit
Lift height
Capacity
Wheels
Any extra feature

Construction and Design

The right pallet truck length makes a world of difference in how much value the pallet truck adds to your work schedule. Buying a pallet truck whose forks are too long makes maneuvering the unit around your warehouse quite difficult and downright frustrating. This will surely affect how much work you get done with it, which might not be as much as you ought to, all things being equal. Pallet trucks are designed with different fork sizes, with the most common dimension being 27 inches by 48 inches. The length of the pallet truck fork goes a long way in determining what it can and cannot lift, thus you should have a fair idea as to the average length or size of the loads you usually work with so you can make the right choice of a pallet truck with the right fork size for you.

Different pallet trucks have different weight capacities. Mostly the load limit ranges from 2,200 pounds to about 6,600 pounds. There are still some heavy duty pallet trucks that take up to 8,000 pounds of load, like one of our featured products. It’s important to purchase a pallet truck whose maximum weight capacity is more than the weight of the loads you deal with. Buying a pallet truck with lower weight capacity will result in equipment breakdown or damage to your products or whatever you’re carrying.

The average lift height of a pallet jack is 3 inches at the lowest point and about 7 ¾ inches at the highest point. Some pallet trucks lift higher than others but then, you need to be careful, as some pallet trucks tend to tip over at certain heights if they’re carrying heavy loads. There are low profile pallet trucks that can go lower than the standard 3 inches, which are ideal for picking up low lying pallets.

Performance and Ease of Use

When using a pallet truck, keep in mind that you’re moving around the combined weight of the pallet truck unit and the load it’s carrying. So it’s better to go for a pallet truck that is lightweight. It also makes it easier to move it around from one place to another. The weight of the pallet truck unit may also adversely affect the surface on which you’re moving or transporting it because it will add weight to the load and increase pressure on the surface.

The wheels on a pallet truck have a big role to play in the performance and ease of operation of the unit. It performs a dual role of protection and maneuvering. Its primary and most obvious role is to ensure your load gets from point A to point B safely. A pallet has two sets of wheels on it. The first set are the steer wheels that rotate between 180 degrees to a 210 degrees radius, depending on the particular product. The steer wheel makes the pallet truck flexible, nimble and increases its maneuverability. The second set is the rollers attached to the tips of the twin forks. The rollers help direct the movement of the unit, making for easy pallet entry and exit. Another role the wheels play is to protect the surface or floor on which the pallet truck is rolled on. An ideal pallet truck would have the wheels covered in a smooth and durable polyurethane material that protects the floors and surfaces. For an unstained warehouse floor, it’s advisable to get a pallet truck with polyurethane covered wheels.

Almost all pallet trucks come with an overload protector that ensures you don’t unknowingly load the equipment beyond its maximum capacity. Pallet trucks have hand control lever that is extremely easy to operate. Most of them are strategically positioned for quick and easy access, and it works by controlling the raising and lowering of the forks for loading and offloading of pallets.

What is the Best Pallet Truck?

To select a great pallet truck, so many factors need to be considered, some of which we’ve already gone through. Since you have finished with our buying guide, you should be able to pick the pallet truck that will work best for your purpose. Now, let’s go to our individual product reviews…

Our Top Choice

The Mighty Lift Narrow Specialty Pallet Jacks Trucks has a small foot print, an ergonomic handle with protective and shock-proof coating and adjustable push rods, all of which making for a pallet jack that’s incredibly simple to use. For a heavy duty variation, see the Mighty Lift ML55 Heavy Duty Pallet Jack, which is both wider and longer than the featured product.

Mighty Lift Narrow Specialty 20" x 36" Fork Pallet Jacks Truck with 5,500 Pounds Capacity

Mighty Lift Pallet Truck ML2036

Features

Mighty Lift Incorporated was established in 1997 to manufacture state-of-the-art material handling equipment of the highest quality in North America. Its products undergo stringent quality checks which have earned them a strong reputation as one of the top rated products in the industry. It prides itself with its excellent customer service support that’s always on standby to attend to customer’s requests and to ensure on time delivery. It’s always on the lookout for new means of solving customers’ needs through innovative product designs.

The Mighty Lift Narrow Specialty Pallet Jacks Trucks allows you to easily move and maneuver small-base heavy loads. It’s a high quality, durable product that’s guaranteed to last for a long time while getting the job done without much stress on your part. Its construction material makes it easy to move around and the small footprint ensures it gets in and out of narrow spaces easily enough.
Here are some of its important features:

Ergonomically designed handle with a protective and shock-proof coating for better handling
Has an overload release valve that opens up and prevents the pallet truck from overloading, extending its life span
Manufactured from high tensile steel with an extra reinforced fork for added strength and toughness
Its German seal kit makes for stress-free, smooth and extremely quick lifting and lowering processes
Has a galvanized, single pallet truck pump which is highly durable and able to withstand extreme or harsh environment or work conditions
Its push rods are adjustable, to compensate for uneven wear and also can be adjusted to even level forks
Out-fitted with extra entry and exit rollers for nimble pallet movement, extra foot control which increases user’s efficiency and provides more safety
10 extra grease fittings on different points on the pallet truck frame for more lubrication and maintenance
Has a weight capacity of 5,500 pounds and the wheels are made of polyurethane-covered steel

Other pallet trucks from Mighty Lift are available if you want more options, so check them out.

Best Value

The JET 27-Inch by 48-Inch Pallet Truck is efficient, has a low profile build, steering wheels made of poly-covered aluminum and an easy to use control lever. If you’re looking for a pallet truck with higher load-lifting capacity of 6000 pounds, then you should check the JET PTW-2748 Pallet Truck; it has the additional bonus of coming in five different sizes.

JET 27-Inch by 48-Inch 5,500-Pound Capacity Pallet Truck

JET Pallet Truck PTX-2748

Features

Jet Tools Incorporated is concerned with the manufacture of wood and metal works, including material handling equipment. Its products are tailored to meet customers’ specific needs and it’s the go-to brand for innovative, high quality and durable equipment and tools for professionals and novices alike. Its customer service is top notch and the customer service personnel are always willing to attend to customers’ requests and complaints.

The JET 27-Inch by 48-Inch Pallet Truck is a compact and efficient pallet truck that helps you move loaded pallets around the warehouse. It’s built for heavy duty performance, with a large load capacity and lightweight design.

Here are its notable features:

It has a low profile build and design which make it easy to pick up a pallet from the ground level
Manufactured from welded and top quality steel with a long lasting powder coat finishing
Its built for heavy lifting with maximum load capacity of 5500 pounds and an extendable cylinder pump
Its steering wheels are made of polyurethane-covered aluminum and the pallet rollers are covered with nylon, to facilitate easy and smooth entry and exit while lifting loads
The controlling lever has a finger-tip design that is easy to use and allows a one handed operation
Its 210 degrees turning radius allows for more flexibility in spinning the pallet in different directions without exerting much pressure
The ball-like overload protection valve ensures it doesn’t lift weights that weigh above the maximum load capacity
It has a top-stroke release valve that prevents cylinder extension past the stated maximum height
The fork tips are rounded, the pump piston and ram is chrome-plated and hardened to be corrosion-resistant and suited for different working conditions

If this isn’t what you had in mind, Jet Tools has more pallet truck options, so why not have a look?

The SAGA Pallet Jack Scale has maximum weight capacity of 5,500 pounds, an accurate digital scale LCD display, a built-in unit converter, blunt-tipped forks. For a pallet truck with a greater weight capacity, see the SAGA 6600lb x 1lb Pallet Jack, which also comes with a thermal printer.

SAGA Pallet Jack Scale 5,500-pound Pallet Jack With Digital Scale

SAGA Pallet Truck PJS-5500

Features

SAGA manufactures top notch, classic and highly functional tools and material handling equipment. Its products are unique, with features that distinguish them and set them apart from others in the industry. It strives to always meet the expectations of customers by solving their problems promptly.

The SAGA Pallet Jack Scale is a high-end, digital equipment that’s designed to make load movement and weight determination easier and more precise. Its quick, accurate and an economical way of measuring weights of incoming and outgoing loads at the dock or the warehouse. At the same time, it’s used to move them from one point to another.

Here are some of its distinguishing features:

A heavy duty construction design that can take up to 5,500-pound loads
Has an LCD screen digital display scale with ZERO and TARE functions that let you determine accurately the weight of the load to avoid overloading it
Comes with a built-in unit converter that allows for conversion of weight values from pounds to kilogram and vice versa
The forks are designed with blunt tips for hitch-free and smooth entry and exit during load lifting
A rechargeable battery that allows you use the pallet truck anywhere, regardless of whether there’s a power outlet available or not
Constructed in the USA for US pallets
Comes with four high quality alloy load cells that facilitates accurate weight readings even in full capacity range
Has a one-year limited product warranty

There are more pallet truck models from SAGA if you’d like to see some other options.

The Crown PTH Heavy-Duty Pallet Jack features C-channel forks, box-styled push rods, 200 degrees rotating steer wheels and 5 inches lift height. For a truck pallet with a 50-pound capacity load tray attached, you may like to check the Crown PTH Pallet Jack with Load Tray.

Crown PTH Heavy-Duty Pallet Jack / Hand Pallet Truck 27x48 5000-Pound

Crown Pallet Truck PTH 50 27-48

Features

Crown is a well-respected brand and a world leader in the forklift and material handling equipment industry. This achievement can be credited to its innovative and world-class forklift and hand pallet products, which have almost all their component parts manufactured by the company’s well-skilled engineers. Its products range from hand pallet trucks to highest turret forklifts and every piece of equipment in between used in material handling. With operator-centered design, its products are set to make work more productive, fast and safe. Its customer service is top notch, with an excellent team that follows up on after sales checks and services.

The Crown PTH Heavy-Duty Pallet Jack is constructed from steel, mostly at critical pressure points, for long lasting high performance. It comes with a reinforced lower handle, resilient C-channel forks and push rods that are boxy-styled all geared towards enhancing the durability of the equipment.

Its notable features include:

Its designed for optimum performance, with the shape and thickness of the handle and the strategically placed lever that lets you operate the equipment without stress
The steer and load wheels are made from high quality components, the steer wheels rotate 200 degrees, which makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces
The pallet entry and exit is made a lot easier by the well placed metal ramps and rollers designed to have even and optimum contact with any surface where its being wheeled
It has a pump valve design that reduces chances of contaminations and self-lubricating bushings that minimize maintanance
Its hydraulic system is top notch, and geared for optimum performance with its over one million tested cycles
The hand-control lever has three functional positions: raise, lower and neutral. These 3 positions are easily achieved with just a light flick of the finger
It has a maximum load capacity of 5000 pounds and a maximum lift height of 5 inches
Replacement parts are easily available for simple servicing, with a 1-year factory warranty

If you don’t like this pallet truck, check out the other pallet trucks by Crown.

The Roughneck Extra-Long Pallet Truck features a 72-inch extended fork length with narrowed ends and polyurethane-covered steer wheels with a 210 degrees turning radius. If you need some long lasting replacement wheels for your pallet truck, then have a look at the Roughneck Pallet Truck Replacement Wheels.

Roughneck Extra-Long Pallet Truck with 4,400-Lb. Capacity

Roughneck Pallet Truck 143853R

Features

Roughneck produces high quality and durable material handling equipment and accessories. It also manufactures other products in various categories such as home improvement, automotive parts, and general tools. Its products are known for their stylish designs, quality builds and long lasting usefulness.

The Roughneck Extra-Long Pallet Truck has forks that extend up to 72 inches long with narrowed ends which make it well suited for lifting up longer pallets. Its twin rollers at the tip of the forks make entry and exit a breezy affair with steering wheels that can easily turn 210 degrees. It features a finger-tip controlled lever to raise or lower the pallet, polyurethane covered steer wheels that are highly durable and a maximum load capacity of 4400 pounds.

Other Roughneck truck pallets that might interest you include:

The Roughneck Pallet Truck - 5,500-pound capacity has its piston rod made from welded cylinder for more stability and heavy duty double rollers for easy entry and exit
Roughneck Low-Profile Pallet Truck - 4,400-pound capacity has a powder coat finishing that’s durable with a low height profile that makes it ideal for picking up low-lying pallets easily
Roughneck Pallet Truck with Shrink Wrap Holder - 8,000-pound capacity is an extra heavy duty equipment that handles loads of up to 8,000 pounds. It features nylon-covered twin nose guide rollers for easy pallet entry and exit, a steel reinforced fork and heavy duty support frame and a shrink wrap holder built into the top of the frame
Roughneck High-Lifting Hydraulic Pallet Truck - 2,200-pound capacity features steer wheels with 180 degrees turning radius, a standard jack truck control, 2,200 pounds maximum weight capacity and a rounded-corner design that doesn’t leave scratch marks on walls, pallets, boxes and other objects

If this isn’t what you had in mind, Roughneck has other truck pallet you may want to have a look at.

Get the Best Pallet Truck of 2018!

Now that you’ve managed to go through all our hefty content, and have learned about some of the best pallet trucks in the industry today, we’re sure that you’re now adequately informed to choose the best pallet truck for yourself. So go ahead and place that order!

Our Top Choice

Mighty Lift Specialty Pallet Jacks Trucks

Best Value

JET 27-Inch by 48-Inch Pallet Truck

SAGA 5,500-Pound Pallet Jack Scale

Crown PTH Heavy-Duty Pallet Jack

Roughneck Extra-Long Pallet Truck