How to Increase the Weight Capacity of Your Cart

Maybe you bought a cart some time ago, not quite properly anticipating the weight of the items you

were going to use the cart to carry around your office, store, restaurant, warehouse, factory, or other facility. Maybe you’re considering buying a new cart so you can start transporting bigger items, but you don’t really have room in the budget. Luckily, you can increase the weight capacity of your existing cart within reason for a much more affordable price than you might think.

Add a Sturdier Caster

The plate casters on your cart are largely responsible for the amount of weight the cart can safely and comfortably handle. Upgrading to a sturdier set of casters can allow you to transport hundreds, perhaps even a thousand, more pounds. Replacing worn out casters can also make a huge difference to the cart’s handling.

Swap Cart Material

Casters aren’t the only part of the cart that determines how much weight you can transport. If the cart is made of flimsy material, you can’t safely put hundreds more pounds on it. Replace or add to the cart material with something sturdier — such as solid wood or metal — to make it sturdier.

Load Differently

Put the heavier items on the bottom of the cart and your cart will be better able to handle the added weight. Having heavier items at the bottom is especially important when you’re still testing how much the cart can safely handle. If the cart tips over, you want the heavier items to have less distance to fall.

An Access Casters representative would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the reasonable weight capacity of your carts. If switching the wheels still won’t allow the cart to handle the type of weight you have in mind, we’ll recommend a cart that can, making sure it fits within your budget.

How to Get More Life out of Your Pallet Jack

Pallet jacks are no cheap investment, but if you operate a warehouse, factory, or other large facility,

they’re simply a must for moving items, accepting deliveries, and preparing products for distribution. However, like with a lot of equipment, the more use they get, the less of a lifespan they have. Make your investment go further with pallet jacks that simply last longer between replacements.

Replace the Wheels

Replace your pallet jack wheels on a regular basis; the more often you use the equipment, the more often you should change them. Replace them even before you notice extreme wear and tear, as newer wheels will allow the jack to operate more smoothly. For example, with better tread, the equipment won’t need to be pushed as hard and won’t wear out its other parts as quickly.

Replace Other Parts

Replace the wheels most often — depending on how much use the equipment gets, somewhere between once a year and once every few months — but also change the other parts on a semi-regular basis. For example, brackets and sockets can get worn, especially if the jack operates under wet conditions and rust starts eating away at the parts. When these parts are replaced, the wheels last longer and the jack is useful for longer.

Clean the Jack Regularly

Grime, dust, mud, metal shavings, and other small debris can get caught in the jack’s undercarriage and wheels and impede the operation of the jack or cause it to need to be replaced sooner. Clean the jacks on a regular basis but also be sure to dry them off thoroughly so the parts don’t rust.