Pallet jack purchase. which one to buy??

drivesitfar · Aug 13, 2014

I am and have been looking for a pallet jack for a while now and was close to buying a Toyota for $200 used that was a 5500 weight limit, a scratch and dent new Jet for $250, a Harbor Freight 10 year old one for $125 only used in a home's shop and a few more i can't recall now. i still have yet to own one and i seem to be needing one more often then not lately.

so Harbor Freight has one for $249 (i have yet to buy anything from them though) and Northern tool has one somebody recommended from $179- $499 shipped. i'm sure there are many others so want to hear what brands you like the best and why so i can make a decent purchase either on a used one or why i should buy a new one and which one is the best bang for the buck so to speak?

also if i end up buying a used one especially are they very easy to repair?

i did do a search of GJ and the last thread i could find on this subject was 3 years old so wondering if things might have changed since then.

Mohawk Dave · Aug 13, 2014

I bought a Bishamon (sp?) from CL for $30 that needed rebuilt....Hiball helped me locate the rebuild kit- there's a thread somewhere. But I never did it as life got in the way, so I flipped it for $80.

Anyway, maybe check CL. My CL is very active, IDK if yours is. But the rebuild appeared to be pretty straight forward.

Hiball · Aug 13, 2014

A lot of People claim Crown is the King of Pallet Jacks, But from a Service Standpoint there a lot of Models that are Easier and Cheaper to work on. Similar to Floor Jacks, One of the Main differences between the Cheaper models and Quality ones is the type of Seal used on the Main Ram and Pump Piston, Rule of thumb (Not Always) is find a Pallet jack that Utilizes Wipers on both of those areas and it should have Ucup in both areas. If you need Parts or Breakdowns, Its hard to beat the people at Generic Parts Service, They are very Knowledgeable people and Hard to beat on there Prices.

drivesitfar · Aug 13, 2014

Dave: thanks for the tip on Craigslist and if you knew how many items I've bought and sold on there you would roll your eyes maybe. yes I do like Craigs, but i also like quality so usually try to find that if possible. i'm not quite as handy as some of the members that can take a piece of steel, 4 wheels and some parts and have a machine running down the road 100 MPH in a couple days so I'm hoping to find a quality one. either one well taken care of or new that i can use next week to move a 1000 pound table off my trailer into my shop.

HiBall: I'm happy to see a post from you and if you have any brands to recommend that have the parts you mentioned that would be great because i doubt i'll buy one to restore on this first pallet jack purchase. is older well taken care of usually better? are there a few other quality brands besides Crown that are decent? do they have a shelf life even if they are taken care of and is that about 10 or 20 years before they will need a rebuild?

thanks

Spudland_Dave · Aug 13, 2014

I've got one, 5500lb...never paid attention to the name, got it locally for dirt cheap. Singlehandedly one of the best "tools" in the shop. move things around effortlessly. The other day I came home to find my 4 year old had moved the steel workbench I am building across the garage himself (the bench weighs 250lbs+ at the moment I would wager).
Pallet jacks are so simple and relatively cheap, I wouldnt put too much thought into it. When I was shopping they fell into 2 categories...Rode hard and put away wet...spent time outdoors, in the back of trucks, etc... or others were used indoors to haul pallets of paper and other clean stuff. Mine was like new when I got it.

Hiball · Aug 13, 2014

drivesitfar said:
HiBall: I'm happy to see a post from you and if you have any brands to recommend that have the parts you mentioned that would be great because i doubt i'll buy one to restore on this first pallet jack purchase. is older well taken care of usually better? are there a few other quality brands besides Crown that are decent? do they have a shelf life even if they are taken care of and is that about 10 or 20 years before they will need a rebuild?

thanks

There are Tons of Brands out there, Not to mention the Rebranded ones. Some of the Bigger players off the top of my Head are Atlas, Bishamon, Pallet Master/Mule, Multiton, Blue Giant. Everything has some Shelf Life, Anything that uses Poly Seals will start to age from Day 1 and without actually tearing into the Unit its hard to tell the condition of the Seals, It could be Sealing 100% 1 day and crumble to pieces the Next. One of the Big Expense's is Wheels, Keep a Eye on the Steering wheels and make sure the Load wheels aren't all beat to **** also, As Previously Mentioned stay away from any units that have seen time outdoors.

Hope this Helps.

drivesitfar · Aug 13, 2014

HiBall: so keeping away from the ones used outside or kept outside and thanks for the tip. it sounds like the all the wheels are very important to be in great shape on a used one. would it probably be better to buy a pallet jack used in a warehouse or shop that doesn't have cracks and an uneven floor as opposed to one that has the cracks?

good point about the working one day fine and then just not working. since these are tools. can almost any of them be fixed for a reasonable amount of money if they weren't abused? i'm thinking under $100 for parts for most any fix unless some part of the frame is broken. is that about right?

on a scale of 1 being something most any teenager could fix and 10 where you need to take it to the company that made it to fix it can you give me a number on the difficulty of fixing a pallet jack? yearly or monthly maintenance and what is that?

ALL: these questions are some i have and not just for HiBall if you know the answers to any or all of them.

drivesitfar · Aug 17, 2014

All: anybody have a favorite NEW pallet jack they like or know of any? also which ones to stay away from buying? i don't have many options for used ones, but if i come across one that needs a little work is there a good one to work on?

Jim in Wis · Aug 17, 2014

I spent 35 years keeping a fleet of electric lifts trucks running in a warehouse, and saw a LOT of hand pallet jacks come and go. They are so cheap that it is easy to spend more fixing it than a new one would cost. It usually wasn't the pump that was the problem, it was the lift linkage becoming so worn out that it lifted crooked or hardly at all at the tips. We had a lot of Crown equipment, and their pallet jacks weren't their best product for sure! If anyone sees an old green Raymond that pumps up with a kick pedal, buy it - they were industrucable.
If you're looking at a used one, tip it on it's side and grab the load wheels to see if they spin ok and if there is any play in the lift linkage. Also make sure the legs aren't bent from someone trying to pick up something with one side.
These things can have a real hard life, like falling off loading docks with a pallet of stuff on it.
Some of the brands had a pull rod - the rod that pulls the load wheels up - that was real flimsy and I saw some that actually used a push rod instead of a pull rod. That was a dumb design, the rod buckles under pressure.

Ign · Aug 17, 2014

I've got the HF one, got it w a coupon for maybe $180 ish back around '08. Works great for my occasional needs.

drivesitfar · Aug 17, 2014

Jim: great stuff and thanks for all the tips.

IGN: i almost bought a HF 10 year old one from a private owner off of Craigs for $125 that was a 90 minute drive. even though he said it worked great i had my doubts it still would and he had it in his garage just moving books and boxes around.

i called him back a few days later when i wasn't finding anything and it had sold. good to know i had some good thinking although a bit slow to pull the trigger.

any good deals available this week like a coupon or sale on a quality one since Craigs is slim pickings?

MagnumForce · Aug 18, 2014

We use "Little Mules" exclusively at the plant. If they deal with the abuse and heavy use in a factory they will do a guy in in his garage with obtuse very well.

turbowoodworker · Aug 18, 2014

I have the HF model, picked it up three years ago, less than 200 as I recall. Works well, no issues.

nes999 · Aug 18, 2014

Our Harber freight one at work is about 14 years old now and its used pretty regularly.

drivesitfar · Aug 19, 2014

I've heard the older HF pallet jacks work great, but weren't they built in Taiwan and the new ones are from China?

HF price now is $249 and if a couple members can say it's a good machine i'll buy it even though I've never shopped there. also i hear of coupons all the time is there a code i can find to save a couple bucks?

thanks guys and any other suggestions or has anybody recently bought the new HF one?

drivesitfar · Aug 19, 2014

ALL: i have a chance to buy this Crown for $100. it appears to be a good quality one and owner says it works great. anybody see any issues from the pictures or should i be concerned about it being used on that rough cement?

Charles (in GA) · Aug 19, 2014

I realized the need for one the day my used/waste oil furnace system was delivered to me. The one on the liftgate delivery truck was a POS that leaked very badly. It took us a half hour to do a ten minute job of unloading. I went straight in the house and got on Craigslist, found lots of pallet jacks for $150 and all on the north side, 80 or more miles away. Found one on the south side, about 20 minutes away and $100. Called, left a message, guy called right back. Met him at his house in about an hour and picked it up. Was a locksmith who had bought it new from Northern Tool to move safes with. Sold all the safes, quit dealing in them, wanted it out of the way.

JUST buy one, one that works, doesn't leak and doesn't look like a POS, and you will be fine. You are obsessing over weight limits, brands, features, COO, and that is keeping you from having and using one..... just get it..... and don't look back.

The Crown is a good brand, if decent condition, get it. You can find new wheels and rollers on the internet when you finally need them. You really want a good working hydraulics however, as its not worth fixing the hydraulics.

Charles

Grigg · Aug 19, 2014

drivesitfar said:
ALL: i have a chance to buy this Crown for $100. it appears to be a good quality one and owner says it works great. anybody see any issues from the pictures or should i be concerned about it being used on that rough cement?

looks good to me, price is excellent!
Just look it over in person for anything wrong that may have been missed in the pictures.

I have a used Crown, think I spent just a little more than $100 on it and it has been money very well spent to say the least. Had I known how handy a pallet jack would be I'd have bought a new one at full price a long time ago.

sberry · Aug 19, 2014

I got to agree with Charles, buy one that works and you will be good to go, don't worry about the rest of it. Even if its 3/4 worn out it will last a home brew crew a lifetime. I fixed a couple wheels on the one I have and havnt done anything to it for 20 yrs.
Works super for paint work.

drivesitfar · Aug 19, 2014

All: that's just it i'm not sure how much i'll actually use one. i have a hand crank lift to get things into my trailer if i load up a pallet on top of another empty pallet.

i really only need one this week to move a 1300 pound surface plate on a stand into my garage and once it is in place i'll probably never move it again. so rent on or borrow one for a day and i hate renting stuff if i think i can use one.

the thing about me is quality and at almost 60 i'd rather buy something i can use until i pass on or hand down to one of my kids or sell. i did miss the Crown this am because i was on the phone when he called me so i bet he called the next guy on his list. i was concerned the tires might be bad because of all the rough cement it is used on and since it's rusty i'm pretty sure it sat outside quit a bit and it rains a lot up here in the NW.

thanks for all the comments and i'm sure i'll buy one if only to move the surface plate, but i know it might be easier to roll a pallet up my ramp onto the trailer too than using the little lift.

sberry · Aug 19, 2014

I use it for the plow, have most of my shelves or cabs movable. Raised the lower shelf on the parts washer an inch, have fork pockets or shims to fit the jack.
If we think we might want to move it things go on a skid.

drivesitfar · Aug 19, 2014

Sberry: you just gave me some great ideas. thanks

here's a little shelving unit I've had to empty and move around inside my storage unit which wasn't fun. it might have maxed out a pallet jack though.

cheers and keep those great ideas and pictures coming.

sberry · Aug 19, 2014

I have put 2 of them on my steel rack and other big shelves. I removed the wheels on this cab, never move it anyway but it is so heavy didn't want to crush them.

drivesitfar · Sep 2, 2014

Sberry: thanks again for showing me ways to move stuff around my shop and storage unit without having to unload all the shelves and toolboxes.

All: thanks for all the tips and i think i found the pallet jack to last me a while now and even though i'll have to drive 2.5 hours to pick it up at a friends house it was an $80 deal with his help. i found a motivated seller moving out of their warehouse that needed it gone so the price should help with the gas costs. i just missed a nice one that hadn't been stored outside and was in a small warehouse for $125 close to me, but i think this one will work fine and now i have a good reason to see a friend i don't get to see often enough.

i'm also looking for a small lift on wheels that i can load and unload heavy items and vises off my trailer and out the back door of my Honda. all the ones i seem to find are company names that are no longer in business. anybody have a favorite?

here's a few pictures of the pallet jack i bought for $80 (plus a tank of gas).

sberry · Sep 4, 2014

Buy a 2 ton picker from HF, they are very good and should be one of the first rigging machines a guy owns.

fnieto · Sep 4, 2014

I bought a HF on sale for 199 some years back. It has come in handy and has lifted and moved my Iron worker many times.

drivesitfar · Sep 4, 2014

not sure i need a picker because i'm getting to old to work on cars and pull engines, but it probably is a good tool to own for many other things.

i do own this Vermette 1000 pound lift, but it doesn't roll around very well so maybe i'll just replace the casters on it.

i was thinking about a lift table that i can put to the correct height for loading and unloading and then move it next to a bench or shelf. then when i take the 150 pound or heavier item out of my car and into my shop i shouldn't pull any more muscles or break anything. unfortunately the only lift tables i have found are not very good quality and most of those companies making them are out of business. anybody know of a good used one or have one i can buy?

sberry · Sep 4, 2014

I got a lot of other stuff but no lift table. Its not a bad idea. These things all go together and one reason I even suggest the HF picker is the cost and its one man useable. It really will do most diy jobs including an engine if need be and is cheap enough that if it sits for a while it doesn't eat much.

Pallet jack purchase. which one to buy??

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