Pallet jack for the garage?

[Letsgobowhunting]

Who has a pallet jack for their garage?

I keep thinking about getting one. My new garage is 36x40 and the driveway is twice that and it goes to my attached two car garage. I keep thinking i could keep firewood on skids and move it in as needed during the winter (when the drive is clear) to keep from handling several times. Also could be used to lift heavy objects possibly even the side of a vehicle. Im sure there is other purposes that would come up too.

 

[carterbeauford]

the Crown PTH is great.

 

[Sage55]

At work, we have several of these pallet jacks in the warehouse.

Or you could go for the bling factor and get a full stainless steel pallet jack.

 

[bcradio]

I personally would have no need for one. Between dolly, wheel barrow and floor jack I can move or lift most things I have. And all 3 take up less space than a pallet jack.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The biggest issue that I would have is storage when not in use.


Moving a skid of firewood is a great idea though, IIRC, another member had skid racks built for their firewood and moved them in/out as needed with a fork lift.

 

[Letsgobowhunting]

I personally would have no need for one. Between dolly, wheel barrow and floor jack I can move or lift most things I have. And all 3 take up less space than a pallet jack.

This is the kind of feedback I'm looking for. Should or shouldn't I. Also looking for other uses for it from the members that have them at home.

 

[fnieto]

I've been using a pallet jack in my home shop for years now. Very useful when you work by your self. Between the forklift and the pallet jack, my back is happy.

 

[Letsgobowhunting]

Here is a picture of my drive. It is more like a courtyard between the two garages.

 

[WWIIjeep]

The biggest issue that I would have is storage when not in use.

I have several heavy machines on skids so they can be moved with a pallet jack when necessary. The pallet jack gets stored under one of them when not in use. The pallet jack therefore takes up less space in storage than my folded engine hoist does.

 

[drivesitfar]

i'd definitely get a pallat jack, lift or fork lift if i had a garage set up like that with all that flat cement area.

i was looking for a pallet jack which are on Craigs for $100 to $250 and i even found a scratch and dent new one for $250 that was a Jet brand. I've still got one on my list, but i don't own the shop i'd use it at or maybe i'd jump up to a fork lift which I've seen for $1,500 to $3,000.

for now i just bought a lift which doesn't cover all circumstances, but i can get a pallet off my trailer and roll it into the shop and set it on one of my commercial racks. here's a couple pictures of my hand crank lift which i searched for a while for on Craigs. they usually are in the $300 to $1,000 range and mine was at the lower end because it needs some spiffing up, but works great. also not all pallets can be lifted off the ground with my lift so i either have to move from trailer to shelf or just set another empty pallet down on the ground that my wheels can roll into and set the pallet with items on that empty pallet.

if you put up the commercial racks in your shop/garage then the fork lift is your best option or a lift and a pallet jack if you don't want to spend that money or worry about maintenance on the fork lift. if everything is on the ground then a pallet jack will save your time and your back will thank you.

 

[bsg]

If you need to move machines or heavy items around a tight shop nothing beats one.
Forklifts are great as well but a lot more room is needed for storage and maneuverability.
Storing a pallet jack, just park it under one of the machines or pallets not in use at the time like a previous poster recommended.

The pallet jack and forklift are two of those items you wonder what you did without them for so long, especially moving machines around the shop.

Kevin

 

[Strouty]

They make shorter pallet jacks, I have two of them. If you have a pallet with stuff on it, the pallet jack can be stored in the pallet. Then there is only a small part of the jack sticking out. Same thing if you had some pallet racking, but then you would need a forklift. I think you could just make a small doghouse for it outside.

 

[56FordGuy]

I have a pallet jack, and had a forklift as well. I wouldn't want to be without the pallet jack. I can put anything on a pallet, whether it's a tractor implement, big piece of machinery, or a stack of smaller boxes and move it anywhere I need to in or out of the shop. I've used mine to move pallets of firewood, my big bandsaw, oil drums, etc. My two steel work tables have bars welded between the legs near the bottom so I can pick them up with it and move them when I need to as well. When not using it I usually roll it under one of the tables.

 

[rsanter]

Try to get a fork lift if you can for reasonable

I know a boulle,of guys that have pallet jacks for their home shops
They have their equipment like mill, brake, shear, English wheel mounted to pallets and then move them around for use with the pallet jack

Bob

 

[texasfiremedic]

If you got that much concrete then a pallet jack may not be a bad investment. Look around for one. No need in buying new. Plenty of them on the used market.

 

[zkling]

If you have the room and have machines that could use it, I think it could be handy. The only downside I could see as Nuttsgt mentioned is the storage floor space. But if you can slide the forks under somthing for storage.

I've done a good bit of mental day dreaming trying to convert a pallet jack into a basic auto lift. Finally got something that worked, then realized the storage space was too great. Especially once it was properly modified.

 

[Provincial]

I have had and used a pallet jack in my home (tree farm) shop for over 30 years. As others have said, it is great for moving stuff around so you can put it out of the way when not in use and drag it out to use it.

The most exotic job I did with it was to remove/replace a transmission from a Case 850 bulldozer.

Lately, I use it to move stuff around to clear up floor space for my latest projects. It makes the space much more flexible.

 

[HTGTS350]

Ive got one and it is very handy especially in places where my forklift won't fit but it is a bit of a pain to store.

 

[softailgarage]

With a place like yours why not just get a forklift? I just have a 2 car garage, but i'll tell you what, my lift cart has been a god send.