A hand truck (or hand trolley, sack truck or dolly, depending on who you ask) is the quickest way for one person to move a stack of cartons or a single heavy item. Four things decide which one suits your loads.
Weight rating
Ours are rated from 180 kg to 300 kg. Work out your heaviest trip rather than your heaviest box: ten 20 kg cartons is 200 kg, which is already too much for a 180 kg trolley.
- 180 kg: the general-duty hand trolley, for everyday cartons
- 200 kg: the highback appliance trolley
- 220 kg: the drum hand trolley, shaped for 205 L drums
- 300 kg: the Easy Tilt, All Rounder, Super Mover and self-standing carton trolley
Toe plate
The toe plate is the flat nose at the bottom that the load sits on. Cartons that hang well past it sit less securely, so match it to your typical box. The 180 kg trolley has a 355 × 230 mm plate. The self-standing carton trolley goes up to 510 × 250 mm, the All Rounder's plate adjusts, and the Easy Tilt takes a 450 × 450 mm extension for bulky items.
Wheels
Most of our hand trucks run on pneumatic tyres, 250 or 260 mm across, with 320 mm on the Super Mover. Air tyres cushion the load and roll over kerbs, gravel, door thresholds and cracked concrete. If your site has sharp offcuts lying around, several models come with a puncture-proof wheel option.
The exception is the 180 kg general-duty trolley, which has 250 mm rubber wheels on solid axles for smooth indoor floors.
Frame and handle
This is where hand trucks really differ.
- A flat, full-height frame, like the Easy Tilt's 1,290 × 370 mm, supports a tall stack of cartons so you carry more each trip.
- The appliance trolley's high back helps stop fridges, washing machines and cabinets tipping over the top.
- The All Rounder's narrow 1,400 × 300 mm frame suits drums, gas cylinders and appliances, and it folds for storage.
- A P-handle lets you steer one-handed, leaving the other hand free for doors.
- The self-standing carton trolley leans back on its own, so you can stack it hands-free before you tilt and go.
The Easy Tilt, All Rounder and Super Mover also have the EASI TILT mechanism, which takes much of the effort out of tipping a heavy load back onto the wheels. If you move heavy loads all day, it's worth having.
Drums and other round loads
A general-purpose hand truck isn't made for drums. The 220 kg drum hand trolley is shaped for them, but check the weight first: a full 205 L drum of a water-based liquid comes to about 225 kg with the drum, which is over its rating. Heavier drums need a proper drum truck, and our drum handling guide goes through the options.
If the load is wider than it is tall, a platform trolley usually does the job better; see how to choose a platform trolley. Otherwise, the full range is under hand trucks and moving trolleys.
