Platform trolleys, or flatbeds, are simple things, which is why they're easy to get wrong. A deck too small for the cartons, a frame too wide for the coolroom door, a handle so low everyone stoops to push it: a few measurements before you order avoid all three.
Deck size
Measure the load you move most often, not the biggest thing you might move once a year. A 900 × 600 mm deck, like the one on our 340 kg platform trolley, handles most cartons and stock. For bulkier loads:
- large platform trolley, 1,170 × 765 mm, 650 kg
- six-wheel trolley, 1,200 × 700 mm, 520 kg
- industrial platform trolley, 1,372 × 685 mm, 560 kg
- OEASY long deck, 1,219 × 610 mm, 900 kg
Then measure the narrowest doorway, lift or aisle on the route. Check the trolley's width against doors and lifts, and its length against tight corners.
Capacity and shelf limits
Choose a rating above your heaviest regular load. Ours run from the 150 kg folding trolley for offices and shops, through 340 kg steel trolleys for everyday warehouse work, up to 900 kg on the OEASY range.
On tiered trolleys, look for a separate shelf limit. The 220 kg two-tier trolley, for example, takes 220 kg in total but only 170 kg on the top shelf. Heavy items go on the bottom.
Castors and floors
How easily a loaded trolley pushes mostly comes down to the castors.
- On finished or polished floors, use non-marking castors, like the 125 mm blue rubber castors on the 340 kg trolley or the quiet TPR castors on the 450 kg OEASY trolley.
- Bigger wheels roll over joins, ramps and rough concrete more easily. The 650 kg trolley and the OEASY long decks run on 200 mm wheels.
- For car parks, cracked slabs and outdoor paths there's the OEASY pneumatic trolley. The air tyres soak up bumps, but note the rating: 540 kg, against 900 kg for the same deck on solid castors.
- On the six-wheel trolley, the extra wheels spread the load and help a long deck pivot in an aisle.
Handle height
A handle that's too low has people bent over every time they push. We list handle height from the top of the deck, so add the height of the deck off the floor to get the full figure. On our steel platform trolleys it runs from 855 mm to 1,050 mm above the deck.
The handle style matters too. Folding handles let a trolley store flat, and the 220 kg folding trolley is small enough for a car boot. A double-handle trolley can be pushed from either end, or by two people on a big load. The industrial trolley's handrail lifts off and refits at either end, which helps when loading long items.
Open deck, shelves or sides
- For order picking, two and three tier trolleys like the 340 kg two-tier keep orders apart. The 340 kg picking trolley takes clipboard and parts-box accessories.
- Loose or mixed stock stays put on a mesh trolley, such as the 400 kg full mesh trolley or the two-tier caged trolley.
- Coolrooms, wet areas and outdoor docks call for galvanised steel, which copes with the wet and cold where painted steel would rust. Ours come in 460 mm and 565 mm widths, single or twin deck, all rated to 450 kg.
- Hotels, kitchens and housekeeping teams usually suit a moulded utility cart. The Hi-5 and Bitbar carts have shelves that won't rust and castors that keep the noise down.
- Sheet, panel, timber and plasterboard go on the OEASY sheet and panel cart, rated to 900 kg.
Moving stacked cartons through tight doorways? A hand truck is often quicker than a flatbed, and our hand truck guide explains the options. If you're fitting out a whole site, send us the loads and the narrowest doorway and we'll suggest a mix.
