Manual pallet jack recommendation

[SeymourDumore]

Guys, if I missed a similar thread somewhere, please forgive me.

I am pretty much fed up with one of my pallet jacks and would like to replace it with a good one.
In a nutshell, I have a 27 x 48 Wesco which is a shameless piece of garbage.
For starters, anything with any decent weight ( like #1000 or more ) is a nightmare to move. Push or pull doesn't matter, it is just a plain bitch hard to get or keep rolling.
It has a double stationary wheel set on the fork, which means it does not fit into some of the newfangled pallets.
I've already replaced one of the steering wheels as it lost it's outer band, and now it is shedding the riding material from two of the stationary wheels, leaving cracked pieces all over the shop.
I've had it with this!

I have an old Crown that I've inherited. It is still OK though someone before me has overloaded it and the base of one of the forks is cracked therefore it is a bit crooked.
Even as such, it rolls much much smoother and easier than that POS Wesco ever has.

I also have a 20 x 48 JET which I got new a few years ago. It is a mehh... works and rolls OK but without load it is 3 legged ( one of the steering wheels does not touch the ground ) and it is a bit uneven when lifting. IOW it is a shittily made thing that sort of serves it's purpose. ( I only use it to fit into narrow stuff )

Anyhow, I have no problem paying more, but would like it to be a decent one.
New Crowns are something like $650 for a 27 x 48, but don't know if the quality remained the same over the years.

 

[newtonsapple]

There is a guy on Craigslist for Boston and So NH that spams used pallet jacks. Annoying on Craiglist, but seems to be a reasonable guy. You might see if there is someone similar or if he ever gets down your way.

I've bought two Crown from him for around $200 ea. They've been reasonable and were purchased when I needed a pallet jack now and didn't want the Harbor Freight one. He delivered them one day after contacting him. On the one I got for work, the release needs a slight adjustment as it will pump up in the neutral position, I've just never bothered. The one I got for my home shop had new front rollers, but a bit of dry rusty steer bearing that has worked out just fine with some oil. My use is very light. The most weight I've moved is 1700lbs, which rolls nicely on a concrete floor.

The first one I bought, he delivered with three of them in the back of a Toyota matrix! He has since upgrade to a minivan.

 

[Ohio Mike]

Best manual pallet jack I've ever used is the Crown. By far the best and I've used tons of them.

 

[CatMan]

The smoothest one I've ever operated was a Bishamon. 3,000 - 4,000 pounds on a smooth floor was no problem for one person.

Blue Label™ Bs Series Hand Pallet Trucks | Motion Savers Inc. | 877-832-4154

bishamon.motionsavers.com

Myself I'm a Facebook shopper on a used name brand for $150 local pickup.

 

[MwTech Inc]

Bit late to the party but go with a Crown.

 

[Ox]

On a similar note:

I had a new LTL (R&L) driver in here the other day, and he had an electric pallet jack on board.
I have never seen anyone sporting a power jack before, but I have often wondered why not.
Trying to move a heavy skid around on a wood deck can't be easy.

Driver said that it was HIS personal jack.

I did not get the make of it, I was just struck from the fact that this guy prolly has $3-$5K (I have no idea) invested in his own personal power jack! He said that he was gitt'n too old to huff those skids around all day. (prolly 50's)

I was - and am - impressed!
Someone actually investing in their own tools for the job!
He must'a been a mechanic in a former life?
(If he was toolmaker - he'd still be in a toolroom somewhere)


--------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[SeymourDumore]

Bit late to the party but go with a Crown.

Yupp, did get the Crown and liking it.

 

[Scruffy887]

After about 40 years my Crown had serious issues with front rollers. McMaster had 2 new rollers and it is still a sweet machine. And almost every trucker that comes here has a Crown.