Straddle stackers - anyone used them?

[richard newman]

Anyone have experience with straddle stackers? I went to look at the one pictured below, and it was really difficult to move it around. As per the drawing, the tiller is linked to one swivel caster with a chain, the other is free to rotate, as on a dolly. If you push it forward, and then try to pull it back, the free caster judders like crazy, and then gets stuck at 90* to where it needs to go. Only way to get it to track decently is to pull it into a curved path. This was on a smooth concrete floor.

Wondering if this one (almost brand new) was defective or that design alway has that problem? Hard to believe anyone could use it, but that style is very common! I looked at a Presto with 5 wheels, center wheel steering as with pallet jack, worked great!

 

[snowman]

They are hard to use. I had one, I cut off the wheels and put casters on the front. I sorta wish I still had it, but I don't have space for it. (have a forklift)

 

[richard newman]

I don't have the room or budget for a forklift, so this is the only solution I'm aware.

I just can't accept that it was literally impossible to go from forward to backward motion with the Uline model.

 

[snowman]

It sure as hell wasn't easy. Mine was called Big Joe. It also barely lifted high enough to get a load in the back of a pickup truck. And there was no pushing a load forward in the pickup truck like you can do with a forklift, unless you are a gorilla.

 

[Greg White]

Not that it matters, I have one made in Canada in 1954, a custmer sold/gave it to me, it claims to be able to lift 1,500#s, never stalled it yet,after installing overhead hoists, I don't use it much. my crete is smooth, not to bad to push around, like snoman said, it's a bitch loading a pickup.
Gw

 

[M.B. Naegle]

We have 4 or so small ones (one electric, the rest manual hydraulic or winch) to use getting things on/off machine tables, shelves, work benches, sometimes back seats etc. They work fine in those places where there's no room for a full sized forklift like the scenarios I listed, but I couldn't imagine trying to use one big enough to do a full pallet for our use. The outboard wheels always always always run into things and/or prevent you from getting where you need to go. On our shopping list is a little 2000 lb. forklift and I wouldn't mind getting an electric, but it seems like 90% of them new or used are straddle stackers and they just wouldn't work. Waiting for the right counterbalanced rig to turn up....

 

[richard newman]

I'm moving into a smaller shop on the second floor, with a 94" x 72" elevator, no way a forklift is fitting in there, nor will I have enuf turning room for it. Going from 3500' to 2000', need to go vertical as much as possible. Or get rid of half my stuff

I want to be able to stack pallets w/ gaylord boxes or crates 2 or 3 high for storaage. And to stack bundles of hardwood lumber 8' high, and be able to get to the bottom bundle without having to move it all by hand. Any real traveling will be with an electric pallet jack, so all I need it to do is go back & forth about 4'. Which the Uline stacker I looked at couldn't do!

BTW, Marotti makes some cool mini forklifts, but they're around $30K https://www.mariottiusa.com/forklifts

 

[snowman]

You don't stand a chance to stack gaylords 3 high with one. 2 high will be pushing it unless it's got more vertical than mine did (I don't think mine would have done 2 high)

You are probably better off looking at a crown electric drive lifty stacky. I think they give you a little more vertical, without the difficulty of pushing and pulling it back and forth. I don't know the actual name of them.

 

[john.k]

I got a near new one in a load of scrap......cut the mast out of it ,and put it on a diesel dumpy (thing like a garden tractor with a single cyl diesel.)

 

[Scruffy887]

I have a Presto? Straddle stacker that will straddle a full size pallet, 2000 pound capacity, 10 foot lift. The lift in your pic looks to be a sub par 4 wheel design to add stability. Yes, design will suck going forward to reverse. Most good designs have a center rear tiller steering handle with pallet jack size wheels and "maybe" 2 additional rear small castors.
Lift height of 10 feet is possible with a much higher ceiling as the moving upper frame rises with the forks. I bought it new about 40+ years ago to serve as an elevator to the second floor spray booth. We bolted a 36 x 84 solid core door to the forks and we just stepped down on the platform to unload it. 12 foot ceiling and an additional cutout for the rising upper frame.
I also have a Crown with a 6 foot lift/1000# that for some stupid reason will almost open enough for a full size pallet. The "almost" part sucks. But the price was right on that one.

 

[waynes]

Have you looked at walkie fork lifts? Mine has one center powered wheel at the back. Capacity is 3000lbs, two stage mast for 13’ plus lift. 72” x 40” footprint. It was made by Lift Dynamics which is i think long gone, but there’s others. Needs a smooth flat floor. No battery, so it was cheap.

 

[tomjelly]

I have a big joe also, 2 stage mast that will stack up to 110" lift height, and power drive. I would not buy one without power drive. It also uses regular 12v lead acid batteries, which is really nice. Note that you may want to have a bottom shelf in your pallet racking so you can lift pallets that are close to each other or your outrigger legs won't be able to get between closely adjacent pallets if they are on the floor. Lift is 2000lbs. The legs are a pain, but you learn to deal with it. Note also because they don't tilt they don't have tapered forks. Its a really well made machine that has only needed batteries in the 18 or so years I've had it. The outriggers are just slightly taller than 3-1/2" so you will need to block stuff up with something thicker than a 4x4 in moving operations to get under wide loads. Some come with adjustable width outriggers (I wish mine had that) but mine will fit around a pallet up to 42" wide, so its usually not a problem as most pallets here are 40" wide

 

[Toolmaker51]

Last couple answers sum up my experience. Straddle lifts are semi- maneuverable ONLY on very good floors. There are (were) taller Presto type lifts, an 8' or 9' frame. Pallet jack chassis of forward rollers and center steering beats casters any day. 4 wheels might be more stable, but if you can't move it......?
I don't have a lift yet, baseline is find or build skids instead of pallets; nothing in the way underneath. Want to store on those, transfer and ship on pallets, easily scrounged up.
Until skid day happens, semi-live carts and a wheel mule are favorite. Axle and independent wheels in back, landing gear in front. The mule hooks up like a trailer hitch from underneath. Push handle down, travel like pallet jack. Raise handle, gear lands, no foot brake needed.

 

[richard newman]

Thanks for all the input. I wound up buying an older Presto semi-electric for $500. It's surprisingly easy to maneuver, even on the old funky wooden floors of the old shop. Has 5 wheels - big center steering wheel, 2 smaller swivel casters on either side in back for stability. Downside is it only lifts 66", but thats enuf to stack gaylords and lumber, and make moving and storage in the new shop efficient. I think after working with it I'll know whether a straddle stacker makes any sense for me in the new shop.

I'd love to get the 114" version of this, but can't afford $7500 now - https://www.nobleliftna.com/lithium-electric-stacker-pse26n-sl-edge. The lithium battery is fine for the occasional use it would get, and is easy to maintain. Plus it has a very short head length and would be easier to maneuver.