Is a material handling cart just a cart?

The answer is an emphatic no!

A material handling cart is an industrial tool which needs to maintain structural integrity when subjected to various forces imposed by the deck load and towing process while being safe for human interaction.  It must deliver cost reduction and/or safety improvement plus a low life cycle cost in order to be considered a viable investment.  

As we all look for ways to extend our budgets further and to minimize capital expenditures, we often hear companies comment that "we are going to build something ourselves." While this may sound like a great way to save money, all carts are not created equal.

Following are three basic ways to identify if your present industrial carts or cart design have possible hidden functional flaws:

1. Tow Bars/Hitches - Does your towbar stow vertically without straps, locks, rattling or noise and allow up and down movement when in a lowered position (accommodate floor surface variation)?  Is your towbar designed to handle total rolling forces of the entire train and side loads imparted by tight turns where the towbar may contact the carts or the tow vehicle?  Are towbar eyelets and hitch latches made of an alloy material for strength and wear resistance?    Does the latch have a positive lock design that prohibits accidental opening by the towbar regardless of position?  Are hitches recessed under the cart frame where possible especially where an operator in the work zone will be frequently walking past the back of the cart?  
2. Wheels - Wheels represent a critical element in the life of the cart, amount of effort needed for movement and the noise generated during transit. Do your wheels match the application: heat generated when towing at higher speeds can destroy the tread. Most wheels are rated statically and need to be derated for dynamic conditions when towing at speed; too soft a wheel tread can compress under high loads and contribute to high inertial push/pull forces and "flat spotting" if dragged; too hard of a wheel surface may slide in turns, crack, chip, delaminate, destroy concrete and generate high noise levels;  swivels should be of the kingpinless (no kingpin) variety to avoid caster wobble and increase durability.
3. Cart Structure - Is your cart welded with proper procedures: proper cart design will minimize the amount of welding and be fabricated where the process/procedure has been pre-qualified according to the applicable AWS (American Welding Society) codes. Too often cart frames are mistakenly "assumed" to be sound because the weld looks good.  But it is very easy to find incomplete penetration, undersized welds (throat too small) and weld stop defects (crater cracks, undercut, etc.).  The more welding, the more possible defects which create higher fabrication costs and greater chances for failure. Is the cart design integrity supported by FEA or development tests that reflect loads / conditions to be encountered in the intended application.  All cart designs should eliminate pinch points and sharp edges/corners wherever possible. 
   

So, to reiterate, not all carts are created equal. While building a cart in-house might seem to save money initially, a properly designed and manufactured cart will have the lowest life cycle costs and eliminate the creation of more problems.

Call K-Tec today for help evaluating the hidden pitfalls with your industrial carts and material handling system.  

K-Tec - Where Materials Flow by Design.