Moving materials strictly by hand isn’t just laborious and time-consuming; it poses a risk of bodily injury. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), roughly one in three workplace injuries involve musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Fortunately, there are material handling devices available to safely and efficiently move heavy loads, some of which include pallet jacks and tuggers. What’s the difference between pallet jacks and tuggers exactly?
What Are Pallet Jacks?
Pallet jacks are material handling devices used to lift and move pallets. Also known as pallet trucks, they feature a wheeled base with a pair of extended forks and a vertical handle. Pumping the handle up and down will lift the forks. Squeezing a small control lever under the handle will drop the forks.
What Are Tuggers?
Tuggers are material handling devices used to pull loads. Also known as haulers, they use a hydraulic coupling system. Once connected to a load, the tugger will pull the load to the intended destination. Many tuggers are also designed for use with specialized carts. The carts can be daisy-chained together and pulled by a single tugger.
Differences Between Pallet Jacks and Tuggers
While they are both used to move materials, pallet jacks and tuggers aren’t the same. They are two different types of material handling devices with their own unique features and benefits. Most pallet jacks are manually operated. They leverage hydraulic pumps for lifting. With that said, there are electric pallet jacks that feature one or more batteries. Rather than a hydraulic pump, they use battery power to lift loads.
Most tuggers, on the other hand, are electric. There are no manually operated tuggers. They typically feature two 24-volt batteries and a high-powered motor. While you won’t find any manually operated tuggers, certain older models run on diesel or gas.
Because they leverage a high-powered motor, tuggers can handle heavier loads. Most pallet jacks have a capacity of 5,000 to 6,000 pounds, whereas most tuggers have a capacity of 5,000 to 10,000 pounds — potentially even more. Therefore, tuggers are often preferred when moving particularly heavy loads.
Pallet jacks and tuggers are designed for different purposes. Pallet jacks are designed to lift loads, whereas tuggers are designed to pull loads. You can slide a pallet jack under a loaded pallet. Pumping the handle will then lift the load. Tuggers typically don’t have a lifting mechanism. Instead, they connect to and pull loads from behind.