The right material handling equipment can make a world of difference in your productivity and safety. Depending on your job and what your business does, for instance, chip trucks may prove useful. They will allow to move wood chips more easily. What are chip trucks exactly, and how do they compare to other forms of material handling equipment?
Overview of Chip Trucks
Chip trucks are heavy-duty industrial carts that are designed to transport wood chips. They feature a large container bucket. On the bottom of the container bucket is a set of casters. After filling the chip truck’s container bucket with wood chips, you can roll it.
Benefits of Chip Trucks
Transporting wood chips is a breeze with a chip truck. You won’t have to manually carry containers filled with wood chips. With a chip truck, you can roll this logging waste. Wood chips are equipped with wheeled casters on the bottom that allow them to roll smoothly when pushed or pulled.
Corrosion isn’t a concern with chip trucks. They are designed to withstand moisture without rusting or otherwise corroding. Wood chips, of course, contain moisture. When exposed to moisture, some materials may corrode. Moisture will trigger corrosion that eats away at many metals and alloys.
Chips trucks feature a corrosion-resistant construction that protects them from this phenomenon. Some of them are powder coated, for instance. Powder-coated chip trucks feature an outer layer of plastic powder particles that shields the underlying layer of metal from moisture.
How to Choose a Chip Truck
While they are all used to transport wood chips, there are different types of chip trucks. The number of casters, for example, may vary. Some chip trucks feature three casters on the bottom, resulting in a tricycle-like wheel arrangement. Other chip trucks feature four casters on the bottom.
The load capacity may vary as well. Because they contain moisture, wood chips can be heavy. There are plenty of chip trucks, however, that can handle this weight. Some chip trucks have a load capacity of 1,000 pounds, whereas others have a load capacity of 1,500 pounds.
Keep in mind that four-caster chip trucks typically have a higher load capacity than three-caster chip trucks. The presence of an extra wheel allows for greater weight distribution. The weight of the load will be distributed throughout four casters rather than three casters. Therefore, four-caster chip trucks can handle heavier loads.