Hand truck
The hand truck , the hand truck or hand truck , Switzerland sack Rolli , in Austria sack toboggan , beer toboggan or usually simply toboggan called, is a two-wheeled cart to carry loads. The wheel hub is also mechanically the fulcrum of the lever .
In addition to the eponymous transport of bags , depending on the design of the cart, objects of various types such as packages or crates of drinks can be moved. Depending on the intended use, the carts differ in length and shape of the support bracket (also called load handling equipment, shovel, scoop or platform). The support bracket can be foldable. Modern hand trucks have solid rubber or pneumatic tires . Earlier carts had cast iron wheels . To transport heavy objects such as washing machines over stairs, there are carts ( stair climbers ) with star wheels (mostly 3, rarely 5 wheels) that roll on the steps, also with an electric drive and a special climbing mechanism.
Most carts have frames made of tubular steel , aluminum, or stainless steel . In rare cases there are also wooden frames. On some models, a further tube is welded on the rear side parallel to the front linkage on the right and left so that the hand truck forms a horizontal surface when it is tilted back so far that it rests on the ground. Collapsible hand trucks have existed since the early 1990s.
Hand trucks are pushed or pulled depending on the construction, the contour and the center of gravity of the load, visibility, incline, speed or the distance to be overcome.
Hard solid rubber tires roll easiest on smooth, level ground. Pneumatic tires dampen the impact when negotiating smaller or larger steps but leads to vibrations around the longitudinal axis, especially when driving in the pushing direction. Puncture-proof (because it is insensitive to punctures) PU foam tires can be fitted as standard or are available in pneumatic tire dimensions for retrofitting.
The term toboggan comes from 2 rails that z. B. rest on a step when the loaded cart is tilted in the direction of the push handles. The straight toboggan tracks made of tubular steel are sometimes provided with a plastic coating, so that they can be hand-operated to glide more easily and gently up or down stairs. They enable u. U. also the safe parking of the toboggan including the load.
In contrast to the actual sack trolleys for sacks, hand trucks for cuboid boxes and plastic boxes have a 90 ° angle between the shovel and rails. To pick up a stack of beverage crates or the like, the top of the stack is tipped away from the toboggan with one hand or at least relieved at the edge where the cart shovel is then pushed onto the wheel axle under the stack of boxes, typically with a push with the foot.
For large blades made of approximately 2-3 mm thick sheet steel with a mostly trapezoidal outline (in order to be sufficiently stiff at the root), they are at most 25 cm long, while those made of cast aluminum typically have a thickness of 2 to 6 mm and also up to 25 cm Depth (length). For particularly light boxes or other voluminous cargo, such as rolls of glass wool, shovels made of thin-walled steel tubing with a length of 50 cm and more are available.
