Pallets are a simple but effective way of moving heavy goods around your warehouse or backyard. But if you’ve ever tried to move a pallet without a pallet jack, you’ll know that it’s a lot harder than it looks. I can attest that moving a large pallet is hard work.
Whether you’re trying to move one across a muddy car park or down a sloping street, it’s simply not possible without the right equipment.
But what do you do if you don’t have a pallet jack? To move a pallet without a pallet jack, you need alternatives such as a mason’s wheelbarrow, a roller crowbar, a rope and lever, a dolly, a hand truck or heavy equipment.
Alternative techniques to move pallets without a pallet jack
Alternatives to move pallets other than pallet jacks that I cover here sometimes involve manual operation and ingenuity, although not all the time, and are useful for people whose homes are in remote areas, or for people who don’t have the budget or do not have room for a pallet jack.
If you are moving a lot of pallets, lifting them onto a pallet jack to move them can be a pain. Here are some alternative ways to move pallets without a pallet jack.
1. Move a pallet with a mason’s wheelbarrow
Moving pallets is a challenging activity. Pallets can easily slip off the jack and whole pallet jack systems are hard to use and require at least two people.
A mason’s wheelbarrow is a much better way to move pallets. It is much easier to use and it requires only one person.
Moving a pallet by hand can be an incredibly time consuming and strenuous task, but a mason’s wheelbarrow doesn’t have to be.
By using a wheelbarrow, you can easily maneuver the pallet into place with just a few quick pushes of the handle.
Wheelbarrows can be found at your local hardware store or garden store.
It does not require any tools: you simply pull the pallet with the wheelbarrow, and push it through the yard towards your destination. This allows you to move them to a different location or over certain obstacles, such as steps.
It also means you do not need a forklift or other costly machinery that may not be readily available at your home.
2. Move a pallet with a roller crowbar
While you can always opt to hire movers, moving pallets is a time-consuming process.
However, you don’t have to worry if a jack is not available to you.
For smaller pallets, all you really require is a roller crowbar.
While this tool costs more than a jack, it requires far less effort to use.
The roller crowbar uses a long, wide, flat metal bar that sits underneath the pallet.
By turning a roller handle, you can easily slide the bar under the pallet.
Then, by turning the roller a little further, you can lift the pallet off the ground and slide it to its new location.
You also want to make sure that the pallet is on level ground as well, so the roller crowbar can roll right on the sand without getting stuck.
3. Move a pallet with a rope and lever
Moving a pallet using a rope and lever is another approach for lifting and moving pallets.
Tie both ends of the rope to the pallet using a slipknot.
Run the rope underneath the pallet, then tie one end to the lever, leaving enough slack for the lever to move freely.
Loop the rope around the lever and back over the pallet, then tie the other end to the lever to secure it.
Don’t lift the lever. Instead, push down on the other end of the lever.
The force you’re applying to the top of the lever will lift the pallet off the ground and out of the pallet stack, so you can wheel it to another location.
4. Move a pallet with a dolly
When you are moving a pallet, you have the option of using a pallet dolly.
A pallet dolly is a lightweight cart that can be moved around
Typically, pallet jacks are more common and easier to use for most people, but pallet dollies give you more control and are often more suitable for navigating difficult or narrow pathways.
You have to maneuver the dolly underneath the pallet, then use a lever to pull the pallet up onto the dolly.
5. Move a pallet with a hand truck
Moving a pallet of household goods can be a real squat if you use traditional methods, but you can save your back and still quickly and efficiently get the job done by using a hand truck.
A hand truck is a cart that has two wheels and handles, that is used to move things.
These are not to be confused with dollies, which are pushed by hand but move on four wheels.
Some pallets are less than 2 feet wide, so the hand truck can move them without any difficulty.
Hand trucks can move heavy things that are too big or awkward to carry, such as big boxes of stuff or a chest freezer.
6. Use a sheet to slide the pallets
Using jacks to move pallets is a great way to lift a pallet off the ground, but there are many other ways to do it.
You can move pallets using sheets as guides to slide the pallets.
This is a common method used by furniture movers and other people who need to move heavy items, including appliances.
This is not a method used by many people because it is not often that people move pallets and have sheets.
7. Move pallets with heavy machines and equipment
No matter where you live in the world, you can find a pallet lying about.
Pallets are used to transport products cheaply and efficiently, from one place to another.
As a result, there are pallets lying in almost every industry, and they need to be moved sometimes.
However, you don’t need to depend on a lot of manpower and a lot of time to move a pallet.
All you need is a forklift or a skid steer loader, and a couple of guys to make sure that the pallet doesn’t move during the move.
The entire process can be very simple, and it can also be very fast, depending on the level of expertise that the forklift operator has.
Make use of pallet jack alternatives
Maintaining your home or business is an important part of keeping it looking great and functioning well.
One of the important things that many people look to do is getting rid of (or at least hiding) ugly pallets.
Fortunately, depending on the size of the pallet and the amount of time you have, you can move pallets in a variety of ways.
It goes without saying that pallet jacks are a great piece of equipment to assist in moving multiple pallets at a time.
The problem is you might not just have a pallet jack available to you.
You can use one or more methods I mentioned in this article to get the work done.
