When it comes to material handling, especially for heavy loads, the hand truck you choose makes all the difference. At C.P. Lauman, we know your fleet of hand trucks are essential tools for your warehouse, delivery service, and moving applications. Choosing the right type of hand trucks for your application is an important investment, and picking the wrong type could make or break your business. Let’s discuss the differences between steel and aluminum hand trucks in today’s post.
Overview of Aluminum vs. Steel Hand Truck Strength and Durability
Aluminum Hand Truck
- Strong and durable for most commercial needs like moving oversized-boxes, heavy duty equipment, beverage cases, food services, and more
- A lightweight material great for ease of movement and efficiency
- Able to handle heavy loads without the additional weight
- Extremely long-lasting
- Reliable
- Not prone to rusting
Steel Hand Truck
- Exceptionally strong material for heavy duty loads
- Best used by industrial applications
- Steel is prone to rusting overtime, making delivery in inclement weather tough
- Sturdy material
- Won’t bend or warp during deliveries
Now that you have an overview of both types of hand truck materials, we’re diving deep into two aluminum truck brands you need to know about. We’ll also be covering and comparing the differences between weight of the two materials, maintenance, and overall costs of aluminum vs. steel hand trucks.
Hand Truck Brands You Need to Know
C.P. Lauman Co. is proud to be the Northeast distributor for both B&P hand trucks and Magliner hand trucks because they lead the way in engineering top quality material handling for your needs. Both brands specialize in producing aluminum hand trucks built for strength, quality, durability, and longevity.
A huge benefit of each brand is the variety of products they offer alongside hand trucks. Like, curb ramps, platform trucks, handles, nose blades, stair climbers, and more. Having such a wide variety of parts to choose from enables C.P. Lauman Co. to offer custom configurations to suit all of your hand truck needs.
Use our custom configuration tool to browse and ultimately choose the right additions for your fleet. If you need more support, reach out to our hand truck experts today. They’ll help you choose the best customizations for your unique application.
A few more important things to note about these top hand truck brands:
- B&P manufacturers in the U.S.A.
- Magliner is a family-run company, based in Standish, MI
- B&P began operating in 1943
- B&P is known as the strongest aluminum hand truck in the industry
- Magliner has been engineering innovative and top quality products for more than 70 years
Weight and Portability of Your Hand Trucks
It’s time to discuss the difference in weight and portability for aluminum vs. steel hand trucks. Imagine you’re delivering cases of colas, snacks, and waterjugs to restock your clients vending machines. You’re facing either extremely high temperatures reaching almost 100% humidity in summer. During the winter months, you’re facing temperatures below zero, with high winds making the temperature feel even more frigid. Now add other factors like needing to navigate a busy building with people in and out as you’re trying to complete your delivery. After a long day of repeating this cycle again and again, your frustration level has reached its peak. While you can’t account for what Mother Nature throws at you (snow, rain, wind, heat) you can control how you operate under those conditions.
In the scenarios described above, you would need to think about maneuverability, fatigue, speed and agility. With an aluminum hand truck from B&P, your delivery would be more comfortable if your hand truck handles included ergo grips specifically designed with temperature control in mind. See C.P. Lauman’s blue and red ergo grip handles and frames to protect your hands from intense heat and cold. These handles also allow for easier push and lift movements. Read all the benefits of B&P ergo grips and frames in our post found here. From Magliner, the lightweight nature of the brand’s trucks helps reduce fatigue and makes maneuvering quick and easy.
Steel hand trucks on the other hand are much heavier than aluminum. This makes deliveries more difficult especially when it comes to maneuvering and transporting already heavy loads over stairs or long distances. When it comes to extreme temperature or weather conditions, you’re leaving yourself exposed to hot or freezing handles with steel trucks. This could expose you to injury related losses and/or worker’s comp claims.
Corrosion Resistance and Maintenance for Your Hand Trucks
Another great reason to choose an aluminum hand truck over steel is the maintenance requirements. We all have encountered something steel being exposed to rust over time. If your fleet of steel hand trucks is not cared for or maintained properly, rust is in your future.
With steel, periodic paint touch ups and protective coating is required to extend the lifespan of your truck. This becomes especially bothersome when you’re operating your steel hand trucks in outdoor environments or storing them in a damp location. If you’re dead set on utilizing steel, choose galvanized steel which resists rust much better than regular or non-galvinized steel.
Avoid the constant upkeep by investing in aluminum hand trucks instead. Aluminum is naturally resistant to corrosion making it the perfect material to withstand wet or humid conditions. If your business is based in an environment near a coastal region or is regularly exposed to moisture, choose aluminum.
Cost Comparison Between Aluminum and Steel Hand Trucks
We all are looking for budget-friendly solutions these days, and know many businesses are working on limited budgets. The decisions you make in your business today can have a significant impact on the longevity and growth of your business in the future. It may be easier to choose the most budget-friendly option today, like that of a steel hand truck. But, what happens when your fleet of steel begins rusting, or showing signs of wear? Future maintenance costs you more time and money than your initial investment, and are costs you can’t recoup.
It’s better to think about the long term costs associated with maintaining your material handling products than the short term costs of today. Aluminum may be more expensive than steel and may have a longer manufacturing process, but this material requires less maintenance than steel. Overtime (with lots of use) your aluminum hand truck has a longer resistance to environmental wear, making it the best investment for your application in food services, beverage delivery, dairy, appliances, or furniture/ moving companies.
Quick Comparison to Make Your Decision
Whichever type of hand truck you ultimately choose, aluminum or steel, here’s a quick recap to help you assess your needs.
Strength and Durability
- Steel is extremely strong and ideal for heavy-duty applications, but is prone to rust
- Aluminum is also strong, lasts longer with prolonged use than steel and can be prone to dents or bends with extreme load weight
Weight & Portability
- Steel is heavy and hard to maneuver, but can provide more stability than aluminum with heavy loads
- Aluminum is lightweight and very easy to handle which helps reduce fatigue and improves speed of delivery
Maintenance
- Steel can rust easily if operating in damp conditions or regular maintenance isn’t performed
- Aluminum is naturally corrosion-resistant and requires minimal maintenance regardless of operating conditions
Cost
- Steel is usually more affordable upfront and provides a good value for heavy duty needs
- Aluminum can often have a higher initial cost but provides long-term savings due to low maintenance and corrosion resistance
Now that you’ve learned about these two types of hand truck materials, it’s obvious that aluminum hand trucks are the way to move forward. Aluminum offers the best balance between strength, portability, and long-term reliability. This material is easier on your back, built to resist rust, and designed to keep up with fast-paced work without weighing you down.
If you’re ready to make your hauling faster and more efficient, browse C.P. Lauman Co’s selection of B&P Manufacturing and Magliner products. Check out our custom configuration tool as well to build your own disc brake, tread brake, B&P or Magliner hand truck. Your next load will thank you.
