Author: christopher Harper

Top 5 Uses for a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Aerial Image of a Busy Trailer Yard that could Benefits of a Motorized Trailer Dolly.
Benefits of a Motorized Trailer Dolly.

When your business involves moving or pulling heavy loads or large vehicles, having an efficient way to do so is highly important. Using forklifts or other equipment that require manual handling puts your staff at risk of injuries, while also taking up a lot of time. A motorized trailer dolly offers the ideal solution for many businesses. The following are some of the top uses for these trailer dollies.

Distribution Centers

Some distribution centers have semi-trailers that have to be moved from one spot to another in the yard. Trailer dollies provide a safer and easier way to do this. They can be used to pull semi-trailers around distribution center yards as needed with minimal risk to workers.

Fulfillment Centers and Warehouses

Fulfillment centers and warehouses handle a lot of loading and unloading. This involves moving semi-trailers from dock doors to staging areas. Relying on a trailer dolly for this purpose offers a more efficient way to move semi-trailers for loading and unloading.

RV, Boat, and Cargo Trailer Dealerships

Dealerships that sell RVs, campers, boats, or cargo trailers need a safe way to move inventory around inside showrooms or on lots. Motorized trailer dollies are the perfect solution for moving RVs and other large vehicles from one area to another as safely as possible.

Garages

Mechanics who work on trailers or wheeled equipment need a dependable way to move these to service bays for repairs and maintenance. Trailer dollies make it possible to pull these around with greater efficiency.

Production Assembly Lines

Factories that produce trailers or wheeled equipment need to move these along production assembly lines as quickly yet safely as they can. Using a trailer dolly provides a fast way to do this, while also reducing the risk of injuries and productivity loss.

Benefits of Motorized Trailer Dollies

From safety and speed to efficiency, trailer dollies are the best solution for several kinds of businesses. DJ Products has several models available to choose from.

If a motorized trailer dolly could benefit your business, please contact DJ Products for more information. Our team can assist you in selecting the right solution for your company.

Powered Dolly Material Handling Solutions for Hotels

Powered Cats For Hotels
Powered Cats For Hotels

No traveler wants to be told their room isn’t ready for check-in yet. When you’re working on tight deadlines and everything has to be perfect, our powered dolly and other material handling solutions for hotels let your staff turn rooms around quickly and effectively.

Hospitality Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

We have a variety of tugs, movers and pushers to fit any hospitality applications. Which ones are right for you?

Powered Dolly

Make sure no one is spending valuable time manually transporting materials from room to room. Our powered dolly allow a single worker to move up to 1,500 pounds safely and simply. Different bed and shelf sizes are available.

WagonCaddy

Hotels receive a steady stream of deliveries, from furniture for the rooms to food and equipment for the restaurant. The WagonCaddy hauls loads of up to 3,000 pounds, easily accommodating sofas or cases of steaks.

Powered Linen Cart

Piles of dirty linen are heavy, bulky and difficult to carry. Use our powered linen cart to move as much as 700 pounds of linen back to the laundry. The kit can be installed on new or existing carts, either at our factory or onsite.

Linen Wire Cart

Once the soiled linens are removed, the clean ones have to be brought in and they’re not easy to carry either. Clean linens stay neat and tidy on our linen wire cart.

CartCaddyLite

Our compact and efficient CartCaddyLite adapts to multiple hospitality needs. This handy puller handles loads up to 1,000 pounds, yet its size allows smooth maneuverability around tight corners and through narrow passages.

WagonCaddy

For greater needs, the WagonCaddy provides all the benefits of the CartCaddyLite with a maximum load size of 3,000 pounds.

  • All of our material handling products operate under battery power so they’re eco-friendly and less expensive to operate.
  • In addition, all products are ergonomically designed to prevent repetitive stress injuries and other safety risks.

Boost Productivity and Promote Workplace Safety

Let our electric tugs, movers and pushers handle the heavy lifting at your hospitality business. Our cheerful Sales Engineers are ready to help you find the right solution. Contact us at 800.686.2651.

Improve The Safety of Your Trash Room with a Motorized Dumpster Tow

Image of a Tightly Packed Trash Room in Need of a Motorized Dumpster Tow
Improve Safety with a Motorized Dumpster Tow

Having employees lug heavy loads of garbage around in dumpsters can easily lead to injuries. Dumpsters often contain garbage that weighs thousands of pounds. In some cases, dumpsters need to be moved across long distances as well. A motorized dumpster tow can make this task much safer for employees in your trash room.

Motorized Dumpster Tows Offer Safer Trash Hauling

The WasteCaddy a motorized dumpster tow, provides a more efficient way to move dumpsters around. This battery-powered dumpster mover can haul dumpsters that weigh up to 5,000 pounds. There’s no manual lifting or pulling involved, which helps reduce physical strain on employees. This tow uses a 36-volt 3-battery system that can go from 0 to 3 mph in forward or reverse. It also works on inclined surfaces and on snowy or icy surfaces. This allows employees to safely move dumpsters to their designated location without the risk of injuries.

Efficient Design

The WasteCaddy has dumpster brackets that can be bolted or welded to dumpsters. This provides a secure attachment that prevents dumpsters from coming loose. It also includes multiple safety features, such as a safety horn and a safety stop switch and guard kit. Other features that make our motorized dumpster tow safer and more efficient include adjustable acceleration and braking and variable speed twist grip for easy maneuvering. Employees can use the WasteCaddy to pull or push dumpsters over long distances, in tighter spaces, or on slippery surfaces with ease.

Versatile Usage

The WasteCaddy offers an ideal dumpster moving solution for multi-family properties, parking garages, manufacturing complexes, malls, and many other commercial buildings. It provides a simple and efficient way to move dumpsters several yards for curbside garbage pickup. This helps ensure that garbage is removed from commercial or multi-family residential properties on a regular basis.

Cost Savings

Using the motorized dumpster tow for trash rooms can help companies save money. Its efficient design and safety features help reduce workplace injuries. This results in less money spent on workers’ compensation and related expenses and less productivity.

If you’re looking for a dumpster tow for your trash room, please contact DJ Products. We can provide you with additional details about the WasteCaddy.

How to Improve Safety and Efficiency with a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Pallets on a Loading Dock In Need of a Motorized Trailer Dolly
Enhanced Efficiency of the Motorized Trailer Dolly

Dictionary.com defines material handling as “the loading, unloading and movement of goods, as within a factory or warehouse,” generally involving the use of mechanical devices. Our material handling experts explain how battery-operated aids, such as our motorized trailer dolly, help to improve safety and efficiency in your workplace.

What Is Material Handling Equipment?

Broadly defined, material handling equipment is anything that allows effective protection, movement and storage of items and products. This can range from cranes and dollies to refrigerated containers for food.

Much of the activity in a warehouse involves loading and unloading pallets and transporting materials throughout the inbound and outbound processes. Material handling also extends to the yard, where trailers have to be guided into and out of the loading docks. Our motorized trailer dolly lets a single worker navigate trailers weighing up to 100,000 pounds with ease.

OSHA Safety Regulations

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has specific guidelines governing safety features on material handling equipment. This provides a firm standard with no gray areas, so companies know exactly what is required of them.

Safety features on our trailer dolly include:

  • Neutral throttle braking
  • Safety stop switch
  • Safety horn
  • Safety strobe flashing light
  • Solid tread tires

The trailer dolly is also ergonomically designed, with features such as a variable speed thumb twist pad, to prevent repetitive motion injuries from excessive strain on the musculoskeletal system.

Eco-Friendly and Low Maintenance

High fuel costs can greatly reduce the cost-effectiveness of gas-powered material handling equipment. In addition, they are expensive to maintain and generate fumes that pose a risk to the environment, as well as to the health of your workers.

Our trailer dolly operates on batteries that provide a full shift’s worth of operation when fully charged. The dolly navigates smoothly in tight quarters and up and down inclines, with a reduced noise level and no dangerous fumes.

Choose the Motorized Trailer Dolly from DJ Products

Our trailer dolly pays for itself in reduced workplace injuries and increased productivity. Call 800.686.2651 or use the chat feature on our website to learn more about our full line of tugs, pushers and movers from our helpful Sales Engineers.

How The DJ Products Trailer Dolly Improved Efficiency

Trailer Yard in Need of a Electric Trailer Dolly.
Trailer Yard in Need of an Electric Trailer Dolly.

Being able to move vehicles, large loads, or other objects around outdoor lots or indoor facilities comes with numerous challenges. Traditional methods, such as using a forklift, tend to be time-consuming and raise the risk of accidents. Find out how the motorized trailer dolly from DJ Products has helped boost efficiency for businesses, including an RV dealership.

Efficient Outdoor Use

Explore RV has relied on the battery-powered TrailerCaddy 6K 36V unit to move RVs around dealership lots. Using a forklift or truck to move these around requires special training, while also increasing the chance of damage or accidents. With a trailer dolly, dealerships and other businesses have a much more efficient way to push or pull vehicles and trailers weighing thousands of pounds in outdoor areas. In fact, the TrailerCaddy 6K can move trailers and vehicles that weigh up to 50k pounds. It also comes with a 6k-pound hydraulic lift kit for ball, king pin, and pintle hitch trailer connections.

Improved Indoor Efficiency

Trailer dollies can help companies become more efficient in indoor settings. Explore RV now has an easier and less time-consuming way to move RVs and trailers around inside convention centers and other indoor areas. The company depends on these trailer dollies for moving vehicles over short distances rather than having to maneuver a forklift around in tight spots. Switching to a motorized trailer dolly can help warehouses, distribution centers, dealerships, and many other businesses with indoor facilities improve efficiency and productivity.

Enhanced Efficiency and Safety Overall

Using the TrailerCaddy has allowed Explore RV to help keep staff safe when moving RVs around. Forklifts and similar machinery require careful operation and training. Otherwise, businesses face higher risks of having workplace injuries or accidents occur. This can result in increased expenses for companies, decreased productivity, lower employee morale, and higher turnover. Using a trailer dolly instead provides a great way to improve safety and employee satisfaction.

If you’re looking for ways to improve efficiency in your facility or outdoor lot, contact DJ Products to learn more about our solutions. We can help you select the ideal motorized trailer dolly for your business to help boost safety, productivity, and efficiency.

The Benefits of Transitioning from a Forklift to a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Warehouse Transitioning from Forklifts to a Motorized Trailer Dolly
Transitioning from Forklifts to a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Forklifts are the traditional way to move loads around warehouses and other facilities. This equipment comes with a number of risks to employees, though. Switching to a motorized trailer dolly can provide a more efficient, safer, and faster way to move heavy loads or items around. Find out more about the benefits of making this change.

Saves Time

Trailer dollies are easier to operate compared to forklifts. This can help reduce the amount of time it takes to push or pull pallets and other loads around warehouses, distribution centers, and other facilities. Saving time allows workers to handle other tasks, leading to increased productivity.

Reduces Costs

Forklifts can cost your company more in terms of hiring drivers with the right training and paying workers’ compensation for accidents and injuries. Using motorized trailer dollies instead costs your business less. Fewer accidents help lower workers’ compensation costs, and operators don’t need to be certified to use this equipment as forklift operators do.

Improves Safety

Having a forklift move loads around carries a high risk of injuries and accidents. This equipment is difficult to maneuver, especially in tight settings. Trailer dollies can handle tight turns and move loads around more safely, which helps decrease the risk of injuries and accidents on the job.

Enhances Efficiency

Forklifts can be challenging to use, which can require more time and effort for moving items or heavy loads around. Changing to electric trailer dollies helps boost efficiency in your business. This equipment makes it easier to pull and push loads from place to place, resulting in a more efficient workplace.

Uses Cleaner Energy

Forklifts typically require gas, diesel, propane, or other fuels to run. This uses up more energy, while also being less eco-friendly. Trailer dollies that run on electricity consume less energy and can be powered up for use in one or more shifts at a time before needing to be recharged. This also helps your company save money.

If you’re looking for the right motorized trailer dolly for your company, contact DJ Products. Our experts can help you select the best type for your business.

5 Tips to Help You Choose the Right Material Handling Tug for Your Warehouse

Material Handling Warehouse Managers Discussing Motorized Tugs
Motorized Tugs Improve Safety

So, you’ve made the decision to implement material handling tugs in your warehouse to protect workers and improve productivity. How do you decide which ones are best for your applications? Our experts share five questions that will help you choose.

1. Does the tug promote a safe working environment?

A good tug allows a single employee to easily move heavy objects and materials with less effort. In addition to strength, the tug should offer maneuverability through tight quarters that will reduce the risk of collisions, falling containers and other mishaps.

2. Does the tug cut down on physical strain?

Transporting bulky or heavy items often results in workers twisting, turning and bending, which can lead to injuries as well as chronic pain in the long term. With our tugs, once the connection is made, a worker simply walks at a normal pace to operate it.

3. Does the tug promote proper posture?

When employees contort their bodies into awkward positions to move heavy objects, it places excessive stress on their musculoskeletal system. While it may get the job done, workers pay the price in sprained muscles and damaged joints. Operating our tugs lets employees maintain a neutral upright position that avoids strain.

4. Does the tug minimize the need for manual tasks?

Manual material handling, or MMH, is a frequent cause of back pain and overall fatigue. Statistics indicate that three-quarters of workers involved in MMH tasks experience injuries that make up one-third of compensation costs. Quality material handling tugs take the burden from workers, safeguarding their well-being.

5. Is the tug ergonomically designed?

Repetitive motions can often lead to long-term physical problems. A tug that’s ergonomically designed includes features that reduce wear and tear from these movements. It also creates a safe grip to optimize control and reduce the risk of accidents.

Choose Electric Material Handling Tugs from DJ Products

Our comprehensive line of battery-powered tugs, movers and pushers make warehouse safety a priority while also reducing your carbon footprint. Contact us at 800.686.2651 or use our handy online chat feature, where our knowledgeable Sales Engineers are ready to answer your questions.

Safety Tips for Your Semi Trailer Transit Yard

Trailer Yard in need of a Motorized Trailer Dolly
A Motorized Trailer Dolly Improves Trailer Yards

Our battery-powered trailer dolly greatly improves the safety factor in your semi-trailer transit yard. Add these four helpful tips to boost productivity while preventing costly workplace injuries and accidents.

1. Strictly enforce a safe speed limit in the yard.

Regardless of the type of motor vehicle, excessive speed is usually one of the primary causes of accidents. Due to the size and composition of these vehicles, even a low-impact collision can result in serious damage or injury.

  • Post speed limit signs in visible spots around the transit yard and maintain consistent enforcement of the rules.
  • Control traffic with methods such as speed bumps, rumble strips and chicanes, which are serpentine curves that must be navigated at lower speeds.
2. Use signs, signals and markings to promote awareness of safety procedures.
  • Utilize the same shapes, symbols and colors, such as “Stop” and “Yield,” that are found in conventional traffic signs. This allows for instant recognition without the need to learn a new set of symbols.
  • Signs should be placed in high-visibility spots and kept clean and unobscured. If work activities take place during nighttime hours, include reflectors or other sources of illumination.
  • Mirrors can be a useful aid if there are sharp turns or other areas with limited visibility.
3. Maintain situational awareness.

Semi-trailer transit yards are sites of constant activity, where the surroundings change from one minute to the next. Just a few seconds of inattention can mean the difference between safety and chaos. Workers should get in the habit of putting all their focus on current activity in the yard. This includes staying off of cell phones and other distracting devices.

4. Clearly designate pedestrian and traffic routes.

Workplace activities require pedestrians and vehicles to operate within the same space.

  • Create clearly delineated pedestrian routes.
  • Make sure the more dangerous areas are marked as, “No Pedestrian Entry.”
Create a Culture of Safety with the Trailer Dolly from DJ Products

Our trailer dolly is only one of the eco-friendly tugs, movers and pushers we offer to fit any workplace application. Find out which solution fits your specific needs by calling 800.686.2651 to speak with one of our Sales Engineers.

How Can I Know if My Warehouse is Organized Enough?

Warehouse workers struggling to organize materials without a motorized trailer dolly
Motorized Trailer Dolly for Easier Organization

According to Benjamin Franklin, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” In a warehouse, where time really is money, improved organization can truly impact the bottom line. Our experts at DJ Products, makers of the TrailerCaddy a motorized trailer dolly, share some useful tips to help organize your warehouse.

1. Practice good housekeeping.

To paraphrase a popular saying, a cluttered warehouse can lead to a cluttered mind. Studies show that cluttered spaces often cause procrastination and difficulty focusing, two qualities you can’t afford to have in your workers. Schedule time each week to tidy up the warehouse.

2. Keep inventory lean.

Inventory bloat results in added costs and reduced efficiency in fulfilling orders. Work with suppliers to see if you can arrange smaller loads delivered on a more frequent basis.

3. Monitor inventory error rates.

There’s always room for improvement, but you need to know where to place the focus. When you track how and when errors are made, you can discover patterns that lead to workable solutions.

4. Institute a program of cycle counts.

The sooner you catch inventory discrepancies, the sooner they can be corrected before they snowball into major problems. A single annual inventory leaves too much room for things to fall through the cracks. Use cycle counts for improved accuracy.

5. Leverage technology.

Workplace automation becomes more sophisticated almost daily. Tools such as warehouse management software reduce the number of tasks that need to be done manually. If you don’t commit to implementing high-tech solutions wherever possible, you run the risk of losing business to your competitors who do.

6. Invest in labels and signs.

Look at your warehouse from the perspective of a new employee. Is it easy to navigate the various sections? Do you have to search shelves to find a specific product? Use labels, floor maps and signs so every element of the warehouse is clearly marked.

Improve Warehouse Organization with a Motorized Trailer Dolly from DJ Products

Without proper organization, a warehouse yard can quickly evolve into chaos. Our battery-powered trailer dolly lets a single employee transport heavy trailers between docks and staging areas quickly and efficiently. Contact us to learn more.

When is the Best Time of Year to Purchase Material Handling Equipment for Your Warehouse?

Industial Material Handing Warehouse in Need of a Motorized Trailer Dolly
Motorized Trailer Dolly Improves Warehouse Efficiency

Warehouses rely on various types of material handling equipment, such as forklifts. These pieces of equipment can break down or develop damage over time. In some cases, businesses become busier and don’t have enough equipment to handle more loads. Whether you’re looking into getting a motorized trailer dolly or another type of equipment for material handling, knowing when to make this purchase is important.

Busy Seasons

Is your warehouse busier during certain seasons, such as the holiday shopping season? If so, it’s essential to make sure you have material handling equipment to take on more loads. Otherwise, your current equipment can end up with more wear and tear, which can boost the chance of needing repairs or more frequent maintenance. If you’re expecting increased business during the holidays, order the material handling equipment you need now. If your busy season is summer, it’s still a good idea to order ahead of time in case of delays.

Supply Issues

When many other businesses are ordering equipment, you might experience lengthy delivery times. For example, a shortage of material handling equipment can lead to long delays before you’re able to get your items. If you know you’ll be needing more equipment in the near future, put your orders in now to make sure they arrive on time.

Damaged or Worn Equipment

Don’t wait until the ideal time of year to buy material handling equipment if yours is worn or damaged. Ordering as soon as possible helps ensure that you receive new equipment, while also lowering the risk of excessive downtime and productivity loss.

Not Enough Equipment

If your warehouse is expanding or business is picking up steadily, plan ahead. Take a look at the equipment you have now and determine what you need in order to keep up with the growing demands of your warehouse. Place orders for material handling equipment as soon as you know what you need.

If it’s time to purchase a trailer dolly for your warehouse, please contact DJ Products. We offer material handling solutions to help businesses improve efficiency, productivity, and safety, while lowering costs.