Pallet jack buying guide.

Step 1: nail down your requirements before looking at products

The most common purchasing mistake with pallet jacks is starting with the product rather than the requirement. Before opening a catalog or requesting a quote, lock down four numbers and two environment questions:

• Maximum pallet weight — the heaviest single load you'll ever move, not the average. This determines minimum capacity.
• Standard pallet dimensions — length × width of the pallet base, so you can check fork length and width compatibility.
• Minimum aisle width — the tightest space the truck needs to navigate. This determines maximum overall width.
• Daily pallet volume per operator — moves per shift. Low volume favours manual; high volume favours electric.
• Floor type — smooth warehouse concrete, rough asphalt, outdoor surfaces, wet or washdown environments, cold storage.
• Environment — food-grade, chemical exposure, outdoor, cold room. This determines material and coating requirements.

With those six data points, you can specify the right type, capacity, and variant before a salesperson is involved. The rest of this guide walks through how to evaluate what you're offered against those requirements.

Capacity: what to specify and what to check

Specify capacity at 80–85% utilisation, not 100%. If your heaviest load is 1,800 kg, specify 2,000 kg or 2,500 kg — not "1,800 kg is fine on a 2,000 kg unit." See the full reasoning in how to choose pallet jack capacity.

When reviewing a quote, check that the capacity is listed as a rated capacity under standard conditions, not as a "maximum possible" or "peak test" figure. These are different numbers. A unit listed as "up to 2,500 kg" may have a rated capacity of 2,000 kg under standard conditions. Ask for the rated capacity at standard load centre (600 mm from the heel face is the conventional reference point).

Fork dimensions: what matters and what you can ignore

Fork length

Standard North American pallets (48 × 40 in / 1,219 × 1,016 mm) and Euro pallets (1,200 × 800 mm) are both covered by fork lengths of 1,150 mm or 1,220 mm. These are the two most common standard lengths and they fit both pallet types. If you're using non-standard pallets — smaller industrial skids, long boards, custom fixtures — measure the entry dimension and specify fork length accordingly. Custom lengths from 800 mm to 2,000 mm are available from most suppliers; expect a lead time and a modest premium.

Fork width (inner spacing)

The inner face-to-face width of the forks determines pallet entry clearance. Standard pallets are designed for 150–220 mm fork widths. Most standard hand pallet trucks use 160 mm inner width — check this against your pallet's entry dimension if you're using custom or non-standard pallets.

Overall width

This is the full width of the machine from the outer edge of one fork to the outer edge of the other. A standard 2,000–2,500 kg unit is typically 540 mm. A 3,000 kg unit widens to 685 mm. Check this against your minimum aisle width — not just the aisle clearance, but the clearance needed to turn and enter a racking bay.

What you can largely ignore

Marketing language about "ergonomic handle geometry" and "precision-balanced tiller" rarely translates to a measurable spec difference between units at the same quality tier. Focus on the numbers that appear in the data sheet, not the adjectives in the brochure.

Hydraulic system: what separates durable from disposable

The hydraulic pump is the heart of a pallet jack and the component most likely to determine whether the unit lasts three years or eight. There are two meaningful spec points:

Sealed vs open housing

A sealed, galvanized pump housing keeps dust, grit, and moisture out of the cylinder and valve assembly. On a manual pallet jack in a standard warehouse environment, a sealed pump lasts substantially longer than an open one — the cylinder bore and valve seat are protected from the contaminants that cause early wear and seal failure. If the spec sheet doesn't mention sealed housing, ask. If the supplier doesn't know, treat that as an open-housing unit.

Valve design

A single-cartridge valve design is the serviceability feature that matters most for ongoing maintenance cost. When the valve eventually needs attention — typically after several years of normal use — a single cartridge can be replaced in a fraction of the time and cost of servicing a multi-component valve stack. Ask whether the pump uses a single-cartridge or multi-component valve. Most quality units use the former; budget units often use the latter.

Wheel types: the spec that affects daily use most

Pallet jack wheels come in three materials — polyurethane (PU), nylon, and rubber — and the choice affects floor wear, rolling noise, grip, and durability in ways that matter every shift.

Polyurethane (PU) — the standard choice

PU wheels are quieter than nylon, gentler on epoxy and sealed concrete warehouse floors, and resistant to wear from fine grit and debris. They're the correct choice for most indoor warehouse environments. A unit with PU wheels specified as standard is a better baseline than one that charges extra for them or supplies nylon as the default.

Nylon — for heavy loads and rough conditions

Nylon wheels handle higher point loads than PU and hold up better on rough or abrasive floors. They're louder and harder on smooth warehouse surfaces. Correct for industrial environments with rough concrete, outdoor use, or when the load is near the top of the unit's rated capacity consistently.

Rubber — for sensitive floors

Rubber wheels are softest on finished or sensitive floor surfaces — sealed timber, vinyl, coated concrete in showroom or laboratory environments. Less common in heavy industrial use; higher rolling resistance than PU or nylon on hard surfaces.

CE certification: what it means and what to verify

CE marking indicates that the manufacturer declares the product conforms to the applicable European directives — for pallet trucks, primarily the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and the harmonised standard EN ISO 3691-5 (industrial trucks — safety requirements for manual and pedestrian-controlled trucks). The declaration is made by the manufacturer; it is not a third-party certification in the way ISO 9001 is. But it does require the manufacturer to have documented the conformity assessment, maintained technical file, and designed the product to meet the standard's requirements.

What to verify: ask for the Declaration of Conformity document, not just the CE mark on the unit. The DoC should list the specific directives and harmonised standards the manufacturer is declaring conformity with, the manufacturer's name and address, the product description, and a signature with date. If the supplier can't provide this document, the CE mark on the unit means less than it should.

In North America, you may also encounter ASME B56.1 references for US-market products. This is the ASME standard for low-lift trucks and is the relevant US safety standard. CE and ASME B56.1 are not the same, but many CE-certified units are also designed to meet or exceed ASME B56.1 requirements.

Warranty: what to look for and what are red flags

• ✓
  3-year hydraulic pump warrantyThe clearest quality signal. Confirms the supplier is confident in the pump's durability. Should cover parts and the sealed hydraulic unit — not just "defects in materials and workmanship" without specifying what that covers.
• ✓
  Warranty card in the crateShould ship with the unit, not require portal registration or a follow-up email. If you have to chase the warranty paperwork, you'll have to chase the warranty claim.
• ✓
  Published warranty termsWhat does it cover? What voids it? Normal wear vs defect? Published, legible terms you can read before buying — not "see your dealer for details."
• ✗
  90-day or 6-month pump warrantyRed flag. This is a supplier protecting themselves against a known short service life on the hydraulic unit. It does not mean all units in this range fail at 6 months — but it does mean the supplier won't back the pump beyond that.
• ✗
  "Warranty void if not serviced by authorised dealer"Fine print that makes the warranty nearly uncollectable in practice. Legitimate warranty coverage shouldn't require you to send the unit to a specific service location for routine maintenance to preserve the coverage.
• ✗
  Warranty claims require RMA pre-approval with no published processIf the claims process isn't described before you buy, the claims process will not be easy when you need it.

Documentation: what should come with the unit

A properly equipped pallet jack should arrive with more than a product card in the crate. The documentation you should receive — and ask for in writing if it's not mentioned in the spec sheet — includes:

• CE Declaration of Conformity — the formal document, not just the mark on the unit
• Operator's manual — setup, safe operating limits, emergency stop procedure, maintenance schedule
• Spare parts list — at minimum: pump seals, valve cartridge, load rollers, steering wheel
• Pre-shipment QC inspection sheet — signed evidence that the unit was load-tested before shipping
• Warranty card — serial number registered, terms stated, coverage period clear

If any of these are missing, ask before you order, not after. A supplier who is vague about documentation pre-sale will be vague about warranty claims post-sale.

How to evaluate a quote without a distributor in the room

The traditional model for buying material handling equipment puts a distributor between you and the price. The distributor adds margin — often 30–60% on standard products — and in return offers local service relationships and financing. That model made sense when specification required expertise and sourcing was opaque. It makes less sense when spec sheets are published, prices from direct suppliers are online, and the equipment is standardised enough that any competent maintenance tech can service a hydraulic pump.

When evaluating a quote from any supplier — distributor or direct — ask for the following in writing before you respond:

• Full model specification sheet with all dimensions, capacity, and material specs
• CE Declaration of Conformity document (not just a statement that it's CE certified)
• Published warranty terms (pump warranty period, what's covered, what voids it)
• Delivery lead time and shipping terms (FOB origin vs FOB destination — who owns it during transit)
• QC documentation list (what's in the crate)
• Spare parts availability and typical lead time for the pump cartridge and load rollers

A supplier who can answer all six without hesitation is the supplier worth buying from. A supplier who says "I'll follow up on that" for more than one or two items is telling you something about what happens when you need service support.

One more time: manual or electric?

For most buyers, this is the decision that has the most impact on total cost over the equipment's life. The full analysis is in the electric vs manual guide, but the summary: under 20–30 pallets per shift per operator on short distances, manual is genuinely the correct answer. Above those thresholds on any dimension, the electric unit pays back the premium.

The Jesterlift catalog

The full hand pallet truck range and electric pallet truck range are priced on the page — no quote wall, no distributor margin obscuring the number. CE Declaration of Conformity, 3-year pump warranty, and a full QC pack ship in the crate with every unit. Spare parts lists are included. Ships across Canada & the US, priced in CAD.

If you've worked through this guide and still want to sanity-check your spec before ordering, send us the four numbers — load weight, pallet dimensions, aisle width, and daily volume — and we'll confirm the right model in one business day.