How to use this checklist
Equip a warehouse by function, not by brand. Every warehouse, regardless of size, has the same handful of jobs to do: move pallets along the floor, stack and put away at height, raise loads to a comfortable working height, handle awkward items like drums, move things over distance, and do it all safely. Pick the equipment that does each job, and ignore the badge on the side.
If you are setting up a new operation, prioritise the two functions you cannot avoid: moving pallets and stacking them. Almost everything that enters or leaves a warehouse does so on a pallet, so a pallet truck and a stacker cover the majority of daily work. If you are expanding an existing operation, look at where your people are working hardest by hand — bending, lifting, or walking long distances — and add ergonomic or powered equipment there first, because that is where the labour and injury costs hide.
The sections below are ordered roughly by how commonly each function appears, from near-universal (moving pallets) to specialised (drum handling, towing). Work down the list, tick what applies, and follow the link in each section straight to the matching category.
This page links to all eight Jesterlift categories. Every section points to the relevant catalogue page so you can move from "I need to do X" to "here is the equipment that does X" in one click. Skip to the printable starter checklist if you just want the short version by warehouse size.
Moving pallets (ground level)
This is the foundation, and for most warehouses it is the first purchase. A pallet truck slides under a standard pallet, lifts it a few inches clear of the floor, and rolls it to where it needs to go. It moves loads horizontally at the lowest cost of any material handling tool.
You have two options. A hand (manual) pallet truck is operator-powered — no battery, no charging, the lowest possible running cost — and is the right answer for low-to-medium volume and short distances. Browse the hand pallet truck range for 2,000–3,000 kg capacities. An electric (walkie) pallet truck motorises both the lift and the drive, cutting operator fatigue dramatically when volumes are high or travel distances are long; see the electric pallet truck range. New to the category? Start with what is a pallet jack for the fundamentals.
Checklist: at least one pallet truck rated above your heaviest pallet; an electric model for any operation moving more than roughly 20–30 pallets per shift per operator.
Stacking & putaway (vertical)
The moment you need to lift a pallet onto racking or stack one load on another, a pallet truck is no longer enough — its forks only rise a few inches. That job belongs to a stacker. A stacker raises loads to working and racking heights with a mast, bridging the gap between a ground-level pallet truck and a full forklift, usually in a far more compact footprint that suits tight aisles.
Stackers come in straddle, reach, and counterbalanced layouts depending on how your racking and aisles are arranged. Browse the full stacker range to match lift height and capacity to your racking. For many sites a walk-behind stacker is the lower-cost, safer alternative to a forklift — see pallet stacker vs forklift to decide which you actually need.
Checklist: a stacker sized to your tallest rack and heaviest palletised load if you store anything above floor level.
Lifting & positioning (ergonomic height)
Plenty of warehouse work happens not at rack height but at bench height — packing, assembly, order picking, loading and unloading by hand. Doing that work at floor level means constant bending, which is slow and a leading cause of back injuries. The fix is equipment that brings the load up to the worker.
A lift table raises a load on a scissor mechanism so it sits at a comfortable working height; it can stay parked at a station or move between them. See the lift table range. A work positioner goes further, holding and tilting or rotating a load so the operator never has to reach awkwardly; browse positioners & mobile lifts. Both pay for themselves in fewer injuries and faster cycle times at any packing or assembly station.
Checklist: a lift table or positioner at every station where staff repeatedly lift, lower, or reach for loads by hand.
Drum & barrel handling
Drums and barrels are heavy, round, and impossible to handle safely with a standard pallet truck. If your operation receives chemicals, oils, food ingredients, or anything else in 205-litre drums, you need purpose-built drum handling equipment.
The category covers drum trucks for moving a single drum by hand, drum rotators and lifters for raising and tipping drums into position, and drum dumpers for emptying them safely. Match the tool to whether you are mainly moving, pouring, or decanting. Browse the drum handler range to find the grip and lift mechanism that fits your drum type.
Checklist: a drum truck at minimum, plus a rotator or dumper if you decant or pour from drums regularly.
Towing & long-distance moves
In larger facilities, the bottleneck is not lifting — it is distance. When picking zones, staging areas, and shipping docks are far apart, pushing loaded carts or pallet trucks by hand wastes hours and exhausts staff. Towing equipment solves this by moving multiple loads at once over distance.
An electric tug attaches to a wheeled load or cart train and pulls it along, letting one operator move loads that would otherwise take several people. Tow tractors and burden carriers extend the same idea to longer routes and heavier trains. Browse electric tugs & tow tractors to size a unit to your route length and total towed weight.
Checklist: an electric tug or tow tractor for any site where staff routinely walk loads more than 30–50 metres or move cart trains between zones.
Forklift attachments
If you already run a forklift, the cheapest way to expand what it can do is an attachment rather than a second machine. Attachments mount to the carriage and turn a standard forklift into a specialised handler for non-palletised loads.
Common attachments include positioners that adjust fork spacing on the fly, clamps for handling cartons, bales, or appliances without pallets, sideshifters that slide the load left and right for precise placement without repositioning the truck, and rotators for tipping and emptying containers. Browse the forklift attachment range to match the attachment to the load you are struggling to handle today.
Checklist: a sideshifter as a near-universal productivity upgrade; clamps, rotators, or positioners if you handle loads that do not sit neatly on a pallet.
Safety, weighing & documentation
The last function is the one that protects everything else. Two pieces of equipment earn their place here. A scale pallet truck weighs each load at the point of pick, so you verify shipment weights, catch discrepancies, and avoid a separate trip to a floor scale — accuracy and material handling in a single tool.
Beyond equipment, basic PPE — steel-toe footwear, hi-vis, gloves, and eye protection where relevant — is non-negotiable on any floor where powered equipment moves. And documentation matters more than buyers expect: every Jesterlift unit ships with a full QC pack in the crate and CE certification, so your compliance paperwork is in hand on day one rather than chased down later. Published certification and inspection records are what turn an audit from a scramble into a formality.
Checklist: PPE for every operator; a scale pallet truck if you ship by weight; and certification plus QC documentation kept on file for every powered unit.
A printable starter checklist
The must-haves, grouped by warehouse size. Treat the larger tiers as additive — a medium operation usually needs everything in the small tier too.
Small warehouse (single bay, low volume)
- 1–2 hand pallet trucks, rated above your heaviest pallet
- 1 walk-behind stacker if you store on racking
- 1 lift table or positioner at your main packing station
- PPE for every operator; CE certificate and QC pack on file
Medium warehouse (multiple zones, steady throughput)
- Several hand pallet trucks plus at least 1 electric pallet truck
- 1–2 stackers sized to your racking
- Lift tables or positioners at each packing and assembly station
- A scale pallet truck if you ship by weight
- Drum handling equipment if you receive drums
Large warehouse (distribution-scale, long routes)
- A fleet of electric pallet trucks and ride-on models
- Multiple stackers, plus forklifts and attachments where heights demand
- Electric tugs or tow tractors for moving loads between distant zones
- Positioners and lift tables across all manual-handling stations
- Scale pallet trucks and a documented certification programme across the fleet
Where to start
If you only do one thing after reading this, open the catalogue and price the two functions you cannot avoid — moving and stacking. Because Jesterlift prices are published, you can build an exact budget yourself instead of waiting on quotes, then add ergonomic and specialised equipment as your throughput grows.
Every Jesterlift unit ships with CE certification, a full QC pack in the crate, and pricing up to 50% below brand list — published, never quoted. Ships across Canada & the US, priced in CAD. Browse the full catalogue to see everything in one place, or read the pallet jack buying guide before you spec your first unit.