Thousands of injuries and hundreds of tragic, but preventable, deaths occur each year while moving heavy equipment. When it comes to choosing tools to move heavy equipment, safety is important to ensure your workers aren’t hurt. Injury-free moving is no accident. It is important to practice safe working habits. These safe habits are especially vital when it comes to selecting tools to transport heavy equipment. At Hevi-Haul, we make Products that Move the World more safely. Read below for the five best tools to use in order to increase the odds of injury-free moving of heavy equipment.
5 Top Tools for Safely Moving Heavy Equipment
1. Utility Machine Skates
Why it’s among the top tools for safely moving heavy equipment:
- Ideal for moving medium loads in areas too tight for a forklift or crane
- Weight capacity of 37.5 tons.
- Work best when moving machinery in straight lines or turns.
- Wide stance provides stability and weight distribution.
- Low profile design brings maximum load clearance with minimum load jacking.
2. Compact Swivel Skates
Why it’s among the top tools for safely moving heavy equipment:
- Weight capacity from 1.5 to 12.5 tons per skate.
- Full directional control allows maximum moving capacity.
3. Straight Line Skates
Why it’s among the top tools for safely moving heavy equipment:
- Move loads up to 100 tons that can stick to a straight, designated path.
- Skates sit low to the ground, making lifting and setting down large machinery easier and more accessible.
- Makes placing load on the ground easier and safer
4. Roller Dollies
Why it’s among the top tools for safely moving heavy equipment:
- Can move up to 15 tons and rotate 360 degrees.
- Require less power to move due to the central load-bearing plate.
5. Toe Jacks
Why it’s among the top tools for safely moving heavy equipment:
- Help lift corners of heavy objects up off the floor, so you can slide moving equipment under the object.
- Work best when paired with other moving tools, a safety combo.
- Ideal for heavy lifting both in areas of low and high clearance.
- Toe jacks lift up the corners of heavy machinery so that skates or roller skids can be placed underneath.
- Able to lift up to 60 tons
Work in PEACE: Tips for Safely Moving Heavy Equipment
- Preparation: Always wear safety gear.
- Education: Conduct proper training.
- Always know load maximums
- Communicate with co-workers
- Equipment knowledge: understand the limits
Moving heavy equipment is a skill best left to professional movers, who know these 5 considerations from memory. Injury-free moving is NO accident. One mistake can end up costing thousands of dollars or, even worse, cause serious injury. Moving heavy objects is an exercise in working smarter, not harder. Working smarter means using the right tools to move heavy equipment and allow your workers to enjoy injury-free moving.
At Hevi-Haul, we “Create value with Products that Move the World.” We will continue to do our best to live up to our current and prospective customer’s expectations. Contact us if you’re looking for more tools that will help you safely move heavy equipment.
