Posted by Carl Nattrass on Tue, Apr 05, 2011
“My current hand truck has black rubber wheels that mark the floor. Do your hand trucks have non-marking wheels?”
We get that question a lot and the answer is yes. All PowerMate® stair climbing hand trucks have solid, non-marking hard rubber wheels which means your floors and stairs will remain in the condition you found them in. Many non-PowerMate® hand trucks have pneumatic air filed rubber tires that are not really suited for stair climbing and tend to leave a mark on wood and tile surfaces. PowerMate® sells pneumatic tires for movement outdoors over rough terrain but are designed to ‘stay behind’ when you and your load are indoors on tile floors and stairs. This arrangement provides the best of both worlds for those that require non-marking wheels and air filled pneumatic tires.
This is just another example of the PowerMate® difference. We work hard to provide you with the best product possible for your business. By protecting property from damage during a move your PowerMate® will contribute to your profitability by reducing general liability claims which in turn contributes to your return on investment (ROI). It may be a small thing but we know that small things can add up over time and when added together with the big advantages like labor savings and enhanced safety, your PowerMate® can easily be one of the best equipment investments a company can make.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Tue, Apr 05, 2011
We recently spoke with a customer that bought a PowerMate® to
enhance jobsite safety. The company in question had been using a regular non-powered hand truck for water heater deliveries and wanted something to help offset the lost-time injuries they had been experiencing of late. (Moving water heaters can be back-breaking work, especially removing old water heaters encrusted with calcium from local hard water.)
The company bought two L-1 stair climbers and added the machines to their tool closet assuming the technicians would start using them right away. The company elected to take a pass on the training option offered by PowerMate®. To their general surprise there was reluctance on the part of the technicians to use the PowerMate machines even though they knew that using the PowerMate® on a regular basis would substantially reduce injuries.
We call this an issue of compliance and it is easily addressed. Lack of compliance can sometimes happen when skilled technicians are provided a new tool without training. Technicians know that without proper training there is a risk of misusing the machinery. This is how technicians are trained. You don’t become certified to install gas appliances without a few hours of training for example. Technicians know the value of training and come to expect it when the rules change. The introduction of a piece of safety moving equipment without a proper training program just does not make sense to them. Non-compliance using the new machinery is their response.
Training provides operators with the knowledge base and skills they require to use the machines with confidence. In the case of this particular client, once the technicians had the training they requested there was universal agreement on the superiority of the new system with full compliance as the result.
PowerMate® recommends that everyone not familiar with using our products to take a short training session. This not only provides instruction on the safe and efficient use of the product but also provides valuable tips and tricks for maneuvering heavy loads in specific situations – like tight landings for example.
For more information on PowerMate® products and training call: 1-800-697-6283
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Tue, Apr 05, 2011
L P International Inc., will be giving away a PowerMate® L-1 stair climbing hand truck to one lucky business this spring in an effort to raise awareness of this highly versatile and dependable powered safety moving machine.
Anyone can enter the promotion by completing the form on the PowerMate® website (only one submission per business location will be entered) with the draw taking place in late June and the Winner announced in early July.
The PowerMate® L-1 is one of our top sellers due to its light weight, rugged construction, ease of use and overall versatility. The PowerMate® L-1 is used extensively in the plumbing and HVAC trade to move water heaters into basements as well as remove the old heavy sludge filled heater out. The L-1's narrow profile and ability to maneuver while in a tight spot make this a unique solution for tight landings and stair wells.
The PowerMate® L-1 can be used to unload and load vehicles up to 40” in height. The battery can be charged from the vehicle's electrical system using our patented Smart Charging System that senses the vehicle battery charge and shuts down charging if the vehicle charge drops too low.
This solid state machine is extremely efficient and uses high-tech long-life batteries that last from 4-7 years. These batteries are of the ‘sealed gel’ type and will never leak. The battery has no memory and is designed to be left "on charge" and cannot be overcharged.
Previous winners of the PowerMate® Give Away include Bruce Silverman of Airite Air Conditioning, Tampa Florida & Paul Scott of Paul's Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, West Point, Iowa .
We wish everyone luck who enter the promotion but remind entrants that there is only one winner. If you are seriously interested in owning a PowerMate product we urge you to contact a PowerMate® solution specialist today for the best deal on a PowerMate® stair climbing hand truck.
For other PowerMate products check out the PowerMate® product overview page.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Thu, Feb 03, 2011
If you have been reading the articles in this blog you may already be familiar with some of the reasons for using a PowerMate®. Labor savings and safety are two big reasons customers agree are important. But did you also know that there are less tangible benefits to using a PowerMate stair climber for residential and commercial deliveries? Your technicians, the ones most likely to be using the machines on a regular basis, will thank you for making their job easier and safer.
The fact that you also bought the machine to improve your bottom line is incidental to them. From the technician’s perspective they will notice right away the difference in the physical effort required to move product in and out of buildings. They will be less tired at the end of the day, less prone to injury, less likely to make errors due to fatigue, more likely to show up for work without muscle aches and generally enjoy their job more knowing they have this powerful tool to back them up day after day.
This may seem like a small advantage to the business owner but it’s a big thing to the tech. Better quality time spent with their families is valuable and knowing you care enough about their welfare to purchase a powered lifting device enhances your desirability as an employer. They will be more likely to ‘go the extra mile’ when required, like performing more installs per week for example!
Remember, these are the faces your clients see every day. How your technicians feel about your company is evident in their attitude. A positive attitude reflects well on your business with more referrals for the asking as a result.
It is important that business owners understand all the potential benefits to integrating a PowerMate® into your operations. You want to get the maximum benefit from your investment. There are tangible benefits (fewer people required to move product, reduced risk of injury, more efficient deliveries, etc.) and intangible benefits (your people will thank you).
To get the maximum benefit from the intangibles you need to actively promote these benefits to your staff. Let them know you have their welfare in mind and the purchase of a PowerMate® is just one example of that sentiment.
For more information on the benefits of owning and using a PowerMate® stair climbing hand truck contact a PowerMate® Solution Specialist today at 1-800-697-6283 or request a call back HERE.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Tue, Dec 14, 2010
Moving and installing built-in appliances is problematic for a number of reasons. By their very nature built-ins are designed for a residential installation and yet are often commercial-sized appliances. Built-in fridges and stoves are high value items that often have much of their delicate components exposed. Built-in fridges are heavier than standard fridges and taller as well. The risk of damaging either the product or the customer’s property is higher when moving a built-in appliance; it is heavier and more awkward to move and there is usually less clearance. All this makes the job for the installer much harder than moving a standard white good.
Damage to either the product or customer’s property can be an expensive proposition. Many customers of built-in appliances live in executive homes with specialty trim, exotic hardwood floors or custom inlaid stone flooring (yikes!). You do not want to be in a position of negotiating with a customer on the value in repairs for the damaged, custom-built stained glass entryway.
Also, if you are not using a powered lifting device you run the risk of sustaining injury should you encounter stairs and the product has to be lifted by hand — and what home doesn’t have some stairs? Your safest option, and one that minimizes your exposure to the risk of injury and damage, is to use a well respected and proven powered lifting device. The advantages are threefold: reduced risk of injury due to lifting strain; better control during the move and hence reduced risk of damage; and reduced labor costs. This last point is a good one because it directly affects your profitability per install. If you regularly send two or three guys on an install, you can now send two or even just one person. This adds to your bottom line and provides additional flexibility in terms of how many installs you can accomplish in a given period of time with the same number of installers.
The PowerMate® M-2B stair climbing hand truck is ideally suited for moving built-in appliances. The M-2B is taller than standard powered stair climbers and is ideal for moving tall built-in fridges. The machine also has a retractable dolly for flat surface rolling, a full bottom rubber guard, a long-life rechargeable battery, a 1500 lb. capacity, and a 40” lift for loading your vehicles. The unique design means the load is always in perfect balance with no strain on the operator. The operator can even let go of the machine while in the balanced position without fear that the machine will tip or fall over — even while on stairs!
Best of all, the load is always in control and the operator can move the product right to the point of install without worrying about damaging the Brazilian tropical hardwood inlay.
Do you know someone who moves built-in appliances? Send us a referral and if they buy a PowerMate® we’ll send you $50! E-mail your referral to cpn@powermate.info
Details can be found here on the PowerMate® M-2B stair climbing hand truck.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Mon, Nov 29, 2010
The powermate.info website now has new content, more pictures and more opportunities for views to get intouch with PowerMate Solution Specialists. This redesign is part of our ongoing efforts to provide quality information to PowerMate customers on the benefits to safety and profitability of using our products.
The new hydronic heating video on the home page of the PowerMate® website provides a quick introduction to the benefits of using PowerMate® as your safety moving equipment provider. The video highlights the benefits of using a PowerMate® stair climber for moving hot water tanks and boilers and shows the machine in action on stairs and loading a vehicle. If you haven’t already seen it, you can check it out at http://www.powermate.info/index.htm
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Wed, Oct 20, 2010
The value of a good ergonomics strategy goes beyond health and safety. A good ergonomics strategy can add value to your company’s business and ultimately contribute to your goals of higher profits. An ergonomics strategy can affect profit drivers like cost minimization, productivity, quality, delivery reliability, responsiveness to customer demands and flexibility. The evidence for a good ergonomics strategy is abundant in countless studies in North America and Europe that clearly illustrate the connection between profitability and healthy working conditions. Larger organizations take ergonomics seriously and have been at this game long enough to know where to look for ‘bottom line’ benefits.
The trick to making ergonomics work for your business is to look for items that contribute to business performance and that also carry inherent risk. In terms of business performance, this means looking at risk and assessing opportunity. One aspect of ergonomics that enhances efficiency is mechanization. If the job carries risk for a human operator, (and the associated cost of a lost-time injury) then look to mechanization to lower risk. By removing hazard in the workplace (or substantially reducing it) you increase labor productivity, lower costs associated with injury and increase your profit.
Moving heavy hot water heaters, boilers and other goods is inherently hazardous due to the real potential for lifting strain. A back injury can put a good worker out of commission, permanently in some cases. Even strong young backs will suffer over time with repetitive exposure to the same types of strain. Really heavy loads often require more bodies to move safely. If these loads were confined to the factory floor no one would be lifting them using brute strength alone, this risk of injury is too obvious. So why do contractors expose themselves to such risk day in and day out?
The solution to this particular risk is to mechanize the process with a powered hand truck like a PowerMate. The business benefits are many; reduced exposure to risk for your installers (and the reduced costs associated with lost-time injury), labor savings, increased productivity and higher profits. Tom Webber of T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning explains, "Since time is money in our business (the PowerMate) has allowed us to get these heavy objects in and out of jobsites as quickly as possible. This has led to increased revenue and better job efficiency. Now instead of sending two technicians to move an old boiler or set a new one in place we only send one. Not only is management happy about this change but he technicians are as well."
In terms of ergonomic strategy, acquiring a PowerMate makes perfect sense if you move heavy objects in and out of buildings as part of your business model. The people that move those goods are often your technicians and they have value beyond being just movers.
Peter Jeavons, Director,
L P International Inc.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Wed, Sep 22, 2010
PowerMate® is the only powered stair climbing hand truck approved for use on the London Underground.
Having met the extremely stringent health and safety requirements, PowerMate® is now being used by a number of approved contractors handling varying types of loads within the London underground. In these applications PowerMate® is required to cope with step heights which can exceed 8”. Most other stair climbers have a fixed height movement which can cause the load to be held at an extreme, possible unsafe angle. With PowerMate® the wheels are safely balanced on each tread. A further unique PowerMate® benefit is the ‘break back’ characteristic which requires much less physical effort to pull the machine and its load into an operational position for stair climbing.
The PowerMate® acceptance and acquisition by the London Underground illustrates that even the most traditional of companies (London underground dates back to 1863) are prepared to invest in modern safety handling equipment.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Carl Nattrass on Wed, Sep 22, 2010
In much of the European Union laws have been enacted that require companies to conduct risk assessments for material handling and to implement mechanical alternatives to lifting a weight that could jeopardize their employee’s heath – this includes injury due to lifting strain.
Guy Goring, Managing Director of Everhot Cookers aims for maximum safety and professionalism with site deliveries and installations. The English company manufactures and delivers upwards of 300 range-style cookers (heavy stoves) a year – each weighing up to 550 lbs.
The law says such tasks have to be the subject of appropriate risk assessments and implemented through best practice – common sense says you do it professionally in a manner that, as far as possible, eliminates the handling risks.
One thing is certain – the days of manual heave and shove are over which is why Guy mechanized loading, unloading and installation using PowerMate® stair climbers. Do they work? “Absolutely brilliant!” he says and has backed up his comment with his acquisition of a total of five PowerMates since 1997.
“Frankly, I don’t know what we would have done without PowerMate®”, he says. “They not only take out the risk to personnel they minimize the possibility of costly damage to product and customers’ premises into the bargain. They’re light enough to travel with the delivery van and so versatile they handle the heavy work throughout the distribution and installation cycle” Deliveries which would have required two or three people can be accomplished using one with a PowerMate®.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience
Posted by Lee Jeavons on Wed, Jul 28, 2010
Do you rent equipment to contractors? If so, than take a moment to consider the advantages of renting a motorized hand truck. Most rental places charge a premium to rent a PowerMate® because of its’ uniqueness and application specific uses. Many rental companies include a PowerMate® rental when they rent other products like concrete polishers, generators, floor sanders, drain cleaners and other heavy loads because a PowerMate® can lift loads on and off trucks and up and down stairs.
PowerMate® motorized hand trucks are used extensively by HVAC contractors to move hot water heaters, AC units, furnaces, radiators, geothermal heat pumps and boilers for residential and commercial installations because, unlike a regular hand truck, the PowerMate® protects the operator from lifting stain. A PowerMate® does the grunt work and has the added benefit of saving contractors on labor costs. On average, a contractor can cut labor costs in half when using a PowerMate® to move loads to the point of install. These are real, tangible benefits that contractors recognize and will respond to.
There is a high level of awareness among HVAC and plumbing contractors with respect to the PowerMate® and what it can do, however many small contractors do not own a PowerMate as they lack the frequency in terms of moves per year. They may only need a PowerMate® four or five times a year – which is ideal for a rental opportunity!
PowerMates are high quality machines and are built to last. There are three models that are ideal for rental; the PowerMate® L-1 with a 650 lb. lifting capacity – ideal as a general purpose powered lifting dolly; the M-1 heavy lifting hand truck with a 1,500 lb. lifting capacity which is ideal for plumbers, HVAC-R and geothermal contractors; and the M-2B (a taller version of the M-1), the mover of choice for large built-in appliances and vending machines. PowerMate® also offers certified training courses so that your sales staff can be confident they are providing proper instruction on the safe operation of the machines.
All units are fully functioning hand trucks that just happen to be powered. Any client that intends to rent a hand truck might consider a PowerMate® if the load weight is over 200 lbs. and they are concerned about injury or having enough labor on hand to help with the move. The M-series machines are made from heavy gauge steel and the L-Series machines from extruded aluminum (no welds to fail). The control buttons are weather protected and the toe plate, where the load sits, has a full length bottom rubber guard to protect floors and stairs.
All PowerMates come with our 1-800 number printed on the front of the machine so that if a client needs assistance while on the job site they can call us, not you. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to help.
Industries PowerMate® serve include: Appliance movers, Furniture movers, Facility and Property Management, Home Medical Equipment, Lock and Gun Safe, Plant Maintenance, HVAC-R, Vending and Gaming, Coin-Op and ATM among others.
For detailed information on each of the products mentioned above, follow the links to:
PowerMate® L-1 Stair Climber – one tough general purpose motorized hand truck!
PowerMate® M-1 Stair Climber – our heavy duty flagship machine.
PowerMate® LE-1 Stair Climber/Stacker – the only stacking stair climber on the market.
PowerMate® M-2B Stair Climber for appliance and vending moves.
Other specialty machines: The PowerMate® POGO P-2 Stair Climber – the lightweight Stair Climber for moving parcels, salt bags, water bottles, home oxygen vessels, compressed gas cylinders and other loads up to 220 lbs.
Speak to a Solution Specialist today at 1-800-697-6283 and find the best deal on a PowerMate® stair climber for your rental business.
For more information on PowerMate stair climbing hand trucks or LiftGates contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 or leave your name and number and we'll contact you at your convenience