Powered Stair Climbers Vs. Conventional Hand Trucks

Are you about to embark on a move or looking to install a new HVAC system for the summer and deciding on the best moving method? Of course, there are numerous systems and products available to help with relocation, including a variety of hand trucks. These hand trucks can range from your conventional dollies to powered stair climbing hand trucks, like ours. As experts in moving loads promptly, safely, and efficiently, here are some reasons to consider powered stair climbers versus the conventional hand truck:

• Powered stair climbers not only can move loads up and down the stairs, on and off most service vehicles, but they can also negotiate curbs and thresholds, as well as act as a dock leveler.

• Various models of the powered stair climbers act as powered tailgate lifts and vertical lifts; the one of a kind PowerMate model LE-1 even has stacking capabilities and no attachments.

• How do you maneuver tight spaces, crazy corners, and rough terrain with a conventional hand truck? You can safely bring the load and machine to rest on flat surfaces, even on stairs. Deliver to old homes? With a Power Stair Climber, you can skip missing, broken, or suspect steps! Challenged with moving on landings? Raise the wheel to create a smaller footprint.

• Looking for safety and protection for you and your workers? Powered stair climbers reduce the operator’s ergonomic effort by 87%, making moving more efficient, safe, and productive. Additionally, risks, injuries, and vehicle-related accidents become lowered. Complete more jobs efficiently and reduce your labor costs by 50% or more.

• Why do all of the work with a conventional hand truck? With powered stair climbers, all you need to do is raise the wheels 10-18 in. and change the fulcrum, making the breaking of the load an easier and safer task.

• One of the biggest concerns when moving is ensuring the load remains intact and unharmed. Cotton-coated nylon straps and safety ratcheting systems, as well as multiple and adjustable felt-protected strap bars, are added to the stair climber in order to protect the customers’ product.

• Is another worry that of harming the floors on which the move is taking place? With some hand trucks, the wheels can rough up and scratch certain floors. Powered hand trucks, however, have non-marking wheels and rubber guards, so that it remains safe for all floor types.

• Durable, long-lasting, top of the line stair climbers typically deliver a 10:1 return on investment (ROI) in the first year alone, and with routine maintenance, can last for years and years.

Keeping these points in mind, you should be able to determine that the higher ROI lies in powered hand trucks over conventional ones. As technology is beginning to invade the workplace, it’s time to ask yourself: “What’s my ROI on the conventional hand truck I am using today?”

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

Equipment for Moving Season

The biggest season for moving companies or facilities managers is coming up, so now is the time to make sure your moving company has all the proper equipment on hand for safe moves or renovations.

Later this spring, college students will be moving out of student houses and back home, or to their own apartments. For building and facilities managers, the warmer weather also makes this time of year optimal for any move or making household alterations.

Appliances can get heavy and if you don’t handle them with the proper equipment, you risking causing damage to the appliance or physical harm to yourself and others. If you’re removing or installing heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) units, or just moving pails of paint or cleaning supplies, BBQ's, building supplies, floor polishers, floor sanders or garbage receptacles, using a handtruck or liftgate will make it simple.

What are some specific moving products you should have on your checklist? For those in rough terrains, the proper moving vehicles equipped for this type of environment are required. For those working in building locations and need to move pieces of equipment, a hand truck or load truck (if the equipment is large) is appropriate. For those attempting to move items out of a vehicle or full-sized van, an interior lift gate system will prove to be useful. For tight spaces and staircases, it’s important to have pivot accessories to help you move around.

More important than where you get these products is that you use them to your advantage. Lugging large appliances around won’t get the job done faster, and it could put workers at risk. With the help of products like these, you and team can be kept safe while staying efficient. Make sure to take measure to make your moves and renovations as productive and hazard free as possible.

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

Business Owners & Fleet Managers are Installing PowerMate® LiftGates

PowerMate® Interior Tailgate Lifts are recognized by fleet managers as an excellent power loading system for their employees. Since the are mounted inside the vehicle they have distinct advantages over exterior fold down tailgate lifts and at a fraction of the price.      

            All PowerMate® LiftGates are mounted inside the vehicle out of the elements and all have a swing arm that allows for positioning loads inside the vehicle, saving the need to manhandle the load.

            LiftGates can be installed in your fleet vehicle at the time of purchase which allows the LiftGates to be as a lease expense. The LiftGates can be installed at either the right & left side of the rear or side door of the vehicle. They are ideal for loading or unloading a wide variety of loads such as compressed gas cylinders, hot water tanks, drain cleaners, furnaces, motors, generators, woodstoves etc.

            Currently the LiftGates are being purchased by the HVAC, home medical, universities and schools, public works and utilities industries to name just a few.

Lincare has standardized on installing a LiftGate on new vehicles in their fleet and Dominion Virginia Power has purchased numerous PowerMate® LiftGates for their fleet. The LiftGates have significant advantages over heavy exterior fold down tailgates due to their lower cost, small footprint, and flexible mounting configurations. Also, the load on a LiftGate is secured so the risk of the load shifting or falling is eliminated.

            The LG-3 has a lifting height of 28” and can be ordered with a 250 or 500 lb lifting capacity, while the LG-6 has a 40” lift and is also available in the two weight capacities of 250 or 500 lbs. The LiftGates are made from heavy duty steel and aluminum construction and require minimal space inside the vehicle at just 1.5 sq. ft. The LiftGates operate from the vehicle’s 12 volt electrical system.

A back injury can put a good worker out of commission, even permanently in some cases, so this is why business owners and fleet managers are installing a PowerMate® LiftGate on all their vehicles.

For more information on  we invite you review our White Paper (below) or contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 to learn more about implementing your PowerMate® Fleet Program.

 

 

 

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

Playing It Safe with PowerMate

It seems that everyone’s talking about safety these days, and recent events in the news – from gun violence to the struggling economy – have a lot of people concerned and playing it safe in their homes and businesses. More and more people are storing their valuables and guns in heavy-duty safes. If you’re in the moving or locksmith industries, or if you’re retailing safes, you know how heavy these safes can be to move and deliver!

That’s where PowerMate can help you do your job: Our stair-climbing hand trucks can help you efficiently and safely move security safes and other heavy loads, including:

• Floor safes

• Gun storage safes

• Automatic teller machines (ATMs)

• Fireproof filing cabinets (up to the size of large vending machines)

Each of the items listed above can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. That’s a heavy load to handle and move, but you can easily do your job with a PowerMate. Plus, the PowerMate will cut your labor costs in half! When are we the solution?

• If you’re in the Lock & Safe Business and looking for a way to grow your business and take the awkwardness out of moving safes - PowerMate is the solution!

• If you’re a Moving Company that is looking to grow their business and take on contracts involving moving the above some or all of the above listed specialty products - PowerMate is the solution!

• If you’re a Rental Company looking for new rental tool that will help you grow your business and differentiate yourself from other Rental Stores in your area - PowerMate is the solution!

Our PowerMate M1 and PowerMate M2B stair climbing hand trucks carry the weight of heavy loads on their outer frames and were designed for safely moving safes and vending machines. The PowerMate M1 and M2B (for taller loads) feature wheel brakes, side handles, hook boxes, and they also include a solid state controller, something you’re not going to find anywhere else. These PowerMates do 100% of the lifting for you to keep you safe and protect you from injury.

When moving a safe, no matter what its application or size, ensure that you and your workers are kept safe! Remember to work smart, not hard, with PowerMate!

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

Riding Together Is Always More Fun… That’s Why PowerMate Has Partnered with BuyMax Alliance!

Last July, PowerMate partnered with BuyMax Alliance, a group of more than 1,400 independent HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing contractors who work together to guarantee more buying power and special pricing from national vendors. Now, more of these independent contractors are discovering the benefits and advantages of bringing a PowerMate with them when they’re out on the road and heading to jobs.

Through our partnership with BuyMax, PowerMate offers members special pricing on our stair climbing hand trucks and LiftGates. Additionally, like all of our customers, alliance members get access to financing options for PowerMate equipment and accessories through our partnership with Allstate Capital. It’s a win-win for everyone!

In the coming weeks, PowerMate will be exhibiting at BuyMax Alliance’s upcoming vendor shows in March and April of 2013:

• On March 7th, we’ll be in Las Vegas, introducing PowerMate to SGI members, independent contractors from across the country.
• April 11th, we’ll be in Phoenix at a trade show for franchisees who need to know all the advantages of having a PowerMate as they put their new vehicles on the road.

We believe everyone needs to know how a PowerMate can make their jobs so much easier, and we’re proud to be a silver-level sponsor of the BuyMax Alliance. As a vendor partner with the BuyMax Alliance for less than a year, PowerMate has already seen success with this partnership. So we’ve renewed our vendor partnership agreement – for the first of what we hope are many more years to come!

Stay tuned: We’ll keep you posted about our partnership. Connect with us on Twitter for more updates, and we’ll also tweet our booth locations at the upcoming vendor shows. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call us at 1-800-697-6283 and ask for Brad or Paul.

 

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

Our PowerMate LE-1 Stair Climbing Hand Truck is Heating Up…

What’s a hot commodity this time of year? PowerMate’s very own LE-1 Stair Climbing Hand Truck. As this is the time of year when wood and gas stoves, gas fireplaces, and alternative stoves are more commonly moved and installed, our LE-1 finds a good niche. From March 13th through March 16th, we’ll be exhibiting our PowerMate LE-1 Stair Climbing Hand Truck at the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo 2013 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The PowerMate LE-1 is very popular with gas fitters and anyone doing wood, pellet or gas stove installations because it’s ideally suited for moving wood stoves.

What’s really unique about the  is the fact that it has two (2) drive screws, which allow the user to adjust the center of gravity of heavy loads and to easily lift the stoves onto hearths and elevated surfaces. Other features of the PowerMate LE-1 that make it so helpful to wood stove installers include:

• A motor that provides 100% of the lifting.
• A maintenance-free 12 Volt rechargeable battery.
• Small footprint and high maneuverability in tight spaces.
• Unique load elevation – “stacker” – capabilities with no attachments.
• Hand-operated wheel brakes for greater safety.
• Solid state circuitry.

 

Like all PowerMate stair climbers, the LE-1 also acts as a well-balanced dolly, curb and dock leveler, and tail gate lift. To learn more, we invite you to review our NEW White Paper.

Our current customers rave about the PowerMate LE-1 and its abilities: “It has been phenomenal in helping with hundreds of installs that we have completed in the last two years. Thanks for a super piece of equipment and great service,” says Mainline Heating & Supply Co.

Bowman’s Stove says, “The PowerMate has more uses and we especially enjoy the stacker feature! We use it to raise the woodstoves onto displays in our showroom and onto hearths in customers’ homes… One person can do it all with a PowerMate. It really is an amazing machine!”

We expect more of the same type of “rave reviews” and that the PowerMate LE-1 will be a hot topic of conversation when we show it off at the HPBExpo in Orlando in March. If you’ll be there too, be sure to stop by to say hello and to see the PowerMate LE-1 in action. We’ll be in Booth #1322. Hope to see you there!

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

Customizing your PowerMate Experience!

It seems that almost on a daily basis we get requests for specialized solutions from individual customers. These requests vary, depending on the industry. Some of these requests are dictated by government requirements, and other customization requests are simply personal preferences. Either way, we are happy to help any way we can!

At PowerMate, we’re 100% ready-to-go when it comes to providing customized products and solutions to our customers. Depending on how and where they’re using PowerMate, our customers sometimes have very specific needs: Maybe it’s a requirement for specialized training, or a special accessory, or maybe it’s the need to protect and secure their PowerMate. New applications are always arising, and we are ready to meet whatever custom needs you may have. Whether it involves product development or machine modifications, we will analyze your application and create the proper customized solution.

Sometimes the results from these partnerships end up benefiting all of our customers. For example, one of our customers required a storage and charging station for their PowerMate product, in order to protect it when it wasn’t in use and monitor its use. From this custom request and experience, we created the PowerMate Docking Station. It’s a locker/cabinet, designed with wired mesh, and it includes a door with a lock. A clipboard hangs on the outside of the PowerMate Docking Station and this clipboard can hold the maintenance history and a log of the machine’s use, as well as various accessories. It’s ideal for companies who use their PowerMate as a shared resource.

Do you have any special requests or requirements that we can help you with? Let us know! At all times, we have the capabilities in place and we’re ready to go that extra step to help you get exactly what you need from your PowerMate experience.

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

PowerMate® Brand Gets a (New) Lift with an Addition to the LiftGate Product Line

At the BuyMax Clockwork trade show in Nashville in late October, we introduced a prototype for a new PowerMate® LiftGate. At first glance, the new, yet-to-be-named LiftGate model looks similar to the LG3 and LG6 models, and its design is based on the same premise: It’s small, compact, and it will be available at an affordable, lower price point.

What’s different about this new LiftGate is that it can tolerate environmental elements, and it can be installed on the outside of a vehicle. There are other differences, too, which make this new LiftGate a standout solution offering PowerMate® customers more abilities and options.

Those at the trade show said they appreciate the opportunity to install this new LiftGate in pickup trucks and trailers, rather than inside enclosed vans. They were also calling the new LiftGate a “switchblade” solution because of the way it operates. The new LiftGate is ideal for moving and hoisting motors, drain-cleaning equipment, spools of wire, residential generators and more.

Originally designed for boat lifts, the new LiftGate offers a cable-type of application and operates in more of a crane environment rather than a swing-gate environment. With the cable-type of application, it offers the ability to go beyond 40 inches in lifting and hoisting. But, like the LG3 and LG6, the new LiftGate can handle up to 500 pounds – and it can save you from a lot of muscle strain and back pain!

We’ll be posting more information about the newest addition to the PowerMate® LiftGate family here on our blog and on our website. But, if you have any questions now, please call us at 1-800-697-6283 and we’ll be happy to tell you more details!

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

We lift a sign of exposure … It’s not about time.

A great deal of excitement and buzz was created within the walls and out into the parking lot here at L P International Inc. Our shingle exposing the identity of those within finally hung. The so-called tombstone as it’s been known for the past 10 years became adorn with shiny new sides.

 
Designed by our Sandy in the marketing department there were several revisions that evolved prior to a consensus on what we see today. The design incorporates our branding for PowerMate so that it is easily recognized by those who check-in at our location.

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and

New PowerMate® Manuals: For all of your Stair Climber and Hand Truck Needs

How can we make our products easier to use and our services more accessible for our clients? Customers and potential customers alike have often posed questions on how our equipment works, how to properly maintain the equipment, and how to get copies of the product manuals. These frequent inquiries resulted in us thinking about how we could further make our company—and our products—more customer friendly. What was the result? Electronic product , available on our website, which are continuously updated, so that our customers have the most current and accurate product information.

The product manuals allow for customers to access a plethora of information about our PowerMate® products. Although you will find all of the technical information concerning the equipment, the manuals also include any additional information concerning the ownership and servicing of the equipment, including:

• Schematic drawings and part numbers.
• Overview of equipment maintenance.
• Machine safety and proper usage of equipment.
• Warranty information.

Making these product manuals available electronically, we have seen a variety of positive benefits for our company and our customers. First, it allows potential customers to understand the scope of our company and gives our current clients 24/7 access to our product information. We offer best-in-class service and partnership with our clients, and we work to achieve high quality and effectiveness. Additionally, by providing the manuals, our customers can work more effectively with our factory-authorized  personnel in diagnosing any concerns and providing the correct remedy, the first time, at both the least cost and inconvenience. That’s just one example how PowerMate® goes the extra mile and delivers the lowest total cost of ownership.

What products are lucky enough to have these available manuals? All of our PowerMate® safety lifting equipment, including: L-Series, LE-Series, LG-Series, LT-Series, M-Series, and PG-Series. Potential customers? Take a look at these eco-friendly  for a better understanding of our products. Current PowerMate® users? Enhance your PowerMate® experience!

For more information on , contact one of our Solution Specialists at 1-800-697-6283 and