30 Sep 2021
HOW CAN A DRUM DOLLY HELP YOUR BUSINESS?
If you're a business that deals with drums, also commonly known as barrels, on a regular basis, it's likely you've heard of a drum dolly before.
However, you might be reading this and be someone who has never heard of one while wondering a number of things that might include whether you need one, how you would use one, or how they work.
Well if that is the case, then this article is definitely for you as we're going to delve deep into what this item is, how it works, and how they can help meet your business challenges.
It's likely that at some point in your life you've seen container drums. Container drums are usually used for moving liquids that are hazardous as the material around the drum doesn't allow for any leakage or decay when dealing with toxic liquids.
These container drums don't just move by themself and aren't the most agile products due to the shape, material, weight, and design. These drums, which can be carrying toxic liquids, need to be moved and this is where this product and its variations come in handy.
At Lifting Equipment Store, we always want to ensure our customers can make informed purchases which is why this article is all about this product range and how this equipment might be the answer to your business challenge.
If by the end of this article you're wondering if you need a drum dolly or have any questions on whether this item is right for your unique business situation, please contact an experienced member of the Lifting Equipment Store team where we will be happy to help.
WHAT IS A DRUM DOLLY?
In short, it's a small sized piece of gear that is used to move drums from one place to another with relative ease.
The four wheeled drum mover is a versatile product that allows easy movement of what are potentially heavy and hazardous containers due to its four wheels attached to the steel frame.
The large majority of the variations available have four rotatable wheels attached to a circular steel frame that allows different sized or shaped drums (within reason) to rest on the steel circular frame.
You will find that they are designed for carrying both steel and polyethylene container drums and usually circular measurements.
You can expect drum dollies to last you a long time due to their design from steel and the durability of the four multi-directional wheels attached to the frame.
They are designed to ensure when a drum container is held in its circumference that it does not move. You can expect this piece of equipment to have an X shape going across the circular base with heightened support with the aim to stop your drum container from wobbling. This can also be used as a point of support for them if you're going to be moving them over uneven surfaces.
When you're purchasing one, you can expect it to have anti-tip wings to keep your drum container upright and not cause any spillage which could lead to a hazardous leak if the drum container is damaged or not correctly closed and secured.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
This handy piece of equipment works by the drum container being loaded onto it and then being able to move this load with ease. By having four wheels attached to the bottom it gives it the capability to be wheeled around by you in 360-degrees movement.
It's important to note that you should only ever use these products on their own should only be used on flat services. If you are planning to use one on a slanted or irregular surface, you will want to consider adding extra support to it by adding a ratchet strap or two from one point of the steel frame diagonally over to the other side.
You can easily push your drum containers by putting them on this piece of equipment and moving it from one location to another with your hands and with not much effort. If you need to push multiple drum containers, we recommend you look at getting supporting lifting equipment that is capable of moving multiple container drums or moving them quicker along more uneven or harsher surfaces.
You can also use these with other lifting equipment if it needs to be lifted to a certain height or moved across tougher terrain that the wheels and bearings on the frame might not be able to. Examples of items that can be used to load drums from or with a drum dolly include a fork-mounted drum tilter with a gearbox or a fork-mounted rib grip drum handler.
You can get drum dollies usually in two types; either in stainless steel or heavy-duty steel.
Heavy-duty steel versions are great for what the name implies - carrying heavily loaded drums - and these accept most drum barrels for where cleanliness is not an issue.
Stainless steel versions make them great in situations if your business operates with equipment that needs to be compliant with clean environments such as in the food industry and where rust needs to be avoided.
Depending on who you buy this drum carrying solution from, you can expect it to be powder coated which is something we always do with any version you get from LES to ensure our customers have a robust product.
WHAT WEIGHT CAN A DRUM DOLLY CARRY?
The weight this piece of equipment can carry can go all the way up to 500kg. We always recommend that you check the weight of the drums that you need to lift before you purchase a dolly to ensure it can carry the weight, is the right size and meets your required specifications.
Drum dollies are usually made from steel to carry the weight across a small circumference area and fit the size of what are usually circular drums. The weight of them can vary ranging from being able to carry 25 litres all the way up to 210 litres. 208 litres is the common nominal volume of a container drum which is why you should look at getting the 210-litre capacity dolly to ensure you can move the standard weighted drum container.
It can be a good idea to get the highest weight limit dolly as this way you will be able to carry the lower weight container drums, as well as higher weight limit container drums, up to the max capacity. As container drums usually have a max limit themselves, drum dollies are designed in a way to be able to carry its max weight.
WHERE ARE THEY USED?
You now have a good idea of what a drum dolly is, how one is made up, how they can be operated, the design, and the weight ranges they can carry. To illustrate how they work, we wanted to give you a few example situations where you might expect to use one or where you might see one in use.
Of course, depending on your business challenge or the industries your business operates in will likely determine whether you need this drum carrying solution or not. One of the examples below will ideally give you confirm whether one is right for you.
OIL & GAS
Drum containers are used in the oil & gas containers due to them being able to hold the flammable and hazardous liquids that are used in this industry and the rate at which items need to be transported.
Due to the rate at which drum containers need to be moved around in the oil & gas industry, it makes drum dollies well suited for businesses that need to move drum containers carrying liquids such as oil.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
In the food and beverage industry drum containers are used to carry foods such as dry foods in bulk and move high amounts of liquids such as water.
This makes drum dollies an ideal solution if your business is one that moves, sells, or buys food and drinks in large quantities. You will likely find them used alongside a palletiser in the food and beverage industry as it's common to move multiple amounts in one go.
CONSTRUCTION
Due to drum containers being able to handle hazardous materials and liquids, it's common for them to be used in the construction industry to move construction liquids from one point to the other. This makes the construction industry a perfect example of where you will find one in use.
DO YOU NEED A DRUM DOLLY FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
If you've got to this part of the article, you now have a good idea of what this product is, how it works, and if it can provide the right solution for your business.
Although we've looked at multiple examples of where you might use a drum dolly, we haven't gone into any detail about how drum dollies can be useful for your business specifically.
If you have any questions on whether drum dollies are right for your business or how many drum dollies you might need for your specific situation, please contact an experienced member of the Lifting Equipment Store team where we will be happy to help you.
