Wiktionary
n. An L-shaped box-moving handcart with handles at one end, wheels at the base, with a small ledge to set objects on, flat against the floor when the hand-truck is upright. It makes otherwise bulky and heavy objects easier to move.
WordNet
n. a handcart that has a frame with two low wheels and a ledge at the bottom and handles at the top; used to move crates or other heavy objects [syn: truck]
Wikipedia
thumb|left|A "pry lever bar" used on docks, in warehouses and around railroad stations during the steam locomotive era
A hand truck, also known as a two wheeler, stack truck, trolley, trundler, box cart, trolley truck, sack barrow, sack truck, or bag barrow, is an L-shaped box-moving handcart with handles at one end, wheels at the base, with a small ledge to set objects on, flat against the floor when the hand-truck is upright. The objects to be moved are tilted forward, the ledge is inserted underneath them, and the objects allowed to tilt back and rest on the ledge. The truck and object are then tilted backward until the weight is balanced over the large wheels, making otherwise bulky and heavy objects easier to move. It is a first-class lever.
Sack trucks were originally used in the 18th century to move large sacks of spices on docks by young boys, from the age of 11, who were unable to lift the large sacks by hand. By using this method they were able to work as well as grown men in moving items around. Later, such trucks were amended for use in many different industries, such as brewing, where hops were moved in sacks.
Some hand trucks are equipped with stairclimber wheels, which, as the name implies, are designed to go up and down stairs. Stairclimber wheels can sometimes be problematic when trying to turn on flat ground as four wheels in a fixed position will be in contact with the ground.
Hand trucks are fabricated from many different types of materials, including steel tube, aluminum tube, aluminum extrusion and high impact plastics. Most commercial hand trucks used for beverage and food service deliveries are rugged and very light. They are usually constructed from two extruded aluminum channel side rails and cast aluminum or magnesium parts.
Some of the options that may be considered are the types of wheels, stair climber, handle type and size of wheels.
Other things to be considered should be the load shape compared with the backrest shape, e.g., cylindrical loads should sit on curved backrests, and the environmental conditions in which the hand truck will operate. For example, on loose or uneven ground oversize wheels are a great advantage; solid or puncture-proof foam filled tires may be used where punctures could deflate pneumatic tires.
A rule of thumb is that the toe or nose of the truck should be at least one-third of the length of the load.
Hand trucks are sometimes used as baggage carts by porters in train stations and skycaps at airports.
Usage examples of "hand truck".
Brennan repeated as the stevedore trundled his hand truck down the street.
Two ordinary-looking colored workmen came forward with a hand truck and took the bale of cotton away.
While Ted, the driver, was inside stacking cartons on the hand truck, he and Ragle had closed and bolted the thick metal doors.
A small ramp could be pulled out from under the floor of the car to allow safes to be quickly wheeled on with a small hand truck.
What's happened is this, a contract they'd been promised has fallen through and Bozo has already paid cash for a second-hand truck they were going to need to do the work involved.
The doctor insisted on a proper lectern, and one as big as a pulpit was found in the former office of Niccolo Machiavelli adjacent to the salon and brought on a tall hand truck, along with the palazzo's overhead projector.
He snatched up a hand truck as though he'd take it and beat Jackson's brains out with it.
The porter wheeled the hand truck onto the sidewalk and looked up and down the street.
He suspected that the fugitive had shoved the hand truck toward him in an attempt to gain time for himself and disappear in the network of alleys along the water front.
The colonel watched the lieutenant tidy up, then wheeled the hand truck back to the elevator.
Oleg walked to the baggage car and oversaw the transfer of his bags to the two-wheel hand truck.
The driver and his assistant went inside to get a two-wheeled hand truck.
They helped him unload and used a hand truck to get it to the big house.