What Is A Forklift Trailer Mover? (plus 7 benefits you might not have thought of)
Every manufacturing business wants to save time and money. After all, time is money, and every second on the shop floor counts!
Inefficient processes or the wrong equipment, and wastes your limited time and money.
At Sidekick Attachments, we have partnered with Iron Bull Manufacturing to develop tools that help you maximize your available equipment - so you can save valuable time!
One of the tools we developed is a forklift trailer mover attachment that allows you to easily move trailers, RVs, and anything else with a hitch, using only your forklift.
This article will explain what a forklift trailer mover is and how it benefits your business.
Ready to get started?
Let’s go!
What Is a Forklift Trailer Mover?
To move a trailer or RV, you usually have to have a tractor or truck with a hitch. That means if your business works with trailers or RVs, you have to have a truck or trailer on hand at your plant.
The problem is that trucks and tractors are expensive and take up a lot of space. Plus, it’s complicated to get out a large vehicle every time you need to move a trailer, and since there are different types of hitches and trailers, you may have to have several machines on hand to move everything.
But most businesses that manufacture anything have a forklift. Imagine if you could effortlessly move trailers and other items with hitches with only your forklift!
That is where a forklift trailer attachment comes in. With a hitch attachment for your forklift, you don’t have to have any large, expensive equipment around just to move trailers, RVs and other items. You can do it all with a piece of equipment you already have!
A forklift trailer hitch simply slides onto your forklift tines and enables you to do much more with your forklift. Attachments can be made to fit a variety of forklifts and can hitch up to various trailer types.
Benefits Of Using
a Forklift Trailer Mover
A forklift trailer mover helps out your business in more ways than one! Let’s look at several benefits of having a trailer mover.
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Saves time
It can be a pain in the neck to go get a truck and hook everything up every time you need to move a trailer.
What if you could effortlessly move a trailer in literally a minute or two?
We design our trailer attachments to be simple and quick to use. Here is how it works:
- Grab your forklift
- Slide the forklift tines into the trailer mover
- Move the trailer
- Slide the trailer mover off your forklift tines
Check out this short video to see how it works in real time!
No running off for big equipment, no complicated hooking up process, no wasted time! It can literally take just a minute.
Wondering how much time this can save you in the long run?
Here are some numbers:
Through testing, we found that our trailer mover attachment saved an average of 2.5+ minutes as opposed to getting a truck or tractor. That translates to about 1.5 hours a week, which could mean 75-80 hours a year!
That is time you could put towards doing things that matter a whole lot more than moving trailers, becoming more productive!
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Saves money
We have all heard the saying that time is money. If you have a manufacturing plant of any kind, you know that every second counts!
Every second you save by doing menial tasks efficiently is a second you can use to be productive. Those seconds translate into more money to grow your business.
Time saved also means less money spent on labor.
Let us put it this way:
We calculate that each of the trailer movers we have sold saves a shop an average of 75+ hours per year. That 75+ hours translates into $1,875+ of labor dollars saved per shop per year.
That is almost $2,000 a year saved, which means your forklift trailer mover attachment could pay itself off in one year!
If you look at it that way, a trailer mover seems like a fairly good investment.
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Easier to work with
If you have ever tried to back up a trailer with a truck, you know it’s not easy!
You definitely don’t want an inexperienced employee moving a trailer in a crowded warehouse. It takes an experienced hand to do it safely. And even with an experienced employee, the fact that they are using mirrors and cannot see the back of the trailer makes it dangerous.
When you move a trailer with a forklift, you face the trailer. This makes it a lot easier and more intuitive. It also makes it safer, as it is easier to see where you are going and what is behind the trailer.
With a trailer mover, less experienced employees will be able to handle moving trailers, and you can save your experienced employees for more important tasks.
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OSHA compliant
Sometimes business owners try to rig up some DIY trailer-mover solution on their forklifts. They might try drilling a hole or attaching a ball hitch to a tine.
DIY solutions may work sometimes, but unfortunately, we have bad news: Forklifts with holes or ball hitches attached to them are not approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
If you are caught with a forklift like this, your business may be fined. That is a risk you take with homemade solutions.
Also, these solutions take time and energy to rig up, and they aren’t always the most efficient. Why not simply get yourself a safe, efficient, OSHA-approved system instead of trying to jerry-rig something?
Beyond all this, jerry rigging a forklift can shorten the life of the tines by bending or twisting them. It would be better to spend some money upfront and save the wear and tear on your forklift.
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Less equipment needed
Nearly every business that manufactures or stores anything has a forklift around. They are essential, unlike some pieces of bigger equipment such as trucks.
If you manufacture something like RVs or trailers, you may even need to have several trucks or tractors around to move your wares.
Why not maximize the equipment you have? If you can easily use your forklift to move RVs and trailers, there is no need to buy more equipment.
If you do this, you save not only the money it takes to buy extra equipment, but the money it takes to keep it up and running.
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Waste less space
Think about it: a forklift is only half the size of a truck or tractor. And a forklift attachment takes up very little space.
If you don’t have unnecessary equipment, you save not only money but space. You could use that saved space in your plant for more important things!
Plus, since forklifts use rear-wheel steering, they can maneuver into all the tight corners in your shop, something you cannot do with a large truck or tractor. The extra maneuverability means less headache when moving things in tight spaces.
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Safe
Since forklifts are smaller and easier to work with, they are safer for your employees. When you are on a forklift, you are more aware of what is around you, and you don’t have to use mirrors to navigate.
Plus, Sidekick Attachment’s trailer movers are designed with safety in mind. They have a self-locking device to make, so the mover doesn’t slip off the tines, and the hitch is in the middle, which increases stability and trailer control when moving.
That is so much better than a jerry-rigged solution with many chains and gadgets or the whole weight of the trailer on one tine.
Your employees’ safety should always be your first goal - which is the best reason to invest in a safe, efficient trailer mover!
What Makes Sidekick Attachment Trailer Movers Unique?
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits that come with a forklift trailer mover. Don’t wait to enjoy them at your business - your business could start doing more today!
But, of course, you have to get a quality mover to reap these benefits. A cheap, low-quality solution may be more trouble than it is worth.
Let’s look at what makes Sidekick Attachment’s trailer movers unique in the world of forklift attachments.
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Hands-free
One of the best things about our trailer mover design is that the operator never has to get off the forklift!
You simply have to slide the forklift tines into the mover attachment, and the mover self-locks in place. Then you can safely move the trailer.
After you move the trailer, simply slide the mover off the forklift. It is that simple! You don’t have to fasten any chains, pins, or gadgets. You don’t even have to get off the forklift.
It literally takes just a minute or two to slide our mover on and off.
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Self-locking
Our trailer movers don’t require any chains, pins, or other fasteners because they come equipped with a self-locking mechanism.
Simply slide the forklift tines into the mover, then the self-locking technology keeps the mover firmly fixed on the forklift till you set it down. This ensures safety while in use.
It also means you don’t have to mess with a lot of extra fastenings.
How much trouble does this save?
Let’s put it in perspective:
Through testing different forklift trailer mover attachments, we found that our hands-free attachment saves an average of 20 steps in the process of moving a trailer: 10 steps each for attaching and detaching chains on other movers.
The result was 1.5 hours saved per week.
Like we said before that 1.5 hours is time you could use to be more productive!
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Moves multiple trailer styles
You may have multiple different trailers sitting around your shop, and they might have different hitch styles, such as a standard bumper hitch, gooseneck hitch, or 5th wheel hitch.
Most trucks can only accommodate one or two of these types of hitches. So you may need several large pieces of equipment around. Having all that equipment is not very efficient.
On the other hand, Sidekick’s forklift trailer movers can effortlessly move all three types of hitches: bumper hitch, gooseneck, and 5th wheel.
That is a lot more bang for your buck!
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Safe
We design our forklift trailer movers with safety foremost in our minds. Here is how our model is safer than some other models:
- The hitch is front and center of the forklift. That means the trailer’s weight is divided evenly between both tines, making them less likely to bend or break.
- Because the hitch is in the center, it allows for smoother, more controlled movement, both forward and backward.
- The self-locking mechanism prevents accidents by keeping the mover from sliding around.
These things make it safer than most other models on the market and definitely safer than homemade trailer moving solutions!
Safety is of the utmost importance and should always be first priority. Don’t wait to keep your employees safe from accidents!
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Easy to use
With a Sidekick forklift attachment to move trailers, things could not be easier.
It can literally take just minutes to move a trailer. Simply:
- Slide the attachment on
- Mover the trailer
- Slide the attachment off
No chains, no extra fastenings, no worries!
Plus, moving a trailer with a forklift is easy and intuitive, even for a beginner. And since forklifts are small and maneuverable, it is easy to move things in tight spaces.
Conclusion
As a business owner, you know every second and every penny counts.
Why would you weigh your business down with unnecessary equipment and wasted time? It is better to trim things down to a minimum and use the saved time and money to grow your business!
Check out Sidekick’s forklift attachments today to start the process.
Buying an attachment is easy!
- Find your part online
- Order your part
- Enjoy the increased versatility of your forklift!
It doesn’t stop with trailer movers, either.
We also make other attachments designed to make your forklift more versatile, such as pallet forks and forklift extensions. We design all our forklift attachments for safety, convenience, and long-term durability. Custom sizing is available to ensure your attachment fits your forklift.
Don’t wait to start saving time and money! Find your part today.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Interested in learning more? Check out these blogs:
3 Essential Safety Tips for Moving Trailers with a Forklift
