Lucas Liftruck Understands Materials Handling Equipment and Niagara Greenhouses.

Container bundles, Growing mix, construction materials, all of these are usually stacked on pallets. Save your greenhouse time and money by investing in the proper materials handling equipment to do the work. Forklifts, manual and electric pallet trucks, and electric utility vehicles can assist in making the loading and unloading process less of a chore and reduce employee injuries and product damage over the long and short term. Hand-bombing heavy bags of growing mix, boxed plants, nursery stock, plant carts and containers off or onto a trailer is a difficult job, employing an ergonomic alternative is a greenhouse grower’s best choice.

Base your selection of the equipment required on the size of your operation, delivery occurrences, and distance materials have to be moved. Also consider the environment you’re working in. An interior workplace should focus on environmentally sustainable products like manual or battery operated forklifts, pallet trucks and utility vehicles. An electric materials handling fleet will keep your maintenance costs down as well as sustain a higher level of environmental standards in your greenhouse. With zero emissions from your equipment, your employees and product will thrive.

Pallet trucks are the most common solution for loading and unloading trailers and moving product from one end of the greenhouse to another. The decision whether to buy manual or electric is up to you. Electric offers a more ergonomic solution, while manual pallet trucks are the most affordable. Hydraulic pump pallet trucks raise the product a few inches from the ground and require a level of physical strength to push or pull and steer the pallet. An electric pallet truck will offer the same action with much less effort on the part of the operator, allowing anyone to move product through the facility.

If you have a dock which is at truck floor level, pallet trucks make the loading/unloading a simple task. The distance in which you will need to travel with your loaded pallet should also be considered, as an electric option works best if you’re moving materials over 300 feet. Spring-loaded casters should be a major consideration when purchasing an electric pallet truck, offering better control and limiting tipping when taking corners. The control handle is designed to provide steering, speed, lift, horn and brake controls. Consider also a built-in battery charger  when shopping for your electric pallet truck.

Is your dock not at truck floor level? Consider a lift truck in this scenario. Also available in manual or electric models. When a dock is not available, the lift - or straddle truck - will raise its forks to the truck floor level to load or unload pallets. These units are also recommended in applications where you require stacking of nursery stock supplies and bulbs. Adjustable fork spacing and weight requirements are an important feature to consider as well.

Another option is an electric forklift. Forklifts come in a wide variety of sizes and load capacities. They can be relatively inexpensive and do the work of a pallet truck and lift truck. Electric is your best choice for an indoor application, but propane is also a good option. An electric Mini forklift has a tight turning radius and lifting capacities of up to 2,000 lbs. It is compact, yet operates just like any other forklift. Perfect for tight aisles and small spaces. If you’re sending and receiving product on a daily basis, a forklift is your best choice.

For your interior applications; electric utility vehicles are a great option. An electric puller can tow your plant carts and revolutionize your greenhouse’s efficiency in moving materials throughout the facility. A personnel carrier is also an added bonus in that it can move people while towing carts through the greenhouse. It also has the ability to carry cargo like grower mix or containers up to 660 lbs. These options reduce employee fatigue and improve moral. Wherever you can make your employee’s work physically less taxing, the more benefits you will realize.

Once you've reviewed your needs with a sales person and made your equipment choices, a service plan should be put in place to keep your trucks working effectively. Down-time in any facility due to equipment malfunction is a difficult hurdle. Make sure your

provider offers rental equipment and on-site service options with repair parts in-stock.

Forklifts and pallet trucks are not exclusive to large greenhouses, even small grower benefit from having materials handling equipment included into their greenhouse operation. Research your options and discover which service provider near you is the expert in your industry. They will plan a site visit, and discuss your application requirements, offering the most beneficial solution for your business.

In the Niagara Region, you're local material handling dealer is Lucas Liftruck, with over 75 years in business, serving the Golden Horseshoe.

Outfit Your Winery with the Best Material Handling Attachments - Niagara Wine Country

The processes that go into making your favourite wine are extensive, but so are the materials handling products involved in getting the grapes from the field onto your table. Wine making has a long and illustrious history, and as with most industries, it has evolved to produce more at a reduced cost to the consumer. None of this is possible without an excellent partnership with a material handling company that understands the winery business and can recommend the perfect forklift attachments, lift trucks and utility vehicles to get the work done.

Lucas Liftruck has existed in the heart of Niagara’s wine country for over 75 years, and has a clear understanding of what the winemaker’s require from a material handling angle. Attachments like Side-shifters and Fork Positioners assist in moving and stacking the wooden boxes and plastic bins for the sorting line.

360 degree Rotators on a lift truck then assist in helping to control the flow of grapes with precision, giving the operator the ability to dump or invert a load in one continuous motion while returning the forks to their pick-up position.

Forward bin dumpers accommodate a wide range of bin heights and sizes with their manually adjustable top bin stops, which allows them to handle the load without crushing the grapes. The forward bin dumper is ideal for seasonal use because of its quick mounting design.

a “rotator” for dumping grapes into crusher

A wine barrel handler is our narrow aisle attachment which will effortlessly grab, stack, lower and spin your wine barrels while inside the cave. Additionally, the operator can pick up a wine barrel of most types and sizes from either the left or right side of a narrow aisle, increasing efficiency.

Moving the bottled wine from the warehouse, or for loading them onto trailers for shipping has never been easier. Multiple load handlers lets the operator us a single lift truck to handle single or double pallet loads.


From start to finish, Lucas Liftrucks materials handling equipment has your winery operation covered. Contact us today for a walk-through of your winery and experience the knowledge, value and customer service you've been missing from your material handling experts.

Find your full service forklift dealer easier with our mobile app!

Now, rather than trying to navigate a whole website while on your phone, Lucas Liftruck has developed an app for all of your material handling needs. Just type our web address into your smartphone (www.lucasliftruck.com), as you normally would, and presto! - a mobile friendly materials handling site for the golden horseshoe.

Most of the information contained on our website is available for immediate access wherever you may be: In the shop and realize one of your trucks are down? Pop on the Lucas app and make arrangements right away for service. Suddenly need a part while loading a trailer? The Lucas Liftruck web app is instantly available from your mobile phone. No need to rush into the office to make arrangements. Read the part number on scene to your lucas' contact or type it into our form. It's all just a click away.

Our new mobile app will simplify your life; from making rental or purchase decisions to managing your fleet maintenance.

The quality customer service you've always known us for drives us to be the best in the business, and the best stay current with service trends. This app is just another opportunity to serve you better!