Consider this scenario: You have a small business that is thriving. It’s so successful that you’ve moved out of your previous location to somewhere larger where you can designate shipping and receiving areas. You’ve been using manual pallet jacks to great effect but you’re noticing some new issues. With the larger space, your stockers are having to travel farther than before with heavier loads, and they are getting “worn out” and slowing down. One of your employees was out for a week due to a shoulder injury, resulting in an increase on order fulfillment lead times. This isn’t sustainable for you or your employees. Maybe it’s time to consider an upgrade but, you also don’t have a lot of capital to spend either. Maybe you need an electric pallet jack. A major advantage of electric models is that they have powered assist for both movement and lift, taking the burden off your workers and boosting their productivity. There are a lot of options in this field, covering a wide variety of capacities and job types but let’s start at with a simple but significant step up from a manual jack.
Meet the Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack family by Toyota. They serve as the entry point to the full electric pallet jack range but come packed with a lot of smart features designed with your small business in mind. One major barrier for businesses making the leap into powered lift equipment is that of charging infrastructure. Establishing charging stations with the required electrical work can be a real eye opener. In response, Toyota designed the Tora-Max line with easy charging solutions that all but eliminate this additional cost. Each of them tackles it in different ways but the end result is that you get a virtually “plug-and-play” experience.
You can choose between the original Tora-Max Electric Walkie or the newly released Tora-Max Compact Electric Walkie. Each one is a smart upgrade choice, but which one is right for you? Let’s look at each of them and how they benefit your workspace.
2022 Tora-Max Compact Electric Walkie Pallet Jack
This pallet jack was just released at the end of March 2022 and it’s ready to get right to work. Sporting a form factor very similar to manual pallet jacks, it’s capable of handling loads up to 3,300lbs. This may seem like a step down from a manual pallet jack’s 5,500lb capacity, however moving over 3,000lbs under “people power” is slow, exhausting, and rare. This Tora-Max will lift a load up to 9in off the ground and move it at speeds up to 2.9mph. When you need precise positioning and movement in tight quarters, activate “Turtle Speed” to slow things down. When things get more confined, you can operate the pallet jack in vertical mode. However, the biggest feature of the Tora-Max compact is the use of “cartridge-style”, exchangeable Lithium-Ion batteries. Roughly the size of a suitcase, these batteries can be charged inside and out of the truck. That means you can keep additional batteries on hand for quick swaps while the other charges, making downtime almost non-existent.
2022 Tora-Max Electric Walkie Pallet Jack
If you require just a bit more lifting capacity, step up to the original Tora-Max, redesigned for 2022. It’s can handle loads up to 4,000lbs at a max speed of 3.1mph thanks to the AC drive motor. Just like its smaller sibling, the Tora-Max Walkie features “Turtle speed” for precision handling, fingertip controls, and polyurethane load wheels for smooth movement. Additionally, this model features regenerative braking as well as an anti-rollback system, a must have if your worksite has ramps. Where the Compact model uses Lithium-Ion batteries, this model uses sealed, maintenance free batteries. Where most industrial batteries require watering and constant care, these are designed to eliminate that additional work. On top of this, the charger is built into the pallet jack itself! Simply plug into a 110v wall outlet and let it charge between shifts. It couldn’t be easier.
The Tora-Max line gives your business the ability to upgrade your material handling equipment without requiring a large upfront investment. This can make a huge difference when you are starting out and/or outgrowing your current space; there’s no need to build out a charging infrastructure at each new site. In return, you still gain the benefit of improved quality of life for your employees and improved workflows for your bottom line.
Ready to make the switch? Contact your Toyota Lift Northwest sales representative today and request a demonstration. If you’re looking for pallet jacks capable of heavier loads or operational uses, explore Toyota’s full catalog of pallet jacks.
