Hand Trucks and Dollies — A Convertible Has Two Capacities

Which hand truck should you buy in 2026?

Short answer: For general jobsite and warehouse use, the Ironton 600 lb steel hand truck - a welded steel frame with pneumatic tires at a working price. For moves and deliveries where the truck rides along, a folding aluminum model; for appliances and machinery, a convertible 800-1,000 lb unit.

Hand Trucks & Dollies (2026)

Hand trucks and dollies replace the manual carry - the single biggest source of back strain in receiving and delivery work. This collection covers folding aluminum trucks for light repeated loads, steel P-handle trucks for daily warehouse duty, and convertible 2-in-1 and 4-in-1 units that switch between upright and platform modes for appliances and long loads. Part of the Jobsite Equipment & Tools department; siblings: Utility & Platform Carts, Jobsite Ladders, Cargo Control & Tie-Downs, Casters & Wheels, Pallet Jacks, Shelving & Storage Racks, Scaffolding & Work Platforms, Lifting, Pulling & Positioning, Dock & Warehouse Equipment, Pallet Wraps & Stretch Wrap, Equipment Movers & Machine Skates, Forklift Attachments, Conveyors.

Editor's pick - Ironton Steel Hand Truck, 600 lb
Welded steel frame, 600 lb rating, and 10 in pneumatic tires that handle gravel, thresholds and dock plates - the default pick for daily use.

VIEW IRONTON PICK → CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON → (affiliate link - see disclosure below)

Compare the lineup

Shop Hand Trucks & Dollies on Amazon → Magliner Ironton Suzhi SPACEKEEPER Folding Hand Truck 500lb Folding Hand Truck Dolly

Which one should you buy?

• Buy the Magliner GMK81UA4 convertible if you want the U.S.-built fleet-grade truck delivery pros standardize on.
• Buy the Ironton 600 lb for daily warehouse and shop duty.
• Buy a folding aluminum truck like the SPACEKEEPER 500 lb if it rides in a van between stops.
• Buy a convertible like the 4-in-1 1,000 lb aluminum for appliances and long loads.
• Buy the 800 lb steel folder when you need high capacity that still stows flat.
• Buy a compact 340 lb aluminum dolly for office moves and light deliveries.

A convertible has two capacities and most listings publish one

Short answer: a convertible works as a 2-wheel upright and as a 4-wheel cart, and those are not always the same rating — but only one listing here tells you both.

Eight of these thirty are convertibles, and the class also covers the appliance dolly — a taller frame with a strap and stair glides for upright loads. Exactly one publishes a figure for each mode: the Harper JEDT8635P, listed as 600 lb as a 2-wheel dolly and 700 lb as a cart. The Strongway states 1,200 lb, 2- or 4-wheel — one number explicitly covering both, and the magliner hand truck here (a Gemini Sr) states only a single 500 lb figure. The other six give a single number and do not say which configuration it applies to.

⚠ The direction is not fixed, which is why you cannot just assume. Some convertibles carry more in 4-wheel mode because the load sits on a deck rather than being balanced on a tilted nose; others are rated identically both ways because the frame is the limit. So the question to ask a listing is not "how much" but "how much, in which mode" — and if it does not say, treat the published figure as the lower of the two.

The range here runs to 1,500 lb, not 800

Twenty-four of the thirty publish a capacity in the title. Sorted, they run:

220 · 309 · 330 · 340 · 460 · 460 · 500 · 500 · 500 · 600 · 600 · 600 · 700 · 700 · 800 · 1,000 · 1,000 · 1,250 · 1,320 · 1,500 lb

⚠ Five units sit above 800 lb and the top one is nearly double it. If you need to move something in the four-figure range, the capability is here — it just is not visible from a summary that stops at 800. And six of the thirty publish no capacity in the title at all, so the grid cannot be sorted on rating without opening those listings.

How to choose

Capacity and frame material

Steel frames carry more and shrug off abuse; aluminum saves 15-20 lb of truck weight, which matters when lifting it in and out of a vehicle all day. Rate for your heaviest recurring load with margin.

Wheel type decides where it works

Pneumatic tires absorb curbs and rough ground but can puncture; solid rubber never flats and suits smooth concrete. Stair-climber wheel clusters help on steps but nothing replaces care and a second person on stairs.

Folding vs fixed

Folding trucks trade some frame stiffness for stowability. If the truck lives at the dock, buy fixed; if it lives in a vehicle, buy folding.

Keep the load strapped

Most models ship with straps or accept them - use them, and keep hands inside the frame line. Pair with grip gloves and safety-toe footwear.

Regulatory context

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.176 requires that where mechanical handling equipment is used there is sufficient safe clearance in aisles and at loading docks, and that aisles be kept clear and in good repair. There is no OSHA standard for hand trucks themselves — the rules attach to the route and the load, not the tool.

⭐ The ergonomics are where the real exposure sits, and they are specific. NIOSH push/pull research is the reason this equipment class exists at all — mechanical assistance beats carrying for anything heavy or repetitive — and our NIOSH lifting equation reference covers the manual-handling model. Three habits matter more than the truck you buy:

• Push, do not pull. Pushing lets you use body weight and keeps the load in front of you; pulling loads the shoulder and puts the load where you cannot see it.
• The tilt is the lift. Getting a loaded truck onto its wheels is the highest force in the trip — that is the moment backs go, not the rolling.
• Never take a loaded truck down stairs facing forward. Even a stair-climbing model is designed to be controlled from above the load, not below it.

Strap the load rather than trusting the nose plate — cargo control is where the straps live — and safety-toe footwear matters for the obvious reason when a wheel and a foot occupy the same floor.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a hand truck and a dolly?

A hand truck is the upright two-wheeled L-frame you tilt and roll; a dolly is usually a flat four-wheeled platform the load sits on. Convertible models switch between both modes.

How much weight can a hand truck really carry?

Whatever the manufacturer rates it for - the models here run from 309 lb aluminum folders to 1,000 lb convertibles. Keep recurring loads under about 80 percent of the rating.

Are folding hand trucks strong enough for appliances?

Most folding models top out around 500 lb and flex more than welded frames - fine for boxes and kegs, marginal for large appliances. For refrigerators and machinery use a convertible like the 4-in-1 1,000 lb with straps.

Pneumatic or solid wheels?

Pneumatic for outdoor ground, curbs, and dock plates; solid rubber or polyurethane for smooth interior floors and zero flats. This is the biggest practical difference between otherwise similar trucks.

Can a hand truck go up stairs?

Standard trucks can be walked up a step at a time by an experienced user, but it is the highest-risk move in manual handling - use a stair-climber cluster model, keep a second person on heavy loads, and never stair-climb near your capacity limit.

Do I need a hand truck if I already have a pallet jack?

Yes - a pallet jack moves the pallet; a hand truck moves what comes off it. They cover different halves of the same receiving job.

What hand truck is best for delivery drivers?

A folding aluminum model with solid wheels - light enough to lift in and out all day and flat enough to stow. The SPACEKEEPER 500 lb and similar 6-wheel folders are built for exactly that route work.

Are the capacity numbers on these trucks trustworthy?

They are the manufacturers' published ratings, quoted as listed - we do not test or certify them. Established brands with long track records are the safer bet at equal ratings, which is why brand appears in our comparison table.

Does a convertible hand truck carry the same load in both modes?

Not necessarily, and most listings will not tell you. Of the eight convertibles here only the Harper JEDT8635P publishes both figures — 600 lb as a 2-wheel dolly and 700 lb as a cart — while the Strongway states one number explicitly covering both modes at 1,200 lb. ⚠ The rest give a single figure without saying which configuration it applies to. Ask "how much, in which mode", and where a listing does not say, treat the number as the lower of the two.

What is the highest-capacity truck in this collection?

1,500 lb. The published capacities run from 220 lb up to 1,500 lb, with seven units above 800 lb. ⚠ Ten of the thirty publish no capacity in the title at all, so the grid cannot be sorted on rating without opening those listings — and a summary that stops at 800 lb hides the top of the range.

Can I take a loaded hand truck down stairs?

Only with a stair-climbing model, and only controlled from above the load. Seven of these thirty are stair-climbing designs with tri-wheel or track assemblies. ⚠ On any hand truck, the highest force in the trip is the tilt onto the wheels rather than the rolling, and going down stairs in front of a loaded truck puts the entire load above you. Push rather than pull, and see our stair-specific guide for the choice.

What safety gear pairs with a hand truck?

Safety-toe footwear (loads land on feet), grip gloves, and on docks, wheel chocks on the trailer before you roll in.

How do I keep a load from sliding off?

Strap it. Most trucks include or accept straps at the frame - a strapped load lets you tilt to the balance point without the top box walking off.

Our methodology: what is on this page, and what it cannot do

We counted this collection against the storefront and read all thirty listing titles before describing it, and two counts changed the page. ⚠ The published capacities run to 1,500 lb, not to 800 — seven units sit above that figure and the top one is nearly double it, so we list the full range rather than a ceiling. And six of the thirty publish no capacity in the title at all, which is worth saying because it means the comparison table cannot be sorted on rating alone. ⭐ The convertible point is the one we would want a buyer to take away: a convertible has two configurations and only one listing here publishes a figure for each, so the right question is not how much but how much in which mode. We judge attributes from listing titles and variant data only, never from shared descriptive copy. Capacities, wheel types and frame materials are the manufacturers' published figures quoted as listed — we do not load-test hand trucks, and the page has always said so. ⚠ What we cannot do is judge your route. Stairs, thresholds, ramp angles and door widths decide more about which truck works than the rating does, and none of them is visible from a product page.

Full reference: Hand truck vs dolly vs platform cart — which machine moves which load, and the capacity math behind the ratings.