Introduction

Pump trucks are generally found wherever pallets are (generally in warehouses).

A pallet, for those who don't know, is a rectangular or square support structure generally made out of wood (though the American's have introduced a weird version made out of, apparently, chipboard). Upon pallets are loaded whatever one wishes to move about easily.

Pallets are designed to be transported upon a forklift truck. But forklifts are large, expensive things. So a Pump Truck is essentially a mini-forklift truck that cannot lift the pallets above about a foot and requires some manual work by the user.

Design

Generally pump trucks come in a standard form. There are two 'forks' that are generally wider than a forklift forks. These forks are spaced around a foot apart and have two sets of wheels.

At the join of the forks is generally a raised area in which lies the connection between the handle and one set of wheels. The handle can rotate in about 190 degrees around horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. On the handle will be a lever that selects whether to drop or raise the forks when the lever is moved. There is also the option for the forks to neither raise or lower when the lever is pumped.

Operation

To insert the truck into a pallet simply run the forks between the gaps in the pallet. This may require some amount of force if the pallet has wood on the ground on all sides. It also may require force if you can't be bothered to cut the shrink wrap surrounding the pallet.

To raise the forks, set the lever into the 'raise' position and then handle is repeatedly pumped (hence the name) in an down an up motion. Once the pallets is far enough off the ground to be moved, set the lever into the 'inoperative' position (i.e. the forks will not raise or lower).

To lower the forks, simply set the lever into the 'lower' position. Tip: If the pallet you are moving is unstable or very heavy (or someone's foot is nearby), moving the lever gentley into the 'lower' position should gradually lower the pallet.

Tricks

Due to the fact that working in a Warehouse can be incredibly boring many operatives find ways to reduce the tedium. Here lies the birth of Pump Truck Tricks.

Basic movement is acheived by standing on the pump truck, probably with one foot across the forks. Now simply push with the other foot as if you were on a skateboard. Depdending on the weight of the Pump Truck you should be able to reach a fair amount of speed. Once your confidence has improved you should find that 'skating' the pump truck will get you around your Warehouse quicker.

Of course there is no breaking facility on a pump truck, so be warned! That, or read the next section.

While one may think that taking a corner is simply the action of turning the wheel in the appropriate direction, one must be careful to lean in the appropriate direction lest the forks on the inside of the corner tip and scrape along the ground. Especial care must be taken on pump trucks with a small distance between the forks.

To stop the pump truck requires a small amount of balance and co-ordination. To stop the truck, simply sharply twist the handle hard right or left. As the steering wheel is no longer moving in the direction of your motion it will not turn and act as a brake.

When you do this, it is advisably to lean slightly backwards to avoid flying off the front of the Pump Truck.

This same trick can be used to quickly stop the movement of a pump truck loaded with a pallet. Be warned that the load on the pump truck cannot lean back so you may end up with the load flying into your face...

Here you are going to swing the pump truck from one direction to the other.

Begin 'skating' on the pump truck. Once you have achieved sufficient speed twist the handle to hard left or right while jumping onto the raised area of the truck. This will move you to the centre of the rotation and the forks should twist round.

Note that this requires a large amount of coordination and space.

It is possible to move a pump-truck without the use of one's feet. To do this, one simply must become a snake.

While at rest or moving, begin to twist the handle from one side to the other in a smooth motion. Every time you twist the handle you create a small force in the opposite direction to your movement - you are essentially griding the handle wheel against the ground. Given enough force you will keep going.

To use this to best effect, you will find that moving your weight in the opposite direction to the handle will aid your motion - it is similar to skiing. As you gain speed, try to make your motions as smooth as possible as this will minimise scraping of the the handle-wheel.

Another tip is to lean the handle forwards slightly as this seems to provide a better motion than simply using an upright handle.