Frequently we are asked why the No Lift Install Cart
has a max capacity of 600 pounds.
Considering the trend towards full slab islands, it’s a fair question and we will answer here.
The answer really has two parts:
1. the type (size, and weight) of the counter top that is most likely to injure an installer
2. the actual weight capacity of the No Lift Install Cart.
First, the installers lifting the countertop.
There are two types of counters installers will encounter on a job site: the occasional full slab islands in the 800-1100lb range and the everyday 200-600lb type that are lifted multiple times on every job site.
Both are heavy enough to cause injury and neither type should be lifted. Ever.
But the reality of installing these two types of counters is this:
An installer is never going to “lift” a full slab island onto a cabinet. With the assistance of 5-7 other installers, the counter will be leaned against the cabinet and tipped into place. The island’s own top-heavy nature does the lifting!
The smaller, 200-600lb counters, on the other hand, are considered by most to be “light” enough to handle. Combined with the fact that they are often awkwardly shaped and fragile, the installer has no option but to lift, twist, and reach to set these in place.
Furthermore, an installer is going to lift 3-5 of these on every job site, every day of the month!
The cumulative effect of frequently lifting these “light” countertops are exponentially more likely to injure an installer and shorten his career.
Second, the weight capacity of the cart.
Because the No Lift Install Cart was designed to install awkwardly shaped and fragile counters like L-shapes, undermount sinks, and dog-leg islands the base and roller frame were designed and sized to install 200-600lb counters in the confined space between the sink and island cabinets. In essence, the cart’s base is small enough to maneuver just about every counter on any job site.
The trade-off is that the smaller base creates a smaller center of gravity for supporting larger countertops when they are rotated into the horizontal position.
The larger countertop, the further its weight is spread out beyond the cart base’s ability to stabilize it. A 600lb 3cm countertop is approximately 34 square feet and depending on its shape will extend out over the cart base’s center of gravity in ways that make tipping more possible the counter is horizontal.
So the weight limit, in reality, is a size limit measured in pounds for safe operation instead of a limitation of the cart’s actual lifting capabilities.
When mechanical lifting devices (trailers, cranes, etc.) are rated, engineering standards require that they are designed and calculated at 150% of the stated limits because it is assumed operators will exceed them.
The No Lift Install Cart is no different, it was engineered to safely “lift” 900lbs (600×150%). The electric actuator that does the lifting is rated at 1575lbs. The casters are rated at 3500lbs each. The tires are rated at 1200lbs.
The weight limit is not a question of capacity.
It is a question of safety.
Because our mission is to transform the industry by reducing install injuries and extending installer careers, we designed the No Lift Install System to reduce the lifts that are most likely to cause these issues.
We believe that the lifts that cause those issues are on counters that generally if not always weigh less than 600 pounds.
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