Carts have been used for centuries to carry burdens both large and small. One of the earliest known records of a wheeled cart is of a hand drawn cart with two wheels. As time progressed and burdens got heavier to carry, the cart changed from the hand cart to a cart drawn by horses or mules. Industry required more changes. Carts were modified to suit a particular industry use. For example, a dog cart would handle hunting dogs as they traveled to hunting grounds. The industrial uses of some custom carts varied as needs changed. Farmers and other agricultural planters often used custom carts to move their product on and off trains. The various shapes and sizes of these industrial carts defined what uses the cart had.

The evolution of the simple cart to the custom cart is fascinating. From the simple two wheeled hand drawn cart to the multi wheeled utility cart, the cart carries with it a truly interesting history.

Two wheels-A simple cart

Today we look at the simple cart as something of a relic. We imagine that the uses of a simple cart are no longer viable. Yet we would be wrong to think that. We just have to look no further than the hand carts and hand trucks that are still being used daily. These hand trucks usually are metal with a flat edge to pick up material by hand. Hand trucks come in various sizes with different size wheels and features like adjustable hand grips and pressure gauges. Hand trucks quite often can be used for various heavy weights.

Three or more wheels-mini pallets, manual forklifts and dollies

Hand carts that have the features of a forklift are designed mainly to carry large bags, mini pallets and other not too awkward materials. Dollies are used mainly for heavy and awkward materials. They can be customized for any material. These types of industrial carts are most often used to transport machinery and heavier equipment that can't be easily picked up by hand carts or hand trucks. Manual forklifts with their two ponged levels are best used with appliances and other machinery that need to be moved around the warehouse.

Modified wheelbarrows with three wheels and other utility carts are used in hauling dirt, cement and other material. The size and shape of the cart is dependent on the cart's use. Lighter, less awkward materials are carried with modified wheelbarrows. Heavier, more awkward materials often need a motorized cart.

The transition between the manual custom cart and the motorized cart can be explained quite easily. As the workloads got heavier, the demand for customized industrial carts grew exponentially. It wasn't just farmers who needed their crops moved to market. It was the business owner and manufacturer that needed to move their heavy equipment and the scientist who needed to move their experiments. The uses of the simple cart have expanded as well. People needed more power to move increasingly heavier objects from place to place.

More Power-Motorized Carts

The need to be innovative increased as new products were introduced into the market. The movement of heavy, awkward products often involved strategies to create easier and more efficient transport. Motorized carts were designed with specific tasks in mind. When the combustion engine was introduced, one of the first uses the new engine had was to haul lumber.

Motorized carts took the pressure off the horses that had been hauling material, but didn't replace them. Horse drawn carts eventually became passé as innovation increased and needs changed. The catalyst for change came when new motorized custom designed carts came available on the market. These new carts created solutions to the problems plaguing the industry.

The Future-Custom Carts
Today the industrial cart has a lot of uses. The industrial cart comes in many shapes and sizes. The most popular shape is rectangular and the most popular size is around 24 inches for the hand drawn carts and around 12 feet for the motorized carts.

Industries where carts are used the most

Food carts with their metal tiers and rectangular shape are one of the most popular carts in the culinary profession. Forklifts and other motorized carts with their two prongs that lift heavy objects with ease is a timesaver in manufacturing industries. Customized carts are designed to carry specific objects such as machinery from one place to another place.