Door Dolly

A door dolly moves doors or other materials around a worksite without lifting and carrying. 

Description:

A door dolly is an engineering control that may reduce lifting and carrying.  A door dolly consists of wheels and a small platform onto which a door or other materials can be placed. The object is then be pushed or pulled around a worksite.  The door dolly can also be used to move drywall, granite, or plywood. 

There are many types of door dollies.

Saw Trax Mfg, Inc. Scoop Dolly

The Scoop Dolly (figure 1) operates like a hand truck on a dolly. Unlike standard hand trucks, the object can be moved in any direction (figure 2) making long objects easy to move. Unlike conventional door dollies or drywall carts, the carrying section pivots instead of the entire dolly. This makes the dolly ergonomically easy to use by one person. Once loaded and tilted back, the load on the Scoop Dolly remains stable without needing to be supported by the operator. The standard model can carry up to 800 pounds but is upgradable to a heavy duty model with a capacity of 1000 pounds.

 

Figure 1. The Scoop Dolly. (Photo courtesy of Saw Trax Mfg, Inc.)

Figure 2.  The range of the Scoop Dolly. (Photo courtesy of Saw Trax Mfg, Inc.)

Brockhage® Locksmith

The Brockhage® Locksmith Door Dolly is similar to the Williams Development Group Door Dolly.  The carrying slot can accommodate doors up to 1¾ inches wide and is padded to protect the door.

Metal Monkey

The Metal Monkey Door Dolly features two wheels and a carpeted slot to hold the door.  A handle is not necessary to transport the door around the worksite.  Each Metal Monkey Door Dolly features 0.125 5052 aluminum bodies TIG welded to 6061 axle standoffs and 8 inch thermoplastic balloon cushion wheels.

Just Toolz

The Just Toolz Door Dolly is similar to the Metal Monkey Door Dolly except there is no padding to protect the door.  This dolly weighs 12 lbs. and can carry a maximum of 675 lbs.  The Just Toolz Door Dolly can keep a door upright without leaning it against a wall.  It comes in three different models: OD1 has a slot 2 inches wide, OD2 has a slot 2-5/8 inches wide, and OD3 has a slot 3-3/4 inches wide. 

Door Kart

The Door Kart dolly is 11 lbs., features 8 inch semi-pneumatic wheels, and can accommodate up to 1 ¾ inch thick objects.  Rubber pads on the inside of the dolly protect the object from scratching.


Risks Addressed:

Heavy or repetitive lifting and carrying can cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the back.   A low back disc herniates when excessive loads are placed on the spine.  Overworking the muscles can also result in strains.  A door dolly can reduce lifting and carrying by utilizing wheels to transport the object around a worksite.


How Risks are Reduced:

A door dolly reduces repetitive heavy lifting and carrying because doors are placed on the door dolly and moved to the desired location. 

Manufacturers believe that a door dolly can minimize lifting and carrying.  The Williams Development Group states, “(a door dolly) makes transporting and installing doors easier.”  Brockhage® Locksmith states that a door dolly will, “Save time, money, and accidents.”  Just Door Toolz claims their door dolly, “easily rolls over power cords and other small construction debris,” thereby reducing the risk of losing control of the door and causing an accident.

Safety and health experts agree that a door dolly will minimize lifting and carrying, potentially lowering the risk of MSDs.


Effects on Productivity:

A door dolly will increase productivity on the worksite 


Additional Considerations:

Other materials (plywood, drywall, granite) can be moved using a door dolly.  Some lifting and carrying may be required to place the door onto the door dolly.


Contributors:

Dan Anton, PT, PhD, ATC; and Kevin Wright, SPT – Eastern Washington University

Availability

Door-Kart
To obtain information, visit http://www.doorkart.com or contact sales@doorkart.com

Brockhage Door Tote
To obtain information, visit http://www.lockpicks.com or contact 1-800-539-2526 info@LockPicks.com

Just Door Toolz The Original Door Dolly
To obtain information, visit http://justdoortoolz.com/ or contact 1-954-448-6872 justdoortoolz@mac.com

Vestil Manufacturing Lightweight Door Panel Dolly
To obtain information, visit http://www.vestilmfg.com or contact 1-800-348-0868 http://www.vestilmfg.com/contacts.htm

Return on Investment

To calculate the return on investment (ROI) for your specific application, please visit our Return on Investment Calculator. While a specific ROI example has not been developed for this particular solution, the ROI Calculator provides a useful tool and guidance on how to generate your own on investment analysis.