Abstract: A method of utilizing a mini-pallet to create, organize, and move product stacks is provided where orders are preloaded on mini-pallets, placed in a trailer and then offloaded by account location with a hand truck.

Abstract: A system of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts from which the carts can be unloaded. The carts have rear posts which are disengageably locked in track sections provided in longitudinally spaced relation along the van side walls. Pallets with discs projecting downwardly from the floors of the pallets support the product stacks on the cart bottom supports. A hand truck with a bifurcated nose plate defining disc receiving arms engages under each pallet to enable removal of a pallet and product stack from the cart.

Abstract: A system of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts from which the carts can be unloaded. The carts have rear posts which are disengageably locked in track sections provided in longitudinally spaced relation along the van side walls. Pallets with discs projecting downwardly from the floors of the pallets support the product stacks on the cart bottom supports. A hand truck with a bifurcated nose plate defining disc receiving arms engages under each pallet to enable removal of a pallet and product stack from the cart.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts from which the carts can be unloaded. The carts have rear posts which are disengageably locked in track sections provided in longitudinally spaced relation along the van side walls. Pallets with discs projecting downwardly from the floors of the pallets support the product stacks on the cart bottom supports. A hand truck with a bifurcated nose plate defining disc receiving arms engages under each pallet to enable removal of a pallet and product stack from the cart.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts from which the carts can be unloaded. The carts have rear posts which are disengageably locked in track sections provided in longitudinally spaced relation along the van side walls. Pallets with discs projecting downwardly from the floors of the pallets support the product stacks on the cart bottom supports. A hand truck with a bifurcated nose plate defining disc receiving arms engages under each pallet to enable removal of a pallet and product stack from the cart.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts from which the carts can be unloaded. The carts have rear posts which are disengageably locked in track sections provided in longitudinally spaced relation along the van side walls. Pallets with discs projecting downwardly from the floors of the pallets support the product stacks on the cart bottom supports. A hand truck with a bifurcated nose plate defining disc receiving arms engages under each pallet to enable removal of a pallet and product stack from the cart.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.

Abstract: A system of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.

Abstract: A demountable multiple platform cart includes a lead cart module having a horizontal load-supporting platform and a trailing cart module having a horizontal load-supporting trailing platform. A releasable interconnection mechanism couples the rear end of the lead cart module demountably to the front end of the trailing cart module. The interconnection mechanism comprises an upstanding flange carried by the rear end of the lead cart platform at a spaced distance therefrom to provide an upwardly open continuous side to side slit and further comprises a downwardly extending flange carried on the front end of the trailing cart platform to be received within the slit. A longitudinally extending lock mechanism can be carried beneath a cart platform to receive a lock latch mounted on a handle which is pivotally and slideably mounted to move from an upstanding position to a generally horizontal position and telescopes longitudinally to locked stowed position.

Abstract: A series of transport carts (21) are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van (22) to leave an aisle (58) between them. The carts have wheel supported frames (28) with bottom supports (131) for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts from which the carts can be unloaded. The carts have rear posts (58) which are disengageably locked in track sections (66, 67) provided in longitudinally spaced relation along the van side walls. Pallets (30) with discs (34) projecting downwardly from the floors of the pallets support the product stacks on the cart bottom supports. A hand truck with a bifurcated nose plate defining disc receiving arms engages under each pallet to enable removal of a pallet and product stack (31) from the cart.

Abstract: A demountable multiple platform cart includes a lead cart module having a horizontal load-supporting platform and a trailing cart module having a horizontal load-supporting trailing platform. A releasable interconnection mechanism couples the rear end of the lead cart module demountably to the front end of the trailing cart module. The interconnection mechanism comprises an upstanding flange carried by the rear end of the lead cart platform at a spaced distance therefrom to provide an upwardly open continuous side to side slit and further comprises a downwardly extending flange carried on the front end of the trailing cart platform to be received within the slit. A longitudinally extending lock mechanism can be carried beneath a cart platform to receive a lock latch mounted on a handle which is pivotally and slideably mounted to move from an upstanding position to a generally horizontal position and telescopes longitudinally to locked stowed position.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.

Abstract: A hand truck for carrying stacks of nested trays and other products has a vertically disposed back frame with an upper handle surface, supported for travel by a pair of rearward spaced apart wheels. The back frame provides a pair of side rails joined by horizontal brace rails. The hand truck further has an elongate nose plate pivotally connected to the lower ends of the side rails and foldable from an operable horizontal position to a stowed position swung up to lie in a plane substantially parallel to and adjacent the back frame. The nose plate has a back plate which fits between the side rails when the nose plate is swung up to stowed position. A hanger member securing to the nose plate and pivotally secured on the interior side of each side rail has a back flange extending angularly outwardly and providing a rigid abutment stop engaging the rear side of the side rail on which it mounts when the nose plate is swung to operative position.

Abstract: A hand truck with a load carrying nose plate usable as a two-wheeled product transporter, and alternatively as a carrier for a fabric receptacle has a two-wheel supported frame assembly mounting a nose plate to project generally perpendicularly. A support assembly connected to the base end of the main frame assembly provides an extension projecting parallelly outwardly beyond the nose plate. A generally rigid receptacle suspension frame system from which the fabric receptacle depends has a device thereon for demountably supporting the outer end of the suspension frame system and a support part on the main frame assembly demountably interfits with and carries the opposite inner end of the suspension frame system. The hand truck in several versions is a convertible hand truck usable in four-wheeled as well as two-wheeled configuration.

Abstract: A manually propelled, two-wheel supported hand truck for use in transporting products has a frame normally supported by the wheels in generally vertical inclination and comprises connected side rail members, and a fixed frame handle surface near its upper end. The frame supports a forwardly extending, load supporting nose plate. An axle, coupled to and extending crosswisely rearwardly of the frame journals the wheels. Supports on the frame side rail members journal a laterally extending pivotal brake applying rod having spaced apart brake shoes in a first position out of brake applying engagement with the wheels but aligned therewith, the rod being pivotal to move the shoes to a second position into braking engagement with the wheels. Fixed to the brake applying rod is a lever arm connected to a generally vertically extending rigid member.

Abstract: A latch assembly mounted on a two-wheeled hand truck having vertically extending wings mounted on the hand truck frame side rails to pivot about axes extending generally parallel to said side rails from an operative position in which they extend laterally as substantially extensions of said side rails to a folded inoperative inboard transport position in which they lie inboard of the laterally inboard sides of said rails. The latch assembly is mounted on the frame for movement in a lateral path from a first position in which the latch assembly blocks movement of the wings to a laterally displaced second position in which the wings are freed to travel.

Abstract: A latch assembly mounted on a two-wheeled hand truck having vertically extending wings mounted on the hand truck frame side rails to pivot about axes extending generally parallel to said side rails from an operative position in which they extend laterally as substantially extensions of said side rails to a folded inoperative inboard transport position in which they lie inboard of the laterally inboard sides of said rails. The latch assembly is mounted on the frame for movement in a lateral path from a first position in which the latch assembly blocks movement of the wings to a laterally displaced second position in which the wings are freed to travel.