Manual Pallet Stacker 1-2 Ton — CTY Series Hydraulic

Technical Specifications — CTY Series

Overall height is the height of the machine at full lift, mast extended — check it against door openings, mezzanine clearances and rack beams before you order. Lowered fork height is set by the chassis and the wheel configuration rather than by the mast, so confirm it for the exact model if you need to get under low-profile skids or stillages.

Common Specifications

• Lift mechanism: Foot pump hydraulic, manual release for controlled lowering
• Mast & drive: Heavy-duty C-channel steel mast, dual row load chains
• Wheels: Front nylon load wheels, rear swivel polyurethane brake castors
• Safety: Overload auto-relief valve, lift self-lock prevents load slipping
• Fork lowest height: 85mm from floor

All Clever Lifting CTY series manual pallet stackers are factory tested. Custom lift heights and fork dimensions available upon request.

Pallet Stacker, Hand Stacker or Manual Stacker?

They are all names for the machine on this page, and buyers use them interchangeably. Pallet stacker is the general term; manual stacker and hand stacker say that the lifting is done by hand rather than by a motor; hydraulic stacker describes the lifting mechanism, which sits underneath all three. A CTY series unit is all of them at once, and the model numbers (CTY10-16 through CTY20-20) do not change with the name.

Two distinctions are worth keeping straight, because they are the ones people actually get wrong:

• A stacker is not a pallet truck. A pallet truck lifts roughly 200 mm and moves a pallet horizontally along the floor. A stacker lifts to 1600 mm or 2000 mm and places the pallet onto racking or onto another pallet. If your work involves both moving and stacking, you need both machines — one will not do the other's job.
• A manual stacker is not a walkie stacker. A walkie stacker is powered: battery, drive motor, traction system. A manual stacker is pumped by foot and pushed by hand. They are different chassis and one cannot be converted into the other afterwards.

Choosing the CTY Model: Lift Height Against Overall Height

The specification table lists two heights, and buyers routinely read only the first one. They are not the same number and the gap between them is what decides whether a stacker fits your building.

• Max lift height is how high the forks reach — 1600 mm or 2000 mm across the CTY range. This is what you need in order to place a pallet on a given rack beam.
• Overall height is how tall the machine stands with the mast fully extended, and it is 450–500 mm more than the lift height on every model in the range. On the 1 ton models the difference is about 450–460 mm; on the 2 ton models it is about 490–500 mm, because the dual-cylinder mast is taller for the same lift.

That second number is the one that gets forgotten. A CTY20-20 reaches 2000 mm but stands 2500 mm tall at full lift. If there is a mezzanine, a door head, a sprinkler pipe or a lighting run at 2400 mm, the machine will reach the height you need and still not fit the space it has to work in.

Two practical consequences follow. First, measure the lowest obstruction in the area where the stacker will be used, not the ceiling in the tallest part of the building. Second, if 1600 mm is enough for your racking, the CTY10-16 and CTY20-16 buy you roughly 400 mm of extra clearance over the 2000 mm models at the same capacity, at a lower price.

If you send us the rack beam height you are working to and the lowest obstruction in the aisle, we will confirm which of the four models covers it rather than leaving you to work it out from a table.

Rated Capacity Is a Ground-Level Number

A stacker's rated capacity applies at its standard load centre and its standard lift height. As the forks go up, the usable capacity comes down — and this is not a quirk of one manufacturer, it is how stability works.

Raising a load lifts the combined centre of gravity of the truck and the load, while the stabilising moment provided by the truck's own weight stays fixed. The forward tipping moment about the front wheels grows with height. The result is that the residual capacity is always less than the rated capacity, and it falls steadily as the forks rise.

The load centre matters for the same reason. Rated capacity is defined at a standard load centre — commonly 500 mm or 600 mm — and a load whose centre of gravity sits further out than that reduces the capacity you can safely lift. A pallet loaded unevenly, or a load that is longer than the pallet, moves the centre out and eats into your margin.

If you are choosing between lifting to 1600 mm and lifting to 2000 mm, do not assume the higher mast gives you the same capacity. Tell us the weight, the pallet size and the height you need to reach, and we will confirm which model covers it.

What to Check Before You Buy

• Lift height — the height the fork needs to reach, measured to the top of the pallet, not the height of the rack beam
• Load centre — measure the actual centre of gravity of your heaviest load, not the pallet size
• Straddle width — the outer and inner width between the legs must clear your pallets and any racking feet
• Fork length — long enough to support the pallet fully; an overhanging load shifts the centre forward
• Floor condition — these trucks are specified for smooth, level, hard floors. EN ISO 3691-5 excludes gradients and uneven surfaces, so a stacker is not a yard machine.
• Load backrest — required for stackers with a lift height of 1800 mm or more, to stop the load shifting back into the mast

Which Standard Applies?

• Europe — EN ISO 3691-5:2015+A1:2020, pedestrian-propelled industrial trucks, which covers pallet stackers and pedestrian straddle stackers. It superseded EN 1757-1:2001, which is withdrawn. EN 16307-5:2023 adds supplementary requirements.
• Stability — ISO 22915-4:2018 is the stability verification standard for pallet stackers, covering rated capacities up to 5,000 kg.
• United States — ANSI/ITSDF B56.10, manually propelled high lift industrial trucks. ANSI/ITSDF B56.1 covers powered trucks and is not the standard for a manual stacker, whatever a listing may claim.
• Design limits worth knowing — the chain safety factor at rated capacity is 5 or better, hydraulic descent of a rated load must not exceed 25 mm in the first 10 minutes, and the parking brake must hold a laden truck on a 5% gradient.

Manual or Electric Stacker — How to Decide

The useful answer is not which is better, but which jobs the manual machine genuinely cannot do. If your work sits on the powered side of the line, a manual stacker will be the wrong purchase however good the price looks.

• Manual is the right answer when lifting happens intermittently rather than all shift, loads are comfortably inside the capacity, the floor is smooth and level, and the stacker has to be reliable more than fast. There is no battery to charge, no motor to service, and very little to fail at the moment of a lift.
• Powered is the right answer when the stacker runs continuously through a shift, when lifts repeat at a rate that would exhaust an operator, when you are working near rated capacity all day, or when loaded pallets have to travel any distance before being stacked.
• The cost difference is not just the purchase price. A powered stacker brings a battery and charger, periodic battery replacement, and the electrical and hydraulic maintenance that goes with them. On genuinely low-duty work that running cost can exceed the whole price of the manual machine over its service life.

One thing we will not do is talk you onto the manual machine if the job needs power. Tell us the load, the lift height and how many lifts an hour, and we will tell you plainly which side of the line it falls on.

Inspection and Maintenance

Before Every Use

• Chains or ropes for wear, corrosion and correct tension; both must be free of kinks
• Hydraulic ram and pump for leaks, and the truck for any drift with a load held at height
• Forks for cracks, bending, or a heel angle that has opened up
• Wheels turning freely and clear of debris
• Capacity plate present and legible

Scheduled

• Forks — inspect at least every 12 months, and withdraw any fork with blade thickness below 90% of original, a heel angle deviation greater than 3°, a tip height difference greater than 3% of the blade length, or any crack or permanent deformation
• Hydraulic system — check the oil level every six months and replace it annually; investigate any load drift immediately, since a stacker that settles under load is a stacker that can drop a pallet
• Chains — lubricate and check for even tension; uneven chain tension twists the mast and loads one side
• Records — under LOLER 1998 in the UK, a stacker is lifting equipment and requires a thorough examination by a competent person at least every 12 months

Container Loading and Shipping

A manual stacker is one of the easier products in this catalogue to ship, and it is worth knowing why before you compare landed costs with a powered machine.

• No battery, no dangerous goods. A powered stacker ships with a lithium battery and is booked as Class 9 dangerous goods, which means UN38.3 test documentation, carrier approval and a real risk of being refused or re-quoted at the port. A manual stacker has none of that. It is ordinary general cargo.
• Masts ship knocked down on some models. Tell us the destination and we will confirm the packing arrangement and send a loading plan with the quotation, so there is no surprise at the container.
• Mixed orders are normal. Manual stackers are routinely consolidated with pallet trucks, hoists and slings in one container. If you are already ordering other items from us, adding stackers rarely changes the freight cost much.

Because there is no battery, manual stackers can also be air-freighted for urgent orders — something no powered stacker can do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a manual stacker on a loading ramp?

No. EN ISO 3691-5 and EN 16307-5 exclude gradients and uneven surfaces from the scope of these trucks, and a manually propelled stacker has no brake capable of holding a laden load on a slope. They are specified for smooth, level, hard floors.

Why does my rated capacity drop as I lift higher?

Because stability, not strength, sets the limit. Lifting the load raises the combined centre of gravity while the truck's stabilising weight stays the same, so the tipping moment grows with height. Every manufacturer's chart shows the same effect; the numbers differ, the direction does not.

What is the difference between a stacker and a pallet truck?

Lift height. A pallet truck lifts about 200 mm and moves pallets horizontally. A stacker lifts to 1600 mm, 2000 mm or more and places pallets onto racking or onto each other. If your work involves both, you need both machines.

Can I convert a manual stacker to electric lifting?

Not on the same chassis. A powered stacker has a different mast, a battery, a drive system and a different stability case, and the frame is not designed for the loads involved. Choose the powered version at the outset if you think you will need it.

What is the lowered height and why does it matter?

The lowered height is how low the forks go — it determines whether the stacker can get under a standard pallet or under a low-profile stillage or skid. It is the most common reason a stacker will not fit an existing process, and it is worth measuring the lowest gap in your operation before you order.