The Best Hand Truck For Stairs In 2024

Sarah Combs By, Sarah Combs
Updated
Best Hand Truck For Stairs
Best Hand Truck For Stairs

Our Top Picks

1. Best Overall: Mount-It! Stair Climber Hand Truck

This lightweight industrial-grade trolley is designed to help you move heavy items up and down stairs with ease. With a premium portable utility and moving cart, telescoping handle, and easy-to-use design, this hand truck makes it easier than ever to transport items up and down stairs. Read Review

2. Best Bang For The Buck: Harper Trucks PGDY8635P Convertible Hand Truck

Crafted with maximum strength and a glass-filled nylon plastic frame, it is lightweight yet strong enough to handle up to 800 lbs of cargo. The heavy-duty swivel casters make it easy to maneuver in tight spaces, making it perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. Read Review

3. Best Reliable: Mecete Enhanced Stair Climbing Hand Truck

This heavy-duty cart is built to handle anything you can throw at it with its increased tension and capacity. The high-quality rubber tires make it easy to maneuver over any terrain and help keep your items safe during transport. Read Review

4. Best Adjustable: Magliner 86006 C5 Stair Standard Hand Truck

This powerful and reliable hand truck is designed to help you ascend and descend stairs with less effort. It features two stair climbers and necessary hardware, cast aluminum sliders for a tough and quiet operation, and a sleek design that oozes style. Read Review

5. Best Flexible: Devo Stair Climbing Hand Truck

This sturdy and durable hand truck is designed to make it easy to transport heavy items up and down stairs. With adjustable height, wide application, and a lightweight design, this hand truck is ready to use right out of the box with no assembly required. Read Review

Moving heavy items up and down stairs can be a challenge, but with the right hand truck it can be a breeze. A hand truck specifically designed for stairs can make the job easier by providing features like more wheel clearance, a longer handle, and a wider wheelbase. Choosing the right hand truck for stairs can be a daunting task, with so many options and features to consider.

But with a little research and insight, you can find the perfect hand truck to suit your needs. Whether you’re moving furniture, supplies, or any other large item, the right hand truck can make the job much easier and safer. Let’s take a look at some of the best hand trucks for stairs on the market so you can pick the one that’s right for you.

After nearly 16 hours of research, we were able to come up with many top products from prominent brands like Mount-it!, Harper trucks, Mecete, Magliner, Devo, Botabay, Haulpro, Hihone, Us cargo control, Strongway, Rjtek, Haddockway. Among them, We think the best hand truck for stairs is Mount-It! Stair Climber Hand Truck. This hand truck for stairs is constructed from glass-filled nylon plastic frame for maximum strength and features heavy-duty swivel casters for easy maneuverability. Alternatively, if you're simply looking for another option, you may go with Harper Trucks PGDY8635P Convertible Hand Truck.

Our article today focuses mainly on giving you guidelines and tips to be able to buy the right product that best suits your needs. Explore with us right here.

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Mount-It! Stair Climber Hand Truck
Our Score:
9.7
Mount-It!

EASY STORAGE – Folds down flat for easy transport and storage in vehicles, under a bed, in a closet, storage rooms or garages. Folded dimensions of the personal cart is 32 in High x 19 in Wide x 2.6 in Deep.

FOLDING HAND CART – Lightweight industrial-grade trolley helps moving heavy objects. Save your back and carry things around with the right tool for the job. Perfect for use at home, office, business, travel or shopping. Let our rugged dolly do the heavy lifting.

PREMIUM PORTABLE UTILITY AND MOVING CART – Constructed from Aluminum alloy and rated to hold up to 330 lbs on flat surfaces and 264 lbs on stairs. Included bungee cord secures the loads to the hand truck. Large rubber wheels generate no noise and roll smoothly.

TELESCOPING HANDLE – Handle telescopes up to 42 inches for convenient load handling. Hand grip is covered with soft rubber foam for comfort and added grip strength.

EASY TO USE – Rolling collapsible dolly unfolds easily in seconds for use. Step 1: Extend the handle. Step 2: Step on the nose plate and fold out the truck. Step 3: Add the load and tilt the dolly back to start moving. Comes in frustration-free packaging.

TOP Choice #2 Harper Trucks PGDY8635P Convertible Hand Truck
Our Score:
9.5
Harper Trucks

Heavy-duty 10" solid rubber wheels and 5" heavy-duty swivel casters

Glass-Filled Nylon Plastic Frame is chemical, corrosion and rust resistant for longer life

Three position telescoping handle, built-in stair glides for easy moving up or down stairs and curbs. Requires easy assembly of wheels and base plate

Converts in seconds from 2 wheel dolly to 4 wheel cart - 600 lb dolly and 700 lb cart capacity (Product images illustrates both uses, but only one cart is being sold)

Manufactured in USA; Harper exclusive I-Beam Glass Filled Nylon Plastic Frame is 30% lighter than steel and designed for maximum strength (Plastic frame is factory Pre Assembled)

TOP Choice #3 Mecete Enhanced Stair Climbing Hand Truck
Our Score:
9.4
Mecete

Mecete Enhanced Stair Climbing Cart has baking varnish’s surface, shining black. Maximum load: 460lb (210kg) PS: from the video you can see that our climbing cart can hold maximum load 225KG (495lb), but for your safety we recommend you do not carry load over 460 lb! Overall Length: 30in (76cm), the handle can be extended to 43in (110 cm); Frame Width: 15.7in (40 cm). Along with the climb cart you will find ONE Bungee Cord as long as 5.2 feet, and TWO customized wrench and ONE right-angle sleeve

The stair climbing wheels are made of high quality rubber tires for smooth rolling and less noise. In order to increase the strength and guarantee service life of Mecete climbing cart, we specifically design the pulling handle to be tight enough to prevent it deviating from the frame too much when carrying heavy stuff. It may make you feel a bit hard to extract the handle during the installation.

With heavy duty frame, it is perfect for carrying groceries, luggage and laundry up and down stairs. Besides, this Enhance Stair Climbing Cart has 3 poles of handles, which will increase the tense and capacity. We have tested that both flat floor and stairs, our cart has 460 lbs' capacity. But considering one man can usually pull 150 lbs' cargo. We suggest that when the cargo exceed 150 lbs, please arrange 2 guys to pull the cargo. When cargo exceed 300 lbs, please arrange 3 guys to pull.

FOR THE RECORD! Each one of Mecete Enhanced Stair Climbing Cart is newly designed and specifically made, each one of GCC-0002 is, we can assure you, 100% brand new! This Mecete has a new designed substitute handle beneath the main handle, as you can see from the photo, when you carry an extremely long box over 42”, you may use the substitute handle.

When using our Mecete Enhanced Climbing cart to carry heavy cargo(weight more than 300 lbs), we have prepared 2 climbing ropes for you. As you can see from the pictures, you can ask one person to pull the cart, two more persons to pull the climbing ropes which is tied to the cart. Mecete Stair Climbing Cart has a considerate design of small grip handle underneath the chassis. You can easily turn this climb cart into the tool to team lift, in case the weight of cargo is too heavy for one person

This kit includes two stair climbers and necessary hardware (instructions included)

Tough and quiet

Help ascend and descend stairs with less effort

Cast aluminum sliders with replaceable low friction polymer skid bars

5 Devo Stair Climbing Hand Truck
Our Score:
9.2
Devo

√ Sturdy and Durable - Thick aluminium alloy base plate and built-in steel pipe framework make the hand truck more solid and durable. With 6 heavy-duty Stair Climbing rubber wheels, this hand cart rolling smoothly even on uneven surface.

√ Height Adjustable - The telescoping handle height can adjust from 25" to 39",you can choose your comfortable height, convenient and easy to use.

√ Easy to Store - The folded size is 15 x 24.5 inch, 2.5 thickness, space saving and light weight. The folding hand truck easy transport , and easy to Store in cars, closets, storage rooms, garages, keep your home tidy and neatly.

√ Ready to use, no assembly required.

√ Heavy Duty - Our aluminum alloy hand truck dolly can hold up to 176lbs capacity, big base plate design with bungee cord, helps you secures the loads to the hand truck.

√ Wide Application - It can be used to many place, home transport, office file transpot,courier company,shopping,etc. Ready to use, no assembly required.

6 BotaBay Stair Climbing Hand Truck
Our Score:
9.1
BotaBay

【Height Adjustbale & Collapsible】-The height of stair climbing cart can be adjusted from 26 inches to 42 inches, suitable for elderly, children, adults and pregnant women carrying heavy duty. It also can be easily folded and stored in the trunk, under the bed or in the garage.

【Equipped With 360° Rolling Swivel 10-Wheels】- it has 6 climbing wheels and 4 universal 360° Rolling Swivel wheels on the bottom. Aluminum alloy frame makes the stair climbing cart solid, durable, cold-resistant and anti-aging. It can carry 170 lbs cargo. The wheels are made of TRP materials which are wear resistance, slip resistance and shock absorption.

【Multi-function for Stair Climbing Shopping】- There is a detachable bag (size: 20*16*8.7 inch)with this utility cart, the waterproof canvas bag can protect your items well when raining or snowing. And the black color protects your privacy well when shopping. You can also take it down for a storage bag. As a stair climbing cart or grocery cart, just installer the bottom 4 wheels, You can stroll freely on the flat ground and stairs, thereby reducing the burden on your hands.

【Package Content】1 x Stair Climbing cart with 6 climbing wheels, 4 x universal 360° Rolling Swivel wheels, 1 x Elastic rope, 1x black waterproof canvas bag, 2 x tools, 1 x Operation Manual.

【How To Use】- Step 1: Extend the handle. Step 2: Step on the bottom plate and unfold the hand track then install four bottom wheels with the tool provided. Step 3: Place items on the bottom plate and fix it with elastic rope then press your foot against the bottom plate and slowly tilt the cart.

GET AROUND OBSTACLES: Comes equipped with rubberized comfort handles and low-friction skid bars allowing you to easily and safely pull the hand truck over stairs and curbs. It has 8" wheels and measures 54" H x 18.5" W with a 17.5 x 9" nose plate.

RUGGED CONSTRUCTION: Avoid physical strains and injuries with our sturdy hand truck dolly. It has a load capacity of 500 pounds, so you'll be able to move furniture, gardening supplies, large boxes, and heavy objects.

HAULPRO: We are a family-owned and operated company that offers high-quality hand trucks, dollies, and commercial material handling equipment. We provide impeccable customer service and always strive to meet the highest standards.

LIGHTWEIGHT: Fabricated from durable industrial-grade aluminum, this dolly for moving is rust and corrosion-resistant. It's easy to lift, weighing only 20 pounds, and its high-tech wheels help reduce friction and support the load.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL: Ideal for commercial product distribution and delivery. Use our moving dolly for beverage delivery, corporate offices, food service, hospitals, malls, manufacturing, package delivery, or any heavy maneuvering.

We offer 1 year warranty for this stair climbing hand truck, any questions no matter about accessories or installation you can feel free contact us for solution.

Durable Material-Frame is made of A3 steel with electrostatic spray, firm, durable and fastness. PU material big wheels for low noises, smooth rolling and high wear resistance.

Scientific Construction-Stair climber has special three-wheel design and two backup wheels for climbing the stairs. 2 small assistant wheels provide appropriate support, thus greatly easing your burden.

Widely Application-Capable of bringing home the groceries with ease, Perfect for carrying heavy boxes, groceries and laundries up and down the stairs at supermarket, home, etc

Ergonomic Design-Height adjustable handle allows you to select proper height for both stairs and level surface. Collapsible design for easy carry and store.

9 US Cargo Control Steel Hand Truck
Our Score:
8.3
US Cargo Control

STEEL APPLIANCE TRUCK - This is a heavy duty appliance dolly that is made of steel to give you the strength and durability you need. It is a 2 wheel dolly or hand truck that is designed to carry your heavy appliances with ease.

STAIR CLIMBER CAPABILITY - This appliance truck offers you stair climbers to have the capability to get up stairs with ease when moving heavy appliances. When using the stair climbers, the weight capacity is limited to 250 pounds.

HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS - High-quality materials make this hand truck a reliable one. The frame is steel with 6-inch thermoplastic rubber wheels, an auto recoil system, stair climbers, protective side shields, and felt trim backing to protect cargo.

HEAVY DUTY CAPACITY - The steel hand truck gives you the heavy duty capacity you want for moving appliances and more. This hand truck gives you an 800-pound weight capacity, which makes it a great heavy duty refrigerator dolly and more.

AUTO RECOIL SYSTEM - The automatic recoil system on this hand truck offers you the ability to secure your appliances for transport. The double straps will wrap around the appliance to hold it in place, and they will retract automatically.

10 Strongway Aluminum Hand Truck
Our Score:
8.1
Strongway

Works well in both vertical and horizontal position

Stair skids for climbing stairs easily

Ideal for transporting small crated or long narrow boxes

Continuous handle

Durable aluminum construction

What Factors Should You Consider While Choosing best hand truck for stairs?

Getting to the best decision for a product purchase may take a bit of time. In a nutshell, we're available to serve you with your product problems at all hours of the day and night!

You can rest assured if you consider the following points before selecting best hand truck for stairs:

Weight Capacity

Although the maximum weight a person is allowed to lift varies greatly, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has determined that an average person should never lift more than 51 lbs.
Even lightweight hand carts can comfortably carry more than this. Most limits start at 150 pounds. Some heavy-duty hand carts can hold up to 1,000 pounds.
Although weight is an important factor, most users don't need heavy-duty machines. For example, washing machines typically weigh between 180 to 230 pounds. This kind of load can be carried by many mid-range hand trucks, which are convenient and inexpensive.

Nose-Plate Shape

The platform below the L that supports the item being moved is called the noseplate. Sometimes, nose plates are quite large but not always. For models with lift-able appliances, the noseplate may be narrower because it supports only one edge of a frozen surface.
The nose plates can be very different in size or shape. The basic plastic tray might work on lower-end hand trucks. The hinged aluminum and steel versions of high-quality folding machines usually have it. The nose plate of some heavier-duty models may be enhanced with extended bars that can accommodate larger items.

Wheels And Tires

Though wheels and tires often go unnoticed, their structures can greatly impact your mobility and suitability for various surfaces. A tire-wheel combination generally allows the rubber to bear the brunt of the weight.
The wheels on hand-trucks with the lowest prices are usually made of plastic. This may be okay on smooth surfaces, but can cause problems if they get too worn. Most pneumatic tires will be the better option. These can carry extreme weights and absorb big bumps.
You should check the treads for any marking if the truck will be being used on very high-quality floors. Some hand trucks leave dark streaks.

Handle Type And Height

These tools are often called hand trucks. It's not surprising that manufacturers don't pay much attention to how the handles look. Some have rubber grips while others are made of plain steel. Some have hard plastic moldings that can be uncomfortable even with gloves.
The handle can be used for more than just steering. It is possible to exert a lot of force to move the load initially. This force will always travel through the handle.
Also, the height of your handle plays an important role. It can be hard to use leverage if the handle is too long or short. Experts suggest a height of about the elbow for handles. Although telescopic handles can be found in many places, they're often only open or close.

Frame Size And Material

A key characteristic of a hand truck is its physical dimensions. This can often be closely linked to the weight capacity. For storage, light duty models can often be folded down or stuffed into a trunk. Dollys and hand trucks for heavy duty are typically larger in order to carry more weight.
For long-term durability and strength, materials are crucial.

Plastics are lightweight, wipe-clean, and do not rust. However, plastics don't have any inherent strength or resistance against impact.
Steel can be strong but also very heavy. The steel is coated in a powder coating that prevents rust. But, it can chip or become scratched.
Aluminum offers the benefits of steel and plastic. It is very popular. While it's stronger than most plastic, aluminum is also lighter than steel and doesn't rust.

Type

You will find a handful of main hand trucks that are used most often. Although the standard L-shaped, straight hand truck that delivery drivers use all around the globe is still useful, it can prove difficult to store in your home.
The compact folding hand truck is much easier to transport and comes in many different sizes. Convertible hand trucks can either be used upright or as a horizontal cart. Stair-climber models can also be used to make easy of difficult tasks.
These hand trucks can also be used to transport appliances and kitchenware, as well as car tires. There's a handtruck for everything that can be carried by hand.

FAQs

What Is The Difference Between A Hand Truck And A Dolly?

It is the way it's constructed that makes all the difference. Hand trucks are usually on two wheels. They can be partially guided by hand, with handles or grips towards the top. A dolly is typically a flat platform with four wheels that has a handle to push it behind. Convertible models are a popular choice. They can change between various designs depending on how you move. Hand-held dollies can usually carry much more weight so are great for lifting heavy items. But hand trucks can maneuver and control more difficult-shaped objects better than dollies. Each has its uses.

What Does A Hand Truck Look Like?

You will find the classic handtruck with its strong metal frame, handles at both ends, a load platform on the bottom and usually a pair or rubber wheels. Modern designs are flexible and can convert from folding to flatbed models.

How Do You Go Down Steps With A Hand Truck?

The easiest method to climb down stairs with a handtruck is to use a fullwatt stair climbing machine, such as the Fullwatt Stair Climber. To use a standard truck for transport, tilt it toward you while keeping your hands as low as possible and the load vertical. (Bending your knees can help.) The center of gravity is lower, which means there's less force as you descend and the risk of your load tipping.

What Is The Function Of A Hand Truck?

A hand truck's purpose is to make it possible for one person (or two) to be able move objects that are difficult to handle or impossible to hold by hand.

How Do I Choose A Hand Truck?

You should consider many factors when selecting a handtruck. Below is a section titled "What to Consider When Selecting the Best Hand Trucks". It explains each type and helps you narrow down your choices until you have found the hand truck that suits you best.

In general, product information and news are now available to users. In addition, as previously said, the Internet is constantly updated with new technology. Thus, customers will need to be informed so please subscribe to our newsletter or visit our website frequently to check the latest information.

Do you have any product-related questions or concerns you'd like to share? As a result of your efforts, we will attempt to ensure even greater standards of excellence!


2 ratings

About Sarah Combs

Sarah Combs
Sarah Combs is a visual editor who loves to travel and hike. She enjoys taking photographs of her journeys, which help her to remember the beautiful places she's been to. Sarah is grateful for the opportunities that she has had to see the world and looks forward to continuing to explore new places in the future. Sarah is the editor of CampfireHQ since 2021 and has written on a variety of topics, from camping, and hiking to other outdoor guides.

Read Sarah's full bio