Flat Bed Carts

For general-purpose facility use, a 24" × 48" deck is the most common school size, it fits through standard 36" doorways (turned slightly), handles stacked chairs and folded tables, and provides enough surface area for bulk supply transport. For tight hallways and small storage rooms, a compact 18" × 30" cart is easier to maneuver. If you're primarily transporting cafeteria equipment or gymnasium gear, a larger platform or a cart with raised edges prevents items from sliding off during transport.

Capacity depends on construction. Plastic deck carts typically hold 300 to 750 lbs. Steel deck platform carts handle 1,000 to 2,000+ lbs. For most school maintenance tasks (moving stacked chairs, supply boxes, and cleaning equipment) a 750 to 1,000 lb capacity cart covers daily needs. For loading dock work, gym equipment, and heavy appliance transport, step up to a 1,500+ lb steel deck model.

Flat bed carts are larger platform carts with four casters, designed for pushing or pulling loaded across a building. They typically have a handle or raised edge for steering. Furniture dollies are smaller, lower-profile platforms (often 18" × 30" or similar) designed to slide under a single piece of heavy furniture (a filing cabinet, bookcase, or appliance) and roll it. For bulk moves, flat bed carts are more efficient. For individual heavy items, furniture dollies give you more control.

For indoor use on hard floors (tile, polished concrete, VCT): non-marking rubber casters protect floor finishes and roll quietly. For mixed surfaces including outdoor sidewalks and loading docks: pneumatic or semi-pneumatic tires handle uneven surfaces and thresholds. Every flat bed cart should have at least two locking casters to hold position during loading and unloading. Swivel casters on all four corners provide maximum maneuverability in tight hallways; two swivel and two rigid is a more stable configuration for long straight runs.

Flat bed carts can transport folded cafeteria tables laid on their sides, though a dedicated table mover with table-specific clamps or cradles is more secure for that particular job. Where flat bed carts excel in cafeteria operations is moving everything else: cases of food service supplies, stacked chairs, cleaning equipment, and the miscellaneous items that need to get from the storage room to the lunch line every day. Many cafeteria managers keep a dedicated flat cart in the kitchen area for daily supply transport.