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A lifting trolley is the most flexible piece of mobile lifting equipment on most factory floors. It picks up a box, a reel, a drum or a crate, raises it to a safe working height, moves it to where it needs to go, and sets it down again, all without anyone bending, straining or lifting by hand. This guide covers how to choose a lifting trolley for your operation: the questions to ask, what the tooling actually does, and how the TAWI and Torros models we supply compare. If you already know roughly what you need, you can go straight to the lifting trolley range.

First, a quick word on scope. By lifting trolley we mean a powered or semi-powered mobile lifter with interchangeable tools, not a flat platform trolley or a sack truck. It is a machine that lifts as well as moves, and that distinction is the whole point.

What a Lifting Trolley Does, and Why It Beats Manual Handling

A lift trolley puts the load at the right working height and takes the weight, so your team is no longer the lifting mechanism. That cuts the bending, stooping and repetitive lifting that wreck backs and shoulders over time, and it speeds the job up because one operator can move loads steadily on their own. A trolley also goes where a forklift or pallet truck cannot: tight aisles, around machinery, and into the confined spaces that make up a lot of real production floors.

The Four Things That Decide Which One You Need

Almost every choice comes down to these four.

Load type. A reel, a drum, a box and a crate each want a different tool. The load shape usually points straight at the right setup.

Weight. This sets your minimum capacity. Mobile lifting equipment in this category runs from light models around 60kg up to 250kg, with specialist clamps reaching 500kg.

Movement needed. Do you only need to lift, or also to tilt, turn and rotate? A reel often has to be tilted from vertical to horizontal before it goes onto a machine axis. A drum or crate needs tipping to pour or empty. If your job needs that, you need a trolley built to do it.

Mobility and space. How far does the load travel, how tight are the aisles, and do you want to push it by hand or drive it? That decides the propulsion you choose.

It Is Really About the Tooling

The trolley is the base. The tool does the work. Swap a platform, a set of forks, a V-block or a core gripper, and the same trolley handles a completely different load. Reels can be gripped from the core or from the outside, drums cradled and tipped, boxes carried on a platform. This quick-change, modular tooling is what makes a single lifter equipment investment cover so many tasks, and it is the main reason a trolley earns its place over a fixed solution.

Matching the Trolley to the Job

TAWI Electric Lifting Trolleys

The TAWI trolleys are compact, battery-powered lifters that raise, move and lower loads with push-button control, and they lift, tilt, turn and rotate. They come in three models, which makes choosing simple:

  • Classic, up to 250kg. The versatile all-rounder for everyday lifting of boxes, crates, reels and drums.
  • Lightweight, up to 60kg. Compact and highly manoeuvrable, for small goods and narrow aisles.
  • Stainless steel, up to 250kg. A hygienic, corrosion-resistant build for food, pharma and cleanroom environments.

  • You can see the TAWI trolley options on the main lifting trolley page.

    Torros Multilift Trolleys

    The Torros Multilift trolleys are robust screw-lift machines, available in steel or wash-down stainless steel, with quick-change tooling. You can move them by manual push, drive-assist joystick or tiller drive, so they suit both light foot traffic and longer runs across a site. We supply the Torros mini stacker range, with the Multilift 80kg and the Multilift 150kg as the core models. Heavier capacities exist in the range, so if you need to lift more than 150kg, ask and we will spec it.

    EP 500 Roll Handling Clamp

    For rolls specifically, the EP 500 roll handling clamp is a 500kg hydraulic clamp and core gripper that attaches to a stacker or an existing heavy-duty trolley. It is the tool to reach for when reels get too heavy for a standard trolley. If reels and rolls are your main load, it is worth reading our wider guide to roll and reel handling alongside this.

    Electric, Manual or Hydraulic?

    A common question, and the answer is that it depends on the model. TAWI trolleys are battery electric. Torros Multilift trolleys use a screw lift with either manual or powered movement. The EP 500 is a hydraulic clamp. So you are not choosing one technology over another, you are picking the drive that suits your load weight and your workspace.

    Safety and OHS Act Compliance

    Manual lifting and handling remain a leading cause of injury in South African operations, and a trolley that holds the load at a safe working height removes a large part of that risk. Used properly, mobile lifting equipment supports your duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993) and the Ergonomics Regulations to control manual handling risk for your team. It is a practical, visible step that protects people and keeps the line moving.

    Getting the Right Lifting Equipment for Your Operation

    SCHE supplies TAWI and Torros lifting trolleys, matched and tooled to your loads, your movements and your workspace. If you are not sure which trolley or which tool fits your job, our product specialist Raymond Seef can work it through with you based on your goods and your workflow. Use the enquiry form to request expert help and we respond within one business day.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is a lifting trolley used for? It lifts, moves, lowers and often tilts or turns awkward loads like reels, drums, boxes and crates, so your team does not have to handle them by hand. It is the flexible end of mobile lifting equipment, suited to tight spaces where forklifts cannot go.

    How much can a lifting trolley lift? The everyday trolleys lift up to about 250kg. Lighter models handle around 60kg for small goods, and specialist tools such as the EP 500 roll clamp reach 500kg. Heavier capacities are available on request.

    Can a lifting trolley tilt and turn a reel or drum? Yes. The right trolley and tool will tilt a reel from vertical to horizontal for mounting on a machine axis, and tip a drum or crate to empty it, with no physical effort from the operator.

    What is the difference between TAWI and Torros trolleys? TAWI trolleys are battery-electric lifters in classic, lightweight and stainless steel models. Torros Multilift trolleys are screw-lift machines with manual or powered movement. Which suits you depends on your loads, your environment and how far the trolley needs to travel.

    Do lifting trolleys help with OHS compliance? They help. By presenting loads at a safe working height, they reduce the manual handling that the OHS Act and Ergonomics Regulations require you to control. They are one part of a wider safe system of work.