Electric Pallet Jack vs Manual Pallet Jack: 4 Questions That Decide It (With Real Prices)

Buy a manual pallet jack when moving pallets is a short task someone does between other work, on a flat floor. An electric pallet jack is the right buy when moving pallets is the job itself: full shifts, long routes, trailers, or any ramp. That price gap is real. On Warehouse Gear Hub today the EKKO A25 manual jack is $418.00 and the compact EKKO EP15SLi lithium walkie is $2,259.10. Four questions sort out which side of the gap you land on, with specs taken from EKKO's published tables and the operator training rule quoted from 29 CFR 1910.178.

What is the difference between an electric and a manual pallet jack?

A manual pallet jack lifts with a hydraulic pump you work from the handle and moves because you push it. An electric pallet jack lifts with a motor and drives with a motor, while the operator walks behind it (a walkie) or stands on a platform (a rider). Inside the electric category there are two tiers worth separating, because they differ in price by a factor of three.

Two things in that table surprise most buyers. The $418.00 manual jack is rated for more weight than the $2,259.10 electric one. And the step from compact walkie to heavy-duty walkie is mostly battery and drive motor, not capacity: EKKO's EP20E spec table lists a 24V/160Ah battery and a 1.3 kW drive motor at 860 lb service weight, against the EP15SLi spec sheet's 24V/30Ah battery, 0.75 kW drive motor, and 345 lb service weight. You are paying for hours on the floor, not pounds on the forks.

Question 1: How many pallets a day, and how far does each one travel?

This question decides most purchases, and no regulation attaches a number to it. OSHA's ergonomics guidance for packaging and shipping departments is direct about the direction, though: "When possible, utilize power equipment rather than manual labor to reduce ergonomic stresses." The same page tells you to keep floors "with no ruts or bumps, to reduce the force needed when using manual material-handling equipment." Every crack in your slab is force your operator supplies.

Speed is not the reason to go electric. EKKO's spec sheet rates the EP15SLi and EP18SLi at 4.2 km/h loaded and 4.5 km/h unloaded, about 2.6 and 2.8 mph, which is walking pace. What changes is who supplies the force: on an electric jack the operator steers and the motor pushes.

The rule we use on the phone: if pallet moves are a task someone fits between other work, a manual jack is the right buy. If moving pallets is someone's job for a whole shift, or the route runs the length of the building and back, or the loads sit near the jack's rating, the electric pays for itself in the one thing you cannot buy back later, which is the operator's back at the end of the year.

A pair of details pull the answer back toward manual. A manual jack has no battery to charge or controller to service, and the end-of-shift routine is lowering the forks. And at 5,500 lb, the A25 out-lifts every compact electric on this page.

Manual pallet jack

EKKO A25 Manual Hand Pallet Jack, 5,500 lb

Steel frame with a German seal system hydraulic pump, polyurethane wheels, 48 x 27 in forks, 3-year limited warranty.

$418.00 View specs →

Question 2: Are there ramps, dock plates, or trailers on the route?

A loaded manual jack on a slope is where the manual option stops being cheap. Gravity acts on the whole load, and on the way down the operator is the brake. The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries' pallet jack tip sheet, archived in the NIOSH collection, says to push the jack instead of pulling it whenever possible and to never move one without a full grip on the handle. Both get harder on an incline with 4,000 lb behind you.

Electric jacks publish a gradeability number for exactly this situation. EKKO's spec tables list the EP15SLi at 5% loaded and 10% unloaded, and the EP20E at 8% loaded and 15% unloaded. Measure the grade on your route (rise divided by run) and compare it to that line before you compare prices. A route with a daily grade is an electric route, and a steep one is an EP20E route.

Trailers add a second test: the jack has to fit through the door and turn inside. EKKO lists the EP15SLi at 26.97 in overall width with a 57.8 in turning radius, and the EP20E at 28 in wide with a 60 in turning radius. Pinwheel capability, listed on the EP15SLi, lets the unit turn within its own length at the nose of a trailer.

Compact lithium walkie

EKKO EP15SLi Lithium Walkie Pallet Truck, 3,300 lb

Powered lift and drive, 24V/30Ah lithium iron phosphate battery with charger, pinwheel capability, 3-year limited warranty.

$2,259.10 View specs →

Question 3: How heavy is your heaviest pallet?

Rate the jack to the heaviest pallet you will ever put on it, not the average one. The A25 is rated for 5,500 lb. Compact lithium walkies come in at 3,300 lb (EP15SLi) and 4,000 lb (EPT18LI), the EP20E at 4,400 lb, and the EP30A-LI rider at 6,600 lb.

Fork dimensions matter as much as the rating. The A25, EP15SLi, EPT18LI, and EP30A-LI all list 27 in wide forks; lengths run 45 to 48 in depending on the model, so check the fork length line on the product page against the pallets you actually receive. Raised height is the other spec to read: 7.87 in on the EP15SLi, 7.68 in on the EPT18LI, and 7.9 in on the EP20E, per the product listings and EKKO's tables.

If your heaviest pallet is over 4,000 lb and you still want lithium, the choice narrows to the rider. If it is under 4,000 lb and the shift is long, the EPT18LI's removable battery is the spec to look at: a spare pack on the charger means the jack does not stop when the battery does.

Compact lithium walkie, 4,000 lb

EKKO EPT18LI Full Powered Lithium Pallet Jack, 4,000 lb

Full electric lift and drive, 27 x 45 in forks, removable 24V/30Ah battery with charger, 3-year limited warranty.

$2,743.60 View specs →

Question 4: Who is allowed to operate it?

This is the line most comparison articles blur. The federal rule is 29 CFR 1910.178, and paragraph (a)(1) names what it covers: "fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks, and other specialized industrial trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines." An electric pallet jack is a motorized hand truck. A manual jack has no motor and is not on that list.

For anything with a motor, paragraph (l) sets the obligation in three lines.

• Before anyone drives it. "Prior to permitting an employee to operate a powered industrial truck (except for training purposes), the employer shall ensure that each operator has successfully completed the training required by this paragraph (l), except as permitted by paragraph (l)(5)."
• What the training is. "Training shall consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video tape, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace."
• How long it lasts. "An evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator's performance shall be conducted at least once every three years." The certification record "shall include the name of the operator, the date of the training, the date of the evaluation, and the identity of the person(s) performing the training or evaluation."

None of that requires an outside vendor. The rule says trainers must have "the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence," and a supervisor who meets that bar can run the program. Budget the hours before the jack arrives, because the day it comes off the truck is not the day anyone is allowed to drive it.

For a manual jack, that section imposes no certification. Train anyway. The Washington L&I tip sheet covers the habits that keep a manual jack out of the incident log: inspect the forks, tires, and hydraulic piston before use, never put feet or hands under the forks or wheels, and lower the forks when parking.

Which pallet jack should you buy?

Match your situation to the line that describes it.

• Occasional moves, flat floor, loads up to 5,500 lb: A25 ($418.00). There is no battery to charge and no training file to keep.
• Pallet moves all shift, doorways and trailers, loads to 3,300 lb: EP15SLi ($2,259.10). EKKO's spec sheet lists it at 345 lb service weight, under half the EP20E's 860 lb.
• Same duty, loads to 4,000 lb, or a shift longer than one battery: EPT18LI ($2,743.60), with the removable 24V/30Ah pack.
• Long runs on a big floor, steeper grades, loads to 4,400 lb: EP20E ($6,781.10), with the 24V/160Ah lead-acid battery and 1.3 kW drive motor.
• Continuous dock work where the operator rides, loads to 6,600 lb: EP30A-LI ($13,402.60).
• Any ramp on the daily route: read the gradeability line first. The EP20E's 8% loaded rating covers steeper grades than the EP15SLi's 5%.

Heavy-duty walkie

EKKO EP20E Walkie Pallet Jack, 4,400 lb

Electric lift and drive with a Curtis controller, 24V/160Ah lead-acid battery and built-in charger, steel entry wheels, 3-year limited warranty.

$6,781.10 View specs →

Every model above is in the pallet jacks collection, split into electric and manual. If none of the lines fits, call 1-800-794-1049, 8 AM to 4 PM Central, with your heaviest pallet weight, the longest route, and whether there is a grade in it. We will size it in one call and send a written quote for approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an electric pallet jack considered a forklift by OSHA?

The scope sentence of 1910.178(a)(1) covers "motorized hand trucks" and other trucks "powered by electric motors," and an electric pallet jack is one of them. The training, evaluation, and certification requirements in paragraph (l) apply to it the same way they apply to a sit-down forklift.

Do you need certification to use a manual pallet jack?

Not under 1910.178. A manual jack has no motor and is not among the trucks listed in paragraph (a)(1). Your insurer or your state plan can ask for documented training anyway, and the Washington L&I tip sheet is a ready-made curriculum for it.

What does "semi electric" mean on the EKKO EP15SLi and EP18SLi?

Whatever the name suggests, both models drive and lift under power. EKKO's spec sheet lists a 0.75 kW drive motor and a rated driving speed for the EP15SLi and EP18SLi, and EKKO's EP15SLi page adds a 0.8 kW lift motor and describes "full power lifting and driving capabilities." Treat both as powered industrial trucks for training purposes.

Can a manual pallet jack go up a ramp?

It can, with the operator as the motor going up and the brake coming down. Washington L&I's tip sheet says push rather than pull and keep a full grip on the handle. For a route that includes a grade every day, an electric jack with a published gradeability rating (5% loaded on the EP15SLi, 8% loaded on the EP20E) is the safer buy.

How much does an electric pallet jack cost?

On Warehouse Gear Hub as of this writing, EKKO's compact lithium walkies run $2,259.10 (EP15SLi, 3,300 lb) to $2,743.60 (EPT18LI, 4,000 lb). The heavy-duty EP20E walkie is $6,781.10 and the EP30A-LI rider is $13,402.60. The manual EKKO A25 is $418.00. Prices are on each product page and change with the manufacturer's list.

How long does an electric pallet jack battery last per charge?

EKKO publishes battery size rather than runtime, because runtime depends on load, route, and how much of the shift the jack spends lifting. The compact walkies carry a 24V/30Ah lithium iron phosphate pack with the charger included; the EP20E carries a 24V/160Ah lead-acid battery (EKKO's catalog lists the chemistry) with a built-in charger. Call with your shift pattern and we will match a battery to it.