Does Your Facility Need a Walk-Behind or Ride-On Electric Tugger?
Most facilities need a walk-behind electric tugger. It covers the cart work in hospitals, laundries, warehouses and plants, in tight halls and on a single shift or several. A ride-on makes sense when one operator would otherwise walk a long route over and over, all shift.
A walk-behind tugger hitches to a cart and tows it at walking pace while the operator walks with it. A ride-on tug carries the operator on the machine.
The difference
A walk-behind tugger keeps the operator on foot with both hands on the handle. Speed and direction come from thumb controls. On models such as the Pony Express 1061-HD, 1062 and 1065, dead man operation brings the unit to a controlled stop when the operator lets go.
Every Pony Express tugger is a walk-behind machine. It tops out at 3 mph, a normal walking pace, and has a low speed setting for tight spaces. Walkie tugger, pedestrian tugger and walk-behind tugger all name the same kind of machine.
For long routes we also carry a ride-on, the RiderCaddy ride on electric tug.
Route length
Route length is the main reason to look at a ride-on. A walk-behind makes the operator walk every foot the load travels. On a long route repeated all day, the operator tires before the battery runs down.
The battery is rarely the limit. The AGM Pony Express models from the 1061 to the 1065-XHD run up to 8 hours on a charge, a full shift of normal cart moves.
Short repeated runs between a dock and the floor, or ward to ward in a hospital, are walk-behind work. One long warehouse or plant route run back to back all day is ride-on work. Tell us the route length and how often it runs.
The RiderCaddy
The RiderCaddy is a ride on tug for long warehouse and plant routes. It pulls carts and equipment up to 10,000 lb.
- 36 V system of three 115 Ah batteries, up to 16 hours on a charge
- Onboard charger, 120 or 220 V
- 64 inches long and 26.24 inches wide
- Pin, ball and pintle hitches, with a lift kit option
- Non-marking, foam filled tires
- Safety stop switch and horn standard
Its speed depends on the configuration, so we confirm it for your build in the written quote.
Aisle width
Tight aisles favor a walk-behind. The Pony Express 1061-HD is 22 inches wide. The 1062, 1065 and 1065-XHD share a body 25 inches long and 24 inches wide. The RiderCaddy is 26.24 inches wide and 64 inches long, so check its turns on the route.
Measure the tightest point on the route, not the average. Add room for the operator, who walks beside the handle on a walk-behind, and for the cart behind.
Load weight
Load weight does not force a ride-on. Walk-behind Pony Express tuggers tow 1,500 to 25,000 lb on casters on a flat floor.
| Model | Operator | Pulls | Width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pony Express 1061-HD | Walk-behind | 2,000 lb | 22 in |
| Pony Express 1062 | Walk-behind | 2,000 lb | 24 in |
| Pony Express 1065 | Walk-behind | 5,000 lb | 24 in |
| Pony Express 1065-XHD | Walk-behind | 7,500 lb | 24 in |
| RiderCaddy ride on electric tug | Ride on | 10,000 lb | 26.24 in |
| Pony Express AC Tugger 25K+ | Walk-behind | 25,000 lb | 30 in |
The 1065-XHD tows 7,500 lb in the same 24 inch wide body as the 2,000 lb 1062. A heavier load does not have to mean a bigger machine. The AC Tugger 25K+ tows 25,000 lb on casters and up to 100,000 lb on rails.
A ramp lowers what any tug can pull. Send us the slope and the full weight and we confirm the model.
For laundries, the 1062-LS tows 2,000 lb and the 1065-LS tows 5,000 lb, with hitches for linen carts and bulk bins.
Shifts
A walk-behind can run more than one shift. The 1061-HD Lithium has a 40 Ah lithium iron phosphate pack that swaps in seconds and recharges in about 2 hours. Keep a charged pack on the charger and the tugger keeps working through a shift change. A Bluetooth app shows the charge on a phone.
The 1065 Lithium does the same at 5,000 lb and recharges in about 90 minutes. The RiderCaddy runs up to 16 hours on a charge.
How to choose
- Route. Short repeated runs stay walk-behind. One long route repeated all day points to a ride-on such as the RiderCaddy.
- Aisles. Tight aisles and doors favor a walk-behind body 22 to 24 inches wide.
- Load. Match the model to your heaviest loaded train, from 1,500 to 25,000 lb on a walk-behind or up to 10,000 lb on the RiderCaddy.
- Shifts. One shift takes an AGM model. Back to back shifts take a lithium model with a spare pack.
Send us your route, cart weights and shift pattern and we recommend the machine.
Questions
Is a walk-behind or ride-on tugger better for a warehouse?
For most warehouses a walk-behind fits. It moves the same wheeled loads in tight aisles, and the Pony Express line tows up to 25,000 lb on casters. A ride-on such as the RiderCaddy is worth a look when one operator would walk a long route all shift.
How much can a ride-on tug pull?
The RiderCaddy pulls carts and equipment up to 10,000 lb. Send us the load, the floor and the route and we confirm the build in a written quote.
How far can a walk-behind tugger travel on one charge?
The AGM Pony Express models run up to 8 hours on a charge, a full shift of normal cart moves. In practice the limit is how far you ask one operator to walk, not the battery. Ask us for the run time of a lithium model on your route.
Can a walk-behind tugger run more than one shift?
Yes. The 1061-HD Lithium and 1065 Lithium swap packs in seconds, so a charged pack goes on and the tugger keeps working.