Powered Stackers

Powered stackers lift and stack pallets to height without the cost, footprint or licensing of a full counterbalance forklift. Where a pallet truck only moves a load along the floor, a powered stacker raises it into racking or onto a stack — making it the natural next step up for a busy stores, warehouse or production area. Every unit on this page is fully powered on both drive and lift, so the operator walks alongside rather than pushing or pumping by hand. That is what separates these three from the semi-electric stackers (powered lift, manual push) and the hydraulic stackers (manual on both).

The three fully powered machines, and what separates them

There are exactly three fully powered stackers in the range, and the difference between them is how the load is supported — not how well they are built.

The format decision is the expensive one. At a matched 1,600 mm lift the counterbalance is £8,489.22 against the straddle's £4,002.90 — 2.12 times the money — and against the plain stacker's £3,351.12 it is 2.53 times. Nothing else on this page comes close to that gap, so decide the format on your pallets and your floor before you look at anything else.

Straddle stackers

A straddle stacker carries its load between two supporting legs that straddle the pallet, giving excellent stability for high-position stacking without needing a heavy counterweight. The GPC VULCAN Fully Powered Straddle Stacker conforms to EN 1757-1 and is CE marked and plated. A duplex mast gives smooth, quiet lifting; a four-wheel supporting design at the driving end with an offset tiller keeps the operator's view clear and the truck stable when reaching high. A built-in charger, battery discharge indicator and automatic lift cut-off come as standard, and the compact 1,485 mm turning radius suits tighter aisles. Straddle legs need clear floor space at pallet level, so they best suit open-bottom pallets and stillages. Our straddle stacker range covers the fully powered, semi-electric and hydraulic versions side by side.

Counterbalance stackers

Where the straddle legs would foul closed-board pallets or racking feet, a counterbalance stacker is the answer. The GPC VULCAN Fully Powered Counterbalance Stacker uses a rear counterweight instead of straddle legs, so it can drive right up to racking and pick up closed-board, standard UK and Euro pallets alike. It has a short wheelbase and duplex mast for good sight lines, adjustable fork spread, power steering and full free lift, and the latest AC control technology for precise handling and long battery life. The heavy-duty traction battery gives 8–9 hours of continuous work and charges from any convenient UK 3-pin socket via an external charger.

It is also the only one of the three whose published configurations state a capacity, and the capacity ladder is steep:

Capacity costs roughly ten times what height costs on this machine. Going from 600 kg to 1,200 kg at a fixed 1,600 mm lift adds £3,082.26 (+36.3%). Going from 1,600 mm to 2,600 mm at a fixed 600 kg adds £296.70 (+3.5%). The step from 1,200 kg to 1,500 kg is much softer at £1,015.02 (+8.8%) — so if you are already buying the 1,200 kg machine, the extra 300 kg of headroom is cheap; it is the first jump out of 600 kg that costs real money. Size the capacity on the heaviest pallet you actually handle, not the average one, because that is the number you cannot change later.

Lift height is nearly free — until the last 200 mm

On the straddle stacker the price per millimetre of extra lift is not remotely linear:

The last 200 mm costs 71 times per millimetre what the first 400 mm costs. The practical instruction is blunt: if you are buying the 1,600 mm straddle stacker, take the 2,000 mm instead — 400 mm of extra reach for £11.34 is the best-value line on this page. But do not reach for the 3,200 mm unless you have measured a beam you genuinely cannot clear at 3,000 mm, because that final step costs more than the whole climb from 1,600 mm to 3,000 mm put together (£188.76).

The plain Fully Powered Stacker behaves more sensibly — £80.04 for the first 400 mm, £151.80 for the 1,000 mm from 2,000 to 3,000 mm (its cheapest metre of lift), then £117.84 for the final 200 mm. It has no 2,500 mm option, where the straddle does; if 2,500 mm is the height you need, the straddle is the machine that offers it.

What our product data does not tell you

We publish what the manufacturer publishes, and on this range there are real gaps worth knowing before you order:

• No capacity is stated for the orderable straddle or plain-stacker configurations. Those five and four configurations are listed by lift height only. The straddle's data notes that 1,200 kg, 1,500 kg and 2,000 kg machines are available to special order, and the plain stacker's notes 1,500 kg and 2,000 kg — but those are enquiry capacities, not configurations you can select from the dropdown. Confirm the rated capacity with us in writing before you commit to either machine.
• The counterbalance is the only fully powered stacker here you can order at a stated capacity — 600, 1,200 or 1,500 kg. If you need a rated figure on a purchase order today, that is the machine that has one.
• No warranty period, lead time or stock status is published for any of the three.

Choosing a stacker

Match the stacker to three things: the pallet type — open-bottom pallets and stillages suit a straddle stacker, while closed-board pallets and drive-to-racking work call for a counterbalance unit; the lift height you need to reach, measured to the beam rather than estimated; and the load weight, which on this range means the counterbalance if you need a stated figure of 600 kg, 1,200 kg or 1,500 kg. All three are pedestrian-operated, EN 1757-1 compliant and covered by PUWER, so operators should be trained and the truck inspected in service.

Not lifting to height? A manual or electric pallet truck may be all you need — our guide to pallet stackers vs pallet trucks explains where each one earns its place, and the full stacker range covers the hydraulic and semi-electric alternatives if a fully powered machine is more than the job needs. Before a powered stacker goes into service, read how to use a pallet stacker safely — it covers the battery discharge cut-off that stops the mast lifting before the truck stops driving, and the operator training PUWER requires.