Moving Light Fixtures, Tools, and Equipment on a Single Cart

Specialized electrical carts from BHS making moving light fixtures around the jobsite quicker, easier, and safer. But what about your tools and equipment? New features like equipment hooks and compartment trays make BHS Light Fixture Carts (LFCs) into all-purpose material handling solutions for lighting installations.

Whether you’re an electrical wholesaler or a construction electrician on the front lines, here’s what you need to know about improving productivity with LFCs. For more information, or to request custom-cart options, contact the BHS sales team at 1.800.BHS.9500 today.   

How Much Productivity Do You Lose Moving Light Fixtures?

Construction estimators assume electricians will spend about 65% of a shift installing electrical systems. The other 35% of work time goes toward material handling, layout, supervision, and cleaning up.

That’s just the standard labor break-down estimators start with, of course. In the field, electricians may spend even more time on support tasks like moving materials and cleaning up. One study found that electricians spend 40% of their time handling materials alone.

Either way, the key to a more productive installation is clear: Boost the percentage of time on direct installation tasks. That means spending less time on everything else, especially material handling and clean-up.  

These are particularly time-consuming during lighting installations. Standard two-by-two and four-by-two LED lighting panels usually arrive wrapped in layers of plastic wrap and cardboard. You can’t comfortably carry more than one or two at a time. Electricians end up spending a huge percentage of the day simply walking back and forth from the van to the actual installation site—and generating lots of on-site waste.

Efficient Material Handling with Light Fixture Carts

We’ve discussed the solution to this productivity challenge: Provide material carts designed specifically for light fixtures.

Request a quote for Light Fixture Carts from BHS, Inc.

However, until recently, even electricians with LFCs struggled with another material handling challenge. The cart handled fixtures, sure, but what about everything else?

In addition to light fixtures themselves, lighting installations may require:

• Electrical whips
• Cable harnesses
• Tools
• Clipboards and paperwork
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Optional features on BHS Light Fixture Carts allow you to carry this support equipment along with dozens of fixtures, all on a single unit. Expanded LFC design features include:

1. Integrated Storage Hooks

A dozen hooks along the narrow end of the cart provide plenty of space for electrical whips, harnesses, odd coils of flexible conduit, tools, and whatever else you need to complete your lighting installation as quickly as possible.

These hooks are arranged along the vertical bar of the frame in two rows of six. Each hook includes a felt lining to limit wear on tools and equipment, and extend six inches from the frame to handle thick coils. Hooks are available on all LFC models except model LFC-2496-SE, our largest side-entry unit.

2. Stainless Steel Storage Trays  

Don’t need to fill every LFC slot with a fixture? Turn empty compartments into storage shelves with a stainless steel tray built to spec. These trays provide plenty of space for tools, clipboards, PPE, or anything else you need to get the job done. Add them when you need them, and remove them when you don’t. 

Each steel tray is lined with felt, avoiding sharp edges to protect assets and users alike. They feature a distributed capacity of 90 pounds each, so you shouldn’t have a problem keeping hand tools close by.

3. Custom Cart Designs

As an original equipment manufacturer with decades of engineering expertise, we can alter any cart to fit unique specifications. Standard alterations include laser-cut logos and custom powder-coat colors.

However, if you need an entirely new material handling solution for moving light fixtures — or anything else — reach out to BHS with details. Our custom engineering team can provide a solution to virtually any material handling challenge.

Explore the whole range of electrical material handling equipment from BHS, Inc.