Vestil HIPM High Rise Lift Truck — Powered Ergonomic Skid Lifter, 2,500 lb Capacity

Powered Ergonomic Skid Lifter — Raise Loads to Worker Height for Reduced Fatigue and Injury

The Vestil HIPM High Rise Lift Truck is a Best Seller in Vestil's ergonomic solutions catalog — a walk-behind powered skid lifter that brings palletized materials up to comfortable worker height for picking, packing, assembly, inspection, repair, and any operation where workers would otherwise spend the day bending over floor-level loads. With 2,500 lb load capacity, your choice of three power sources (AC plug-in, DC battery, or air/oil reciprocating), two fork spacing options (20" or 27"), steel construction for daily commercial use, phenolic casters for smooth maneuverability, and an automatic safety brake that engages when the lift is raised, the HIPM is the ergonomic productivity tool for order picking stations, manufacturing assembly lines, quality control inspection stations, repair and service shops, food processing facilities, pharmaceutical and biotech production, aerospace and electronics assembly, receiving and shipping stations, maintenance yards, trade schools, print and binding shops, and any operation where reducing worker bending injuries pays back in productivity, reduced workers' comp claims, and employee retention.

Why Ergonomic Skid Lifting Matters: Material handling workers who repeatedly bend, lift, and reach for floor-level loads have some of the highest rates of musculoskeletal injuries in any industry — chronic back pain, shoulder strain, repetitive stress injuries, and acute injury risk during heavy lifts. A study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) consistently identifies lifting from floor height as a primary injury cause. The HIPM solves the problem by lifting the entire skid load to a comfortable working height (waist or chest level depending on the lift setting), eliminating the need for workers to bend over to access products. The result is fewer injuries, fewer sick days, better employee retention, and measurable productivity gains as workers process more units per shift without fatigue.

⚠️ CRITICAL — WORKS WITH SKIDS ONLY: The HIPM is engineered for skid handling — NOT standard GMA pallets. Skids are two-runner platforms without bottom deck boards; the HIPM's forks slide UNDER the runners and lift via the runners. Standard pallets have bottom deck boards that block fork engagement, making them incompatible with the HIPM. Before purchasing, verify your operation uses skids (not standard pallets). If your loads sit on standard GMA pallets, see our standard pallet truck listings (EPT electric series, EPT-SCL scale series, or ALL-T-GPT all-terrain gas series) instead.

Choose Your Configuration — Two Critical Decisions:

• Fork Spacing (20" or 27"): The distance between the two forks. Choose 20" for narrower skids and tighter handling, or 27" for wider skids and more stable load support. All variants use 48" fork length regardless of spacing.
• Power Source (AC / DC / Air): Three options to match your facility's available infrastructure. Each has distinct advantages — choose based on where the unit will be used.

Power Source Decision Guide

Control Mechanisms: The AC and DC variants use push-button hand controls located on the power unit — operators press up/down buttons to raise and lower the lift. The Air variant uses a heel/toe foot treadle control — operators press a foot pedal to raise (heel) or lower (toe), keeping both hands free for load positioning. This foot-control configuration is particularly valuable in assembly and inspection operations where workers need their hands on the product, not on a hand controller.

DC Variant — Battery Features: The HIPM-2048-DC and HIPM-2748-DC ship with one 12V DC battery, an onboard battery charger, and a battery charge indicator gauge. The onboard charger plugs into any standard 115V outlet for overnight or between-shift charging. The charge indicator gauge lets operators see remaining battery life at a glance — preventing mid-shift discharge surprises.

Automatic Safety Brake — Critical Feature: The HIPM features an automatic brake that engages when the lift is raised above approximately 8 inches. This safety mechanism prevents operators from moving the unit while loaded at elevated heights — eliminating the tip-over risk that has caused serious injuries in operations using non-braked lift trucks. The brake automatically disengages when the lift is lowered back below 8". This is a major safety feature worth understanding: when you raise the load, the unit STAYS PUT until you lower it again.

Premium Roller System: The HIPM rolls on phenolic 8" × 3" rear swivel casters paired with dual 3" front guide wheels. Phenolic casters offer excellent floor protection, low rolling resistance, and resistance to chemicals and oils — ideal for industrial environments. The dual front guide wheel configuration provides precise directional control during maneuvering. Combined, these wheels deliver smooth, controlled movement even with full 2,500 lb loads.

⚠️ Premium Upgrade Available — Power Traction Drive System (HIPM-PTDS-E): The HIPM is a walk-behind manual-push unit out of the box — operators push the loaded unit to position it. For operations where pushing the loaded unit becomes a fatigue or injury risk (long travel distances, heavy loads, slopes, multiple trips per shift), Vestil offers the HIPM-PTDS-E Power Traction Drive System as an upgrade. This factory-installed option converts the manual-push HIPM into a self-propelled walking electric truck (max 2.5 mph) — operators control direction and speed via a combination throttle/direction controller, with an auto-reverse emergency belly switch for safety. The PTDS includes its own two 12V batteries (separate from the lift battery on DC variants). This upgrade eliminates manual pushing labor entirely and pays back rapidly in operations with long travel routes or heavy loads. See the optional accessories section to add this upgrade to your unit.

Manual Floor Lock Option (HIPM-FLK): The Manual Floor Lock provides physical stability when the unit is parked in a working position — operators engage the floor lock to prevent the unit from rolling during loading, unloading, or extended work at a single position. Useful for assembly stations where the unit serves as a quasi-permanent work surface, or for environments with sloped floors where roll-away risk exists. Factory-installed option.

Steel Construction for Daily Commercial Use: The HIPM features welded steel construction throughout — frame, mast, forks, and chassis. This isn't a hobby-grade or light-duty product; it's engineered for daily commercial operation in industrial environments where the unit may be in continuous use across multiple shifts. The Best Seller designation reflects years of proven field performance across thousands of installations.

Custom Fabrication Available: If your operation requires non-standard fork dimensions, higher capacity, specialty configurations, or other customizations, Vestil's custom fabrication program can build to specification. Contact us before ordering to discuss requirements.

⚠️ LTL Freight Delivery Required: At 515-1,173 lbs depending on configuration (heaviest with PTDS option installed), the HIPM ships via LTL freight — not UPS or FedEx. Verify freight delivery access at your receiving location before ordering.