Electric tugs for steel & Metal Fabrication
Move beams, bar and sheet with one person.
From long trolleys of bar and extrusion to structural beams on dollies and sheet on A-frames, Tractive Power electric tugs give one operator control of long, heavy metal loads. Battery powered, fitted with the coupling that suits your trolleys, and built in the UK.
4,000–8,000 kg
Wheeled loads on castors, from bar trolleys to beams on dollies.
TP250 and TP500
20,000–100,000 kg
Steel on rails, from the TP250 to the TP1000.
On rails
1 person
The operator walks behind and steers. The tug does the pushing.
Regardless of load
Long loads are the hardest to move by hand.
Fabrication shops and stockholders move bar, tube, beams and sheet all day: from the saw to the bay, between machines, and out to the yard for dispatch.
A long trolley needs two or three people to start, steer and stop by hand, and a forklift struggles with anything long or low. Pushing by hand is a manual handling risk the Manual Handling Operations Regulations require you to reduce.
Why traditional handling doesn’t fit
Forklifts are the wrong shape for long loads and bring a heavy vehicle in among people on foot. Overhead cranes are slow and usually busy elsewhere.
Pushing by hand depends on how many people are free, with no control over force or stopping.
Where Tractive Power fits
A pedestrian electric tug puts one operator in control of each move, at walking pace, with a smooth start and stop that keeps a long load straight.
The TP250 handles bar trolleys and sheet A-frames. The TP500 takes beams on dollies and heavier stillages, and on rails the TP1000 moves up to 100,000 kg.
Where our machines work in steel & metal fabrication
From the saw to the dispatch yard.
Bar and extrusion trolleys
Long trolleys of boxed aluminium bar moved across the yard.
Structural steel
Steel beams moved on dollies through the fabrication shop.
Bar bundles
Bundles of steel bar moved on trolleys between the works and the yard.
Sheet on A-frames
A-frame trolleys of sheet metal moved between cells.
Seen on site
A long trolley of bar, moved by one person.
At a cable accessories manufacturer, a TP250 moves a long custom trolley of aluminium bar between the yard and the works. One operator, walking pace, full control.
Recommended for steel & metal fabrication
Machines across the load range.
Not sure which machine you need? Start from your load.
Steel & Metal Fabrication couplings
The right connection for your load.
Metal loads sit on long trolleys, dollies, A-frames and rails. Every tug is fitted with the coupling that suits yours, and if none of the standard options fit, we design one around your trolleys.
Adjustable pushpad
Straight-line pushing of loads on rails or skates.
Roll cage coupling
Up to 250 nested cages, pushed as one
5th wheel channel
For wheeled dollies, trolleys and stillages.
Quick latch
One connection point across all your trolleys.
Paper roll
Drums, reels and paper rolls
None of these fit? We design the coupling around your load. Designed in-house around your load, to your drawing.
Built for steel & metal fabrication handling
Controlled, single-operator handling.
Single-operator control
One person walks behind and steers at walking pace. The tug supplies the force, so nobody has to push.
Battery powered
No fumes and quiet running indoors. A full recharge takes 8 hours, so it charges overnight.
Backed by a UK service team
Built in the UK, with a 2-year warranty and a UK service team for servicing and repairs.
Steel & Metal Fabrication handling FAQs
The questions fabricators ask us.
What's the heaviest load you can move?
On castors, the TP250 moves up to 4,000 kg and the TP500 up to 8,000 kg. On rails, the TP250 moves up to 20,000 kg, the TP500 up to 40,000 kg and the TP1000 up to 100,000 kg.
Can you cope with very long trolleys?
Yes. The tug steers the trolley from one end at walking pace, and we can design the trolley and coupling around your bar or beam lengths.
Can you build a tug around our load?
Yes. Our team designs couplings and machines in-house around your load, to your drawing if you have one.
Does pushing a heavy load by hand count as manual handling?
Yes. Pushing and pulling count as manual handling under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, so the risk has to be assessed and reduced as far as reasonably practicable. A tug takes most of the push force out of the job.
How long does charging take?
A full recharge takes 8 hours, so a tug can charge overnight and be ready for the next shift.
Can you look at our site first?
Yes. We visit, walk the routes and look at your loads before recommending a machine and coupling.
Will a Tractive Power tug move your load?
Tell us what you’re moving, how heavy it gets and what it runs on. We’ll tell you which tug and coupling will do the job.
Rather talk it through? Call 01538 360372.
