This website uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Please review our Privacy Policy for more information.
Drum Dolly, Barrel Hand Truck, and Drum Carts

Drum Dolly Equipment
The use of drums for storing, transporting, and dispensing materials is very common as they have countless uses and applications. Regardless of how your company uses drums in its processes, the fact that they are heavy, unwieldly, and must be carefully handled is a constant consideration across every industry. Whether you need a drum dolly, hand truck or other drum-handling equipment, let Eagle help you use drums more efficiently while protecting your employees from the serious injuries that accompany their mishandling.
Within industry, drums are constructed from a variety of materials including steel, plastic, and fiber/paperboard. While drums are most associated with liquids, they are also widely used to handle all manner of dry materials ranging from pool chlorine to steel chains. Drums are also supplied in a variety of capacities with 30-, 55-, and 95-gallon drums being the most common. Their ability to contain a substantial amount of material is what makes them so popular. But this also makes them heavy, with full drums weighing in anywhere from 200 (90 kg) to 800 (360 kg) pounds.


In addition to being heavy, a drum’s round shape makes it unwieldly and difficult to handle. Furthermore, if the drum contains a liquid, and particularly if the liquid is flammable or otherwise hazardous, spill containment may become another challenge to overcome.
To manage these drum-related issues, companies turn to Eagle where they can choose from our comprehensive selection of drum-handling equipment. This includes items like our popular drum dolly, 55-gallon drum containment dolly, drum barrel hand truck, and drum-lifting equipment.
Potential Hazards of Drum Handling
The weight and form factor of 30-, 55-, and 95-gallon drums necessitates the use of adjunct equipment to handle them safely. Without drum-handling equipment, workers are left with "manhandling" drums into position. Using brute strength and/or rolling drums on their side should never be considered a valid option as either can lead to a variety of acute injuries, including:
• Back injuries
• Muscle strains
• Fractures / crushing injuries
• Bruises, abrasions, and lacerations
And these are just the acute injuries. When manual drum handling is performed over a period, the practice can cause chronic injuries such as permanent back issues, joint degradation, and arthritis, as well as other ergonomic ailments.


All these injuries are preventable with the use of effective drum-handling equipment such as an Eagle drum dolly or drum lifting devices. With the average cost of an on-the-job injury hovering around $50,000 USD, the return on investment is immense. Using Eagle drum-handling equipment is a prime example of saving money through safety apparatus. In addition to the injuries prevented, placing a piece of equipment into service—such as Eagle’s drum tray dolly—can seriously improve worker morale as well as productivity.
Failing to use effective drum-handling equipment can also be damaging to the facility itself. A mishandled drum can easily be punctured causing its contents to spill. Aside from the lost product, a flammable or toxic spill creates a HazMat incident. Often this results in significant downtime while the spill is recovered and the area remediated.
Drums can create mechanical hazards as well. For example, if an employee is rolling a 55 gallon steel drum on its side (never a good idea), the lack of fine control can lead to it colliding with anything in its path: equipment, product, vehicles, and even other personnel. Just as with injuries, both spills and mechanical damage are easily avoidable using Eagle’s drum-handling equipment.
Eagle’s Lineup of Drum Dolly Products


Eagle understands the hazards involved with handling drums in the workplace and has designed a full line of equipment to mitigate many common hazards. While obviously addressing the personnel safety side of the equation, Eagle products also actually improve, rather than impede, productivity. Many of our drum-handling products also provide some form of spill containment. For example, our ergonomic spill-containment drum caddy covers all of the bases by providing convenient transportation, 70 gallons of spill retention, and an efficient dispensing platform—all in one lightweight HDPE (high-density polyethylene) package. Plus, it has pockets to allow a forklift to move it if necessary.
Our most popular piece of drum equipment is the plastic dolly with handle, model 1613. Commonly referred to as a “drum bogie,” its HDPE construction is lightweight, yet durable and resistant to most chemicals. Featuring a spill-containment base with a removable handle and five swivel casters, drum movement and navigation is made easy; it can move 30-, 55-, and 95-gallon drums with absolute control. In addition to moving drums, many restaurants find the Eagle drum bogie an ideal tool for moving kegs through their establishments. Replacement caster wheels are also available.


Eagle’s low-profile steel drum tray dolly model 1618 and heavy duty drum dolly model 1698 provide efficient means for moving 55 and 95 gal drums. The all-steel construction includes four casters and a 1000-lb load capacity, making it ideal for even the heaviest of drums. Model 1618 performs best when it is paired with our HDPE drum tray which grips the side of the drum, making it more stable while providing containment for small drips and spills. Use the 1698 heavy duty drum dolly with an overpack drum for an easy-to-move mobile pumping or waste collection station. Like our drum bogie, Eagle drum dollies have multiple uses. Many facilities use them as a rolling base for waste cans on the shop floor.


When spill containment is paramount, Eagle neatly combines a 30-gallon HDPE spill pallet with a steel, four-caster cart. Our mobile spill containment cart and pallet model 1637 can move up to two 55-gallon drums with ease while providing 30 gallons of spill containment at all times. With a grated surface, the spill pallet efficiently contains spills and drips while ensuring the drums are not resting in the spilled liquid. The 2000-lb load capacity accommodates virtually all two-drum loads.
Some companies find that a barrel hand truck is all they need for moving drums. Regular material-handling hand trucks are not designed for moving drums and can create an unsafe situation when used for such. Eagle model 1952 answers the call for a drum-moving hand truck. Constructed of a heavy-duty steel frame with large rubber wheels, this hand truck is intended for moving 55- and 95-gallon drums and features specially designed forks that “scoop” the drum up, as well as a fastening strap to keep it secure. It is also ideal for moving overpacks.


To safely and efficiently load steel 55-gallon drums onto a drum dolly or drum cart, Eagle provides a vertical drum lifter model 1954. Using your lifting equipment, our vertical drum lifters self-adjust to grasp the drum just under the head to provide secure—yet easily applied and removed—lifting capability. To move steel drums into a horizontal dispensing position, Eagle horizontal drum lifter model 1958 self-adjusts to securely grasp drums at the top and bottom, making it simple to raise and lower them using in-house lifting equipment.
In addition to drum-moving equipment, Eagle offers a wide range of drum accessories—such as drum covers, drum funnels, drum cradles, stacking systems, and workstations—all which ensure safety and efficiency in any operations that involve drums. When it comes to drum handling, Eagle always has you covered.
How Do You Move Drums Safely?
Moving a 30-, 55-, or 95-gallon drum of chemicals can be challenging and requires proper planning to ensure the safety of the operator, facility, and the environment. While every situation is different, here are a few tips to help you move drums safely:
- Use equipment to help you.
Eagle’s drum dollies, drum carts, and drum trucks make it easy to move drums smoothly and safely across flat surfaces. Eagle’s drum lifting equipment is there to make drum loading and unloading quick and safe. - Assess the drum.
Read the label and understand its contents. Inspect the drum for damage, and do not move drums that have questionable structural integrity. - Know the drum’s weight.
Drums can weigh anywhere from 200 (90 kg) to 800 (360 kg) pounds. Eagle’s drum-handling equipment is rated from 600 (272 kg) to 2,000 (907 kg) pounds, so it accommodates almost all drum loads. - Secure the drum.
When using equipment such as Eagle’s drum hand truck or 55-gallon drum dolly, be sure to use a strap to secure the drum from falling off during transport. - Choose a safe route.
Plan ahead and choose a safe route to transport the drum, avoiding obstacles and uneven areas. Be particularly careful when navigating up or down sloping surfaces. - Wear PPE.
Wear appropriate PPE—such as gloves, safety goggles, hardhats, and steel-toed shoes—when handling drums to protect yourself from potential hazards.
All Eagle products are manufactured in the USA.

