Lift & Slide Cart

Most lift carts solve only half the problem: they raise a heavy load, then leave you to drag it the rest of the way into the vehicle. According to the maker, the Lift & Slide Cart addresses that last stretch with a sliding mechanism that transfers the load from the cart into a truck bed or cargo area. The same mechanism, the maker says, can also load the entire cart into a truck bed and bring it back down.

A teenager's idea

Pairon Tools describes itself as a family-run company in Portland, Oregon, focused on practical logistics tools. The story it tells starts with founder Yervant Wei, aged 13, helping his father Robert during a home renovation. Even with a straddle stacker doing the lifting, moving heavy tiles by hand onto a truck bed proved exhausting. That led to the idea of sliding the load across, or putting the whole cart on the truck. Father and son refined the design together, with Robert's manufacturing and business connections helping turn it into a product.

What the maker claims

• Compatible with most pickup trucks with a bed height of 50 inches or less
• Works with SUVs and vans that have a cargo area at least 48 inches long and 40 inches high
• Lifting halts when the weight limit is exceeded, resuming once the load is lightened, rather than the cart failing
• Wheel brakes to prevent unintended movement; two wheels swivel 360 degrees and have caster brakes
• Rechargeable battery power, eliminating a manual pump
• Folding handle for compact storage
• Carbon steel and aluminum construction with electrophoretic and powder-coat finishes

The maker also says the wheels are designed to handle surfaces from smooth floors to gentle terrain, and that the controls are simple enough for first-time users. Pairon Tools pitches the cart at small businesses and sole traders as well as home moves and renovation work.

Through its Kickstarter campaign, Pairon Tools aimed to bring the cart to mass production. The company acknowledges risks common to such projects, including rising material costs, supply chain disruption and manufacturing or shipping delays, and says it has prioritised quality assurance and on-time delivery.