Trolley RFQ Checklist: What to Send for a Quote | Doing Metal

A custom trolley quote is only as accurate as the information behind it. When a factory receives a drawing with no load figure, no route description and no quantity, the estimator has to assume every unspecified detail – and assumptions are priced conservatively or disputed later. This checklist takes about twenty minutes to complete and usually removes one or two quotation rounds entirely.

It applies whether you need a platform trolley, a picking cart, a roll cage or something that exists nowhere in a catalogue. Nothing here requires engineering software: photos, tape measurements and honest answers about the route are enough to start.

The seven items that decide the price

1. What it carries, and how the weight lands

Total load is the number everyone sends, and it is not enough. A 400 kg load resting evenly across a deck and 400 kg concentrated on four points need different frames. Send the total load, the footprint or contact points, and how the load is distributed. If a machine, die or mould sits on the cart, a photo of it in place tells us more than any description.

Also tell us whether loads are lifted on and off daily, whether they are dropped rather than placed, and whether the cart is ever overloaded in practice. Frames are engineered around real use, not around best-case behaviour.

2. Deck or shelf dimensions

Send usable length and width, and the height you want to work at if it matters. “Usable” matters: shelf depth that looks fine on paper often cannot be reached across in practice. For multi-level carts give us the tallest item per shelf, and for picking carts send the smallest and largest carton in the mix.

3. The route

This is the most commonly missing item and one of the most expensive to guess. Include:

• The narrowest door or passage the loaded cart must pass through
• Turning space at the ends of the route, especially tight corners
• Thresholds, plate gaps, expansion joints, ramps or lift lips
• Distance per trip, and how many starts and stops per shift
• Whether the cart goes outside, between buildings, or through a goods lift

These answers drive frame width, handle projection, wheel diameter and tread material far more than the load does. A cart that cannot negotiate the worst corner on the route will be parked and ignored.

4. Floor condition

Smooth poured concrete, epoxy-coated floor, open steel plate, gravel, cracked yards or a mix all call for different wheels. Bigger wheels roll over defects that stop small ones; softer treads roll quietly but wear faster under heavy loads; harder treads reduce starting effort on smooth floors. Tell us the floor and we will propose a wheel specification with the reasoning attached.

5. Quantity and repeat expectations

Say how many you need now, and whether there will be a second order. Standard custom programmes normally start at 50 units; for large or heavy-duty projects 10 units can be discussed after a structural review. Quantity changes the manufacturing route: jigs, fixtures and laser nests that make sense at 200 units do not pay for themselves at 15.

If the programme repeats, drawings and jigs are kept on file so the next order matches the first one – the value of telling us up front.

6. Finish and environment

Indoor and dry, humid, wash-down, outdoor, coastal or food contact all change material and finishing choices. Powder coating covers a wide range of normal industrial use; stainless construction earns its cost where cleaning, corrosion or audit requirements demand it. If colour matters, send a RAL reference or a physical sample rather than a screen colour.

7. Packing and delivery

Assembled, semi-assembled or knocked down. Carton and pallet, crated, or bulk-stacked in a container. Whether you need individual cartons for onward distribution, barcodes, or private-label packing. Packing can move landed cost more than unit price negotiation, so it belongs in the first RFQ rather than after the quote.

What a good RFQ package looks like

A complete package usually contains, in order of usefulness:

1. A dimensioned drawing if you have one – PDF or image is fine
2. Photos of the load, the existing cart you are replacing, and the route
3. The target load and load distribution
4. The quantities for the first order and any forecast
5. Wheel, brake and finish preferences, or the environment so we can propose them
6. Packing method and destination port
7. Any documentation requirements such as material certificates or inspection reports

Five mistakes that slow a quotation down

Almost every delayed quote we see comes from one of these. They are easy to avoid once you know what the estimator needs.

1. Load given without distribution. “500 kg” alone forces conservative assumptions. Tell us where the weight sits, and whether it is placed gently or dropped.
2. Dimensions without clearances. Overall size is useful; the narrowest door and the tightest corner are what actually decide the design.
3. No route description. An indoor warehouse route and a mixed indoor-outdoor route produce different wheel specification, different frame protection and different finish.
4. Quantity left open. “How much for 10, 50 and 200?” is a fair question, but say which one you intend to buy, otherwise every line is priced defensively.
5. Packing assumed. Packing is not included automatically everywhere. State the method and destination and there are no surprises on the proforma invoice.

Why we ask about the route before quoting

Buyers sometimes treat route questions as sales friction. They are not. Wheel diameter, tread hardness and bearing quality are chosen directly from route length, floor condition and how often the cart starts and stops, and together those choices often change the unit price more than any structural decision. A cart specified for one long smooth corridor can be built lighter and cheaper than the same cart specified for a dock full of expansion joints. Without the route, we must assume the worst case, and every buyer pays for the unknown.

Frequently asked questions

Can you quote from photos instead of a drawing?

Yes, photos plus rough dimensions can start the engineering review. Before production we recommend a dimensioned drawing or an approved sample so there is a written reference for both sides.

How quickly can we expect a quotation?

Complete RFQs are typically reviewed within one to two working days. Missing route, floor or quantity information is the most common reason a quote slips.

What if we do not know which cart type we need?

Describe the job. The load, route and storage problem usually point at one product family, and we will propose the structure from there rather than asking you to pick from names.

Ready to send it? Use the contact form and attach what you have – we will tell you what is still missing.