Drive Your Lift Truck’s Design
Users are in the driver’s seat when it comes to
industrial truck R&D. With dealers and OEMs on your team, you can specify
features that are especially useful in your environment.
by Tom Andel,
chief editor
Lights that turn
off automatically. A low-profile seat. Non-flammable hydraulic oil. Non-marking
tires. Mast-mounted headlights for narrow-aisle applications. Air-conditioned
cabs. Catalytic mufflers. Yellow seat belts to help managers and supervisors
see from a distance that the operators are using their seat belts.
These are special
requests — a wish list, if you will, of non-standard features that
customers have asked to see on their new lift trucks. Brett Wood, national
product planning manager for Toyota Material Handling USA, says OEMs have a new
class of customers these days, and what they’re asking for as custom
features will eventually change the lift truck industry.
“Our
customers get on the Internet every night to see what’s out there,”
Wood says. “They’re college educated and more analytical.
They’re also part of a buying committee that includes mechanics. Because
of this trend, the operator’s request for more comfortable and safe
products is taking hold in the market.”
These trends were
apparent at the recent Hannover Fair, where Linde introduced a lift truck
powered by a VW engine, promising lower fuel consumption and noise levels, and
sporting a modular design and tilt cylinders mounted high above the overhead
guard. Another much discussed trend was the addition of side restraints.
Imagine a counterbalanced sit-down rider with bars mounted on the side of the
compartment that the operator swings open like a door to get aboard. With this
feature, if the lift truck tips over, it acts as a cage to keep the operator in
the vehicle. Although these are not standard features on any U.S. lift truck,
Wood says he’s seeing more and more special requests that could
eventually become standardized.
“Two stand
out,” he told MHM.
“Special mast cylinders to keep the forks from touching the ground, and
radiator protection bars. There are some customers who handle pallets 100
percent of the time and do not need to ‘chisel’ under a load. For
them we designed a mast cylinder that will stop the forks two inches off the
ground. Benefits for them include reduced fork heel wear and less floor damage.
“Radiator
protection bars in the counterweight allow airflow across the engine and
radiator while protecting these components from the intruding forks of another
lift truck or from other objects.”
Swivel seats and
higher masts are also gaining popularity. Swivel seats are requested by
customers who have to drive in reverse quite often.
“With the
standard seat, that operator is looking over his shoulder and pivoting at his
hips,” Brett continues. “If you do that for a whole shift, that can
be tiresome. We’re offering a seat that swivels 15 degrees. You can still
drive safely forward, but the swivel allows you to look over your shoulder
comfortably. You don’t want to swivel too much because legs and feet
could go outside the operator compartment and your feet have to operate the
brake pedal.”
New heights
Wood is also seeing
the development of more four- and five-stage masts. These are most often used
in the carpet industry.
“Imagine a
carpet roll, up 300 inches, supported by a rug ram that’s four inches in
diameter,” he says. These and other applications, because of space
utilization requirements, are going higher. But once they go that high, they
want to be able to bring it down and put it directly into a trailer.
That’s where a counterbalanced truck excels. You can’t do that with
a VNA truck.”
Extra height is a
trend in the stand-up counter-balanced market as well, according to Melanie
Bohle, sales and marketing director at Schaeff.
“There are
only a couple companies that make 5,000-pound stand-up counterbalanced,”
she maintains. “Most of our customers ask for special options, whether
it’s side entry or a fourth post for the overhead guard, offering better
operator protection. Food processors tend to ask for extra steel, extra weight
so they can get capacity at higher heights. That’s why we sell quite a
few tall masts, including triflexes and quads.”
Still, when
you’re talking about sit-down counterbalanced trucks, there are trade-offs
when you ask for height and multi-purpose utilization. While some models allow
you to go higher and yet be able to load a trailer, the operator still
doesn’t have the maneuverability that comes standard with a narrow-aisle
vehicle.
That’s why
Landoll Corporation, which offers the articulated Bendi lift truck in the U.S.,
is putting its VNA vehicle through some design changes.
“Customers
are asking us to bring the aisle capabilities of the rotating mast products
into the Bendi lineup, with all the Bendi features we’ve been marketing
for eight years now,” says Alan Laney, Landoll group manager, material
handling products. “The 90-degree rotating mast products have
limitations, in that they can stack on only one side, and you need larger
connecting aisles. We’re working on the ability to stack on both sides of
the aisle, a truck-to-rack, single-truck solution that allows smaller
connecting aisles. We’re developing these for our European customers
first, for operations with aisles less than six feet.”
This is
Bendi’s answer to the standard reach truck market. Laney acknowledges
some trade-offs of their own. With articulated trucks, tradeoff No. 1 is
capacity.
“My largest
capacity now is 4,500 pounds, but that truck weighs, with battery, more than
13,000 pounds,” he continues. “We still maintain wheel loadings
similar to the sit down electric counterbalanced in order to allow us to go in
and out of trailers and railcars. We’re getting interest in the Bendi
concept in the IC-powered format, both narrow-frame and large-frame versions,
3,000- and 4,000-pound capacities. That’s under development and will be
introduced here in the U.S. in 2002.”
Attachments
Some OEMs are
starting to install attachments at the factory, alleviating the dealer of that
function and possibly saving the customer some time and money. Attachments like
sideshifters are becoming so popular that this service made sense to Toyota.
“More than 80
percent of our counterbalanced lift trucks are sold with sideshifters,”
Wood concludes. “Sideshifters that are part of the carriage are also
being looked at.”
Rick Whiting,
product manager at Kalmar AC, agrees.
“The next big
advancement in the next two or three years is going to be sideshifting with
fork positioning as standard for ergonomic reasons,” he says.
“Operators won’t have to get off the truck to reposition the forks.
The attachment people are looking at integral sideshifts for reduced lost load,
increased capacity and reduced maintenance. At the same time, several people
are looking at adding a fork positioning function that does not need additional
hydraulics. The hydraulic supply that powers the sideshift function will also
power fork positioning. This will be an economical way to add fork positioning,
without adding a $1,500 hydraulic package.”
Cost justification
Economy is key to
any of these special requests. As lift truck buyers get more educated, they
also understand the concept of total operating cost.
“They’re
not just focusing on the acquisition cost of the truck,” Whiting adds.
“Acquisition cost is very minor in the overall lifecycle cost of a truck.
Reducing maintenance over the life of the truck also has an impact.”
Sometimes, owing to
the demanding nature of an application, high cost is unavoidable. That’s
the case with explosion-proof models.
By definition, an
EX-rated truck must have features that reduce the risk of fire or explosion in
areas where there might be flammable gases, vapors or liquid (Class I),
combustible dust (Class II), or ignitable fibers and flyings (Class III).
According to Rico
Equipment, material handling innovation specialists based in Medina, Ohio,
typical EX truck features include rigid metal conduit or mineral insulated
cable for all wiring; intrinsically safe electrical circuits; static-conductive
tires; brass or aluminum around the chassis and forks to protect against mechanical
sparks; and explosion-proof boxes for all electrical components.
Robert Zuiderveld,
North American sales manager for Sichelschmidt, another specialist in EX-rated
lift trucks, says his company serves niche markets and, therefore, is able to
provide custom-engineered solutions that pay off in safety.
“With
quick-disconnect drum handler attachments, there aren’t many lift trucks
out there that do EX-rated drum dumping,” he says. “We will custom
build units, too. We supplied a truck that needed an extreme clearance, plus in
the application they had spill restrictions. We supplied them with a truck that
was 53 inches off the ground so they could clear a bump.”
Another
Sichelschmidt client is Degussa Corporation, a Mobile, Alabama, polyester resin
plant. It uses an explosion-proof lift truck to move 2,000-pound bulk
containers between a vertical lift station and a chemical discharge valve. For
them, explosion-proof not only applied to the lift truck, but to its tires, as
well. Mike Maxim, senior plant engineer, suggests when you specify a lift truck
for harsh conditions like those in his plant, even floor conditions must be
figured in.
“The back
tires are conductive rubber to dissipate static electricity,” he
explains. “That means it’s soft rubber and will wear out faster. So
look at your floor surfaces. If they’re rough and you have these soft
tires, fast starts can destroy them. Tire replacement on these trucks can be complex
and expensive.”
Automation
Wire guidance is
another option for lift trucks used in such sensitive environments. Sandia
National Laboratories has a wire-guided lift truck that handles weapons-grade
plutonium. After Hyster and AGV Products teamed up on this solution, both
companies started seeing similar applications in the private sector.
“Eliminating
the cost of an operator over three shifts and eliminating the need to light the
warehouse can result in significant pay-backs,” says Moataz Eldib, consultant
and accounts manager for Hyster. “You’re also going to see more
automation on these trucks, with better interfaces to a WMS. We and the WMS
vendors have a better understanding of each other’s technologies and
provide a more seamless integration of the scanners and devices at the computer
end of the truck.”
John Hayes, system
sales manager with AGV Products, adds that this can be a cost-effective
alternative to an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) for someone
who doesn’t want to build a rack-supported building.
“The best
return on investment is for two- or three-shift, medium-throughput
operations,” he continues. “That’s typically 30 moves per
hour with a man on a truck. Our system moves 25, so we’re slower.
We’re seeing two-year paybacks. But in the eight years after that two
years you’re saving up to a million dollars — 10 in some cases. The
feature that will make ROI shorter is improving the speed of the system. We can
do that with SICK laser bumpers, which allow us to speed the trucks up to 30
moves per hour. The best payback from this kind of system is if you have an
existing building with narrow-aisle racking — 12-foot aisles. Now you can
use the real estate you have by putting everything into a much more compact
storage area, plus use automation to justify fewer employees for moving loads
around.”
Fantuzzi USA
combined the narrow-aisle concept into its line of specialized yard trucks.
Timothy Flood, this OEM’s managing director, says with the sideloaders
his firm sells, 70 percent are customized, but the user gains flexibility.
“One of the
trucks used by Manitowoc cranes, for example, can stay narrow in certain parts
of the facility but when it has to carry wider boom sections, its width can be
hydraulically extended,” he explains. “This gives them two-in-one
capability — a wide and narrow truck.”
Caution
Whatever it is you
want your new lift truck to do that’s above and beyond the call of its
original design, make sure OSHA would approve — especially if
you’re planning a do-it-yourself makeover. Don’t assume that the
feature you’re adding is of little consequence. Here’s what OSHA
has to say on the matter:
1910.178(a)(4):
“Modifications and additions which affect capacity and safe operation
shall not be performed by the customer or user without manufacturers’
prior written approval. Capacity, operation, and maintenance instruction
plates, tags, or decals shall be changed accordingly.”
1910.178(a)(5):
“If the truck is equipped with front-end attachments other than factory
installed attachments, the user shall request that the truck be marked to
identify the attachments and show the approximate weight of the truck and
attachment combination at maximum elevation with load laterally
centered.”
1910.178(a)(6):
“The user shall see that all nameplates and markings are in place and are
maintained in a legible condition.”
Ken Van Hook,
manager of product safety standards engineering, Mitsubishi Forklift, says that
as he investigates accidents, modifications that were put on by the customers
are one of the leading culprits.
“Even adding
a fire extinguisher to a lift truck raises important issues,” he
concludes. “First there’s visibility. Where will you mount it?
Another is how will you mount it? You don’t want to drill holes in an overhead
guard or you can lose rigidity. Look at the kinds of computerized tools being
put on lift trucks now. How they’re wired could affect the UL rating of
the lift truck. It might even decrease visibility or cover up warning labels
that we may mount on a lift truck.”
Lift trucks are
amazingly versatile vehicles. They can be equipped to do many specialized tasks
in your plant or warehouse. But lift truck design and modification are team
efforts. If you have a bright idea, talk to some dealers and manufacturers
first. They might have already implemented a similar design change for someone
else. Many OEMs pre-wire their trucks and dedicate space on them for various
options. Make some calls. Something special might develop. MHM
Lift
truck resources
AGV Products Inc.,
www.agvproducts.com
AisleMaster,
www.aisle-master.com
Atlet,
www.atlet.com
Blue Giant,
www.BlueGiant.com
Caterpillar,
www.cat-lift.com
Crown,
www.crown.com
Daewoo,
www.dhiac.com
Drexel,
www.drexeltrucks.com
Fantuzzi,
www.mi-jack.com
Hyster,
www.hysterusa.com
