New Fork Trucks Among Earls Court Surprises
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NEW machines that had not been announced before the opening appear on a number of stands at the Mechanical Handling Exhibition at Earls Court. It closes tomorrow. Amongst these are a new range of battery-electric fork-lift and pallet trucks, shown by Coventry Climax Engines, Ltd., Coventry, on Stand 60, the prototype of a stand-on pallet truck, by Lansing Bagnall, Ltd., Basingstoke, on Stand 61 and a ride-on fork truck
demonstrated on Stand 58 by Matting, Ltd.. Wolverhampton.
Also exhibited for the first time is a new oil-engined truck by R. A. Lister and Co., Ltd., Dursley, Glos, on Stand 35, and a recently introduced mobile crane is the main display of Herbert Morris, Ltd., Loughborough, on Stand 104.
A last-minute addition to the range of tractors produced by The Mercury Truck and Tractor Co., Ltd. (Stand /03), is a medium-powered oil-engined machine, and new attachments include t h e multiple cylinder carrier developed by Omic, Ltd., Baker Street, London, W.1, from the concern's drum carrier, which can be seen on Stand 68.
Included in the range of Coventry Climax Spacemaster fork-lift trucks are models of 1,000-1b. to 2,000-1b. capacity and the company intend to produce a total of six battery-electric models With capacities ranging from 1,000 lb. to 4,000 lb. The forks are elevated hydraulically, the system incorporating a piston-type pump to reduce power losses.
Other features common to all the machines are a compound-wound traction motor, an easily detachable drive unit, an automatic timing device governing the action of the constant-mesh transmission unit, and a deadmair brake control. Two speeds are provided for both forward and reverse and there are also an automatic electrical overdrive and an anti-plugging interlock for pro
tection of the various mechanisms when the direction of travel is changed.
The Coventry Climax Walkie batteryelectric pallet trucks have capacities of 4.000 lb. and 6,000 lb. and an overall length of about 74 in. When lowered.
the wheelbase is 58 in., and the truck can be manouvred in an aisle-width of 51 in. with a 32-in. by 30-in. pallet.
Lansing Bagnall show a stand-on pallet truck known as the POES 2. It is produced for 4,000 lb. and 6,000 lb. loads. Accommodation for the operator, combined with rheostatic braking, conduces to the reduction of fatigue on long movements. The power unit of the Lister oil-engined truck is the concern's well-known LB air-cooled engine developing 31 b.h.p. at 1,800 r.p.m. The machine has a capacity of 2,000 lb. and a platform area of 171 sq. ft.
The Morris mobile crane is an oilengined pneumatic-tyred machine with electrically driven motions. It is produced in three models with maximumload capacities of 3 tons at 10-ft. radius. 6 tons at 8 ft. and 6 tons at 10 ft. Lifting height is about 20 ft. in all cases.
A recent addition to the Matting Retracta range of battery-electric forklift trucks has a seat for the operator and is capable of lifting 3,000 lb. at a load distance of 24 in. to a height of 12 ft. When employed for 900 stacking of 40-in. by 40-in. pallets, it requires an aisle-width of only 94 in. and it has a turning radius of 62 in. Four speeds for both forward and reverse are provided.
The Mercury tractor shown is the 45P, powered by a Perkins P4 oil engine. It produces a draw-bar pull of 4,000 lb., has a maximum speed of 12 m.p.h. and a turning radius of 9 ft. Hydraulically operated gripping shoes are a feature of the Omic multiple cylinder carrier, the cylinders being firmly held by gravitywedge action until they are released.
Although the version of the Eclipse crane exhibited by J. W. Flower and Co. (Engineers), Ltd., Wimborne, Dorset, on Stand 153, is a mains-operated mobile unit, it is available in various forms and capacities for lorry mounting. Lifting and slewing are hydraulic.
Other types of fork truck representing recent additions to existing ranges include 3-cwt. to 10-cwt. manually operated hydraulic-lift machines produced by Gough and Co. (Hanley), Ltd., StokeQn-Trent (Stand 155), and the Wrigley 1,500-1b. battery-electric truck with a seated operator exhibited by Wessex Industries (Poole), Ltd., Poole, Dorset, on Stand 45.
The tractor-mounted fork-lift attachment on the stand occupied by MasseyHarris-Ferguson (Sales), Ltd., Coventry (Stand 48), can lift 10 cwt. to a height of 10 ft. 6 in., and when travelling the hydraulic mechanism is relieved of the load by a locking device.