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A 111 pick me up

18th December 2008
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Here's CM's essential guide to buying a tail-lift. We list the things you should be looking for as well as the pitfalls.

Words: Sharon Clancy

There has been plenty of consolidation in the tail-lift industry in the past couple of years, with a clutch of takeovers and mergers. For example, two UK manufacturers, Del Equipment and Ratcliff, have become part of global load-handling groups.

Volume sales have become the key to offsetting rising manufacturing and development costs. At the same time, retaining market share means tailoring products to suit local preferences. In the UK, for example, overheadbeam tail-lifts are more popular than in Europe, where the cantilever lift is king.

Of the main players, Austria-based Paltinger has owned Ratcliff since 2005, and last year, it also acquired MBB Systems, one of the top German cantilever lift manufacturers, The US company Cargotec has columnlift specialist Del and cantilever expert Zepro in its Hiab loading division.

Anteo, Bar Cargolift, Dhollandia and Ross and Bonnyman remain beacons of independence, while US company Maxon is planning a foray into the UK market with redesigns of Ray Smith tail-lifts. It intends to manufacture these in the US to save production costs.

Specification tips

The choice of tail-lifts can be bewildering, but you can narrow it down by focusing on the type of operation the vehicle is engaged on. Is it mainly trunking duties, with unloading, or is it a multi-drop operation requiring a taillift at every delivery? A robust tail-lift doesn't have to be heavy, but you need to check the lift is fit for purpose.

With tuck-under lifts and retractable lifts, the amount of rear overhang space on your chosen chassis can be a

factor. If you need to lift above floor height, a column lift is the solution.

Roll-stops are essential for roll-cage operations, and lead-on ramps can make loading operations quicker and safer. Anti-slip coatings are popular in the food sector where wet conditions are common. And don't forget safety fences, too, where appropriate. • Ragan manufacturer Anteo has been selling lifts in the UK since 1994. It makes its own hydraulic components; all cylinders are tested on highand low-pressure testing cycles during the manufacturing process and all have KTL anti-corrosion treatment.

Each lift is supplied with flashing platform lights as standard (visible from the three outward facing sides), two-handed operator controls and bolted or welded rear bumper.

The F3 cantilever range is available in twoor four-cylinder versions with capacities from 1,000kg to 3,000kg.

THE REP 11 LR is a single-cylinder tuck-under It with fingertip torsion-assisted platform closure, the REP2 is a two-cylinder lift available with 1,500kg and 2,000kg capacity, and the REP4 an alternative four-cylinder version with 2,000kg capacity.

If a retractable is what you are looking for, Anteo offers the F3 RE-CL and CC ranges. They stow as a retractable for loading against docks, but after the first delivery, the driver can stow the platform vertically to speed up unloading times.

BAR C4RGOL1FT

Bar Cargolift claims to be the market leader in Germany, producing 14,500 lifts in 2007. It has been selling in the UK for 10 years, with a range extending from 600kg van lifts to 3,000kg lifts, All are sold with a 24-month warranty on parts and service.

Bar describes its latest S range for vehicles up to 16 tonnes as having "2 equals 4" technology, claiming the new hydraulic design incorporated on two-cylinder S2 lifts delivers stability and robustness comparable to that of lightweight four-cylinder designs.

Electronic controls have replaced electric ones an tuck-away and retractable lifts, which Bar says this makes adding functions and operating the lift easier. The controls incorporate a low-voltage protection system to prevent motor burn-out, The Hydfalt retractable lift uses electronics for the platform operation, which takes just 20 seconds to extend and unfold. The platform automatically tit down to assist the unfolding, then automatically returns to the horizontal position.

Bar says its 1,500kg S2 two-cylinder model is a best-seller, with a weight of 400kg for a 1,610mm platform version. The latest version is designed for lowchassis drop-frame trucks such as MAN's TGL with lifting heights of 1,250mm. It also has an 800mm load centre the furthest of any in this class.

DEL EQUIPMENT

Column lift specialist Del Equipment has added cantilever and slider lifts to its range from fellow Hiab group member Zepro. DEL has been manufacturing tail-lifts in the UK since 1987, and this year produced its 50.000th lift.

Del has built a reputation for developing lifts to solve particular loading issues, such as the gas-bottle lift design which features automatically raising gates to protect the operator against sudden load shifts; a barndoor lift for refrigerated vehicles; and the latest, the Dump Over. This is a 1,000kg column tail-lift for tippers with a folding aluminium platform that can be lowered in the vertical position beneath the vehicle floor to provide unobstructed discharge through the rear.

The column lift range also includes the aluminium-platformed TL1000ALTG which has steel columns for robustness but still adds only 250kg of weight.

The DA15000HDG tuck-under lift comes with a three-year anti-corrosion warranty and has greaseless heavy-duty bearings to reduce maintenance time. It combines a steel-framed platform with aluminium insets to cut weight and increase durability.

DHOLLANDIA

Belgian manufacturer Dhollandia has one of the widest range of lifts available, ranging from the DH-VOC column lift to 3,000kg retractable lifts for intensive-use distribution operations. Platform depths can be up to 3,000mm.

The tuck-away range includes a single-cylinder lift for trucks up to 26 tonnes GVVV, and a twin-cylinder lift for semi-trailers. All are available with steel/aluminium or aluminium platforms.

In the cantilever rage, the DH-LSU is the heavy-duty version for intensive semi-trailer operations, while the DH-LL has a flat platform designed for roll-cage operations.

Retractable lifts include the 1,500kg DH-SKS flat platform lift, popular with supermarket fleets, and the DH-SSU which has a capacity of 3,000kg. Specialist tail-lifts include a range of double-tier column lifts for 4.8m-tall semi-trailers.

Although best known for its cantilever ranges, Dhollandia also produces a hydraulically operated column lift, the 1 ,000kg-capacity DH-VOC, which is available with a steel or aluminium platform.

RATCLIFF

Hertfordshire-based Ratcliff has become a member te6e of Austrian-owned Palfinger, but Fenger says it will

continue to be its centre of excellence for column lifts. _ .reraint Ratcliff now also sells cantilever lifts of up to 3,000kg capacity from fellow group member MBB.

With its Quickf it range, Ratcliff pioneered the bolton, fast-fit era, which saves on installation time and cost. It is now available in low-beam, overhead-beam and tuck-away versions,

The APT Tukaway one-size-fits-all lift leaves the factory assembled and wired, ready for bolting to the chassis. It includes an integral four-section under-run bar, platform lights and wander-lead controls. The ROR1008 is claimed to be the lightest column lift on the market, with an integral upper rear closure of either aluminium or glass-reinforced polyester. At the other end of the spectrum, Ratliff produces its Hostile range of heavy-duty lifts.The MBB range includes standard cantilever lifts from 1,000 to 2,500kg capacity, tuck-unders at 1,000kg and 1,500kg capacity, and sliders up to 3,000kg capacity, with singleand double-folding platforms.

ROSS AND BONNYMAN

Forfar-based Ross and Bonnyman manufactures a range of column and cantilever tail-lifts from 300kg to 2,000kg. Column its include the Slimline, overhead-beam and shallow-beam lifts, with either welded or bolt-on fixings. Platform choice includes anodised aluminium and steel to 1,500mm deep, with anti-slip spray and rubberised coatings optional.

The Slimline range has a floor-level beam providing easy access for maintenance. Slimline lifts with 500kg and 1,000kg lifting capacity have lighterweight slide mechanisms and anodised aluminium platforms.

The shallow-beam range has the power pack housed in the floor beam for ease of installation and maintenance. Capacities are 500kg, 800kg and 1,000kg, but there is no chain return tube so the platform cannot be raised above floor height.

Tuck-away lifts come in 1,000kg and 1,500kg capacities. Flashing platform lights are optional and there is an adjustable under-run bumper. The retractable or slider-lift range can be specced with a steel or aluminium platform and up to 2,000kg capacity. Anti-slip platform and flashing platform lights are standard.

REP

MAXON Operators that previously bought tail-lifts from Ray

Smith Group will be interested to know that US lift manufacturer Maxon is planning to revive the brand in the UK. Maxon already had a development agreement with RSG when the Peterborough company went into administration at the end of 2007. Maxon is planning to reintroduce some key models at next year's CV Show and add a couple of its own designs.

ZEPRO Uke DEL Equipment, Swedish manufacturer Zepro is part of the Hiab load-handling division of US company Cargotec. Its UK headquarters are in St Helens, Lancashire.

Zepro offers a wide choice of cantilevers, with varying widths and platform heights. Both steel and aluminium platforms come in a range of sizes. The 2.500kg lift has a load centre of 750mm from the rear of the vehicle useful if you are regularly lifting a full platform of goods and large items. Also available is a new range of platform warning lights which screw into place.

There are four cantilever ranges: the BZ, RZ. Z and ZL models. The RZ is the entry-level lift with one tilt and two lifting cylinders.

The ZL range includes an adjustable three-part bumper, and the hydraulic unit is integrated into the support frame rather than mounted separately to limit noise levels and give better damage protection.

Zepro has one of the largest sliding ranges on the market, offering models for trucks and trailers, with steel or aluminium platforms and capacities from 1,500kg to 2,500kg. The ZS range has a 750mm load centre of gravity rather than the standard 600mm, so will suit operations where loads occupy most of the platform area. The ZS models have been designed for vehicles and operations where there is minimal ground clearance, and double-folding platforms reduce the overhang depth required.

For two-tonne-capacity lifts, the steel platforms are made of high-tensile Domex steel to maximise strength at minimal weight.

The new Z range includes a design with oil on both sides of the piston for corrosion protection and threaded cylinder tops for better sealing against water and dirt ingress The Z200 and ZL200 have double-acting cylinders, so the lift is powered down as well as up.

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People: Ray Smith, Zepro

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