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FORKLIFTS Buyers guide

21st August 1997, Page 32
21st August 1997
Page 32
Page 34
Page 32, 21st August 1997 — FORKLIFTS Buyers guide
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

If you're considering investing in a forklift truck, don't be put off when the dealer suggests visiting your site—in fact you should insist on it.

Aforklift truck which "seems suitable" could well be an expensive mistake. "You have to consider a wide variety of factors to make the right choice," says Darryl Philip, technical support manager at IC engine products at manufacturer Boss Group. "You have to think about whether it will be handling pallets, or a variety of loads. You may need more than one set of forks on the front. Perhaps a jib with a hook for handling machinery if you can't get the forks underneath. There's the height of the racking and where the load will be placed to consider. Will it be picked off the side, or will you need to reach into the middle of the lorry bed?"

Given the variety of manufacturers to choose from, and the extensive ranges they offer for differing uses, somewhere there is a forklift truck which exactly matches your particular requirements.

While visiting salesmen of any kind are usually the first to be shown the haulier's door, one look at the doorway to your warehouse and any apertures through which the loads must pass is likely to tell the forklift dealer a lot about your actual needs—and not the ones that you think you might have.

Glen Spain, at Glerirose Mechanical Handling in Maidstone, explains why the personal touch is so important: "We always insist on a site visit, unless the operator knows exactly what is required. But even then, there can be problems. One customer recently said he was after an electric reach truck to do this and that, hut he didn't think there was any need for us to come down and take a look. When we actually got there he had two stores, one at each end of a yard made of uneven concrete. There was no way he could have driven the reach truck from one side to the other.

"Once we'd established the heaviest weight, the height required to lift it and the restrictions in the warehouse, we were able to meet his requirements," says Spain. "We still sold him an electric one, but it was a counterbalance rather than a reach truck."

Counterbalance, reach, sidelift, three wheels or four, solid tyres or pneumatic? These options and more, plus three power source options make the choice of a good dealer an important part of the selection.

There are two industry associations which represent the fork truck sector: The British Industrial Truck Association and the Fork Truck Association. Both seek to improve standards of equipment and operation, although B1TA has no dealer members and therefore has a narrower membership base.

Glenrose is an independent dealer member of the Fork Truck Association. It has five sites in South-East England supplying port terminals, distribution specialists, industrial uses and the export market.

It supplies new and used forklift trucks including leading marques such as Hyster, Linde and Kalmar. The ranges of these trucks are extensive; so are those of other leading names such as Boss, Mitubishi, Hamech, Clark, Adet and Yale.

Steve Ridgway, UK sales and marketing manager of Yale Europe, says haulage operators are often guided in their choice by the power source: "If you have a yard, and you run lorries in and out of it you will almost certainly want to run an IC (internal combustion-engined) diesel, the reason being that it will operate on the fuel you've already got. You might choose a liquid petroleum gaspowered lift-truck if you want to use it inside as well. With either, you haven't got problems of recharging batteries," he says.

Electric trucks are often used inside and out and can be an advantage on some applications.

"The running costs are generally lower and so is maintenance," says Ridgway. "Ifs just that the initial purchase price is usually higher. Then you have to buy a battery. This is why hauliers tend to go for the IC trucks. They don't have to be charged and don't need to have an alternative battery charged up to allow you to use it on the next shift."

While surfaces, heights and power sources are important, so are customer requirements.

If it is to he used indoors handling food products, a customer could insist on an electric power source on the grounds of hygiene and cleanliness. However, an LPG-powered truck with an exhaust purifier/catalytic convertor might well suffice.

The transport mode of the goods handled might also be an important consideration.

Steve Hewitt, managing director of Felixstowe Docks-based cargo handling company Cargo Secure, looked at several options before he selected the Clark Global CDP counterbalance machine, supplied by local dealer Fork Truck Direct.

The Clark is a "low-silhouette machine". Despite its four-tonne capacity it is able to run inside standard eight-foot ISO containers without any modification. This fitted exactly with Cargo Secure's regular container stuffing duties.

Jeff Green, regional manager of Clark Materials Handling Europe, points out that the control systems on some of the newer breed of forklifts can refine the user's selection process even further.

Earlier this year, the Clark "lift by wire" Mega Valve system collected the .1997 Fork Truck Association award or ergonomics. The MegaValve replaces the conventional series of control levers with joysticks. Last year Clark's Mcgastat range of trucks picked up the award for its programmable control system: "The driving and control sequences are automated and monitored to such an extent that it enables the operator to concentrate completely on the material handling tasks, all systems being monitored and adjusted automatically to give the optimum performance at all times," he says.

The decision making continues beyond the assessment of the equipment's capabilities. Do you buy, take a long lease with maintenance, or go for short-term rental?

Green estimates that 60-70N, of sales are tied to some sort of linance agreement and the trend is growing. This year fork truck sales are likely to hit the 14,000 mark—about the same as the number of trailers.

lowever, another 9,000 forklift units will be added from the used equipment market and this could be the haulier's best bet— depending on the application.

Peter Thompson, director of Merseysidebased Mach Lift trucks and chairman of the Fork Truck Association, says he would recommend a used truck for light and sporadic work, but not if the demands on it will be hectic.

Used quality is difficult to determine to the untrained eye. It is not illegal to alter the hour meter on a forklift, nor is it easy to determine its age because they are not registered. There is a move to establish an MoT type test,but this is only at the discussion stage. The bottom line is, you need specialist advice before you buy a used forklift. So speak to a dealer—and preferably on your own premises.

L.1 by Steve McQueen


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