Load in luxury
Page 36
Page 37
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
To launch our series looking at the equipment that helps make your business run smoothly, we review the tail-lift market.
There's good news for operators buying new tail-lifts this year: the range of models has risen while prices have fallen as the strength of sterling makes imports cheap, which has forced UK manufacturers to nail prices down.
Every tail-lift sold since 1 January 1997 has to carry a CE (Communaute Europeene) mark to show that it meets the requirements of the EU's 89/392 Machinery Directive. There is no consensus on safety items, so buyers will notice differences in standard specifications, such as the inclusion of foot controls.
Cantilever lifts
Lower weights, capacities from 500-3,000kg and easier installation feature in the cantilever models introduced during the past year.
Many tuck-unders with a single centrally mounted lifting ram can now compete with column lifts on weight, and that includes models designed for 3.5-tonne vans. But check that the quoted weight includes the rear bumper bar. Some tuck-unders incorporate fixed or hinged bumper bars in the lift; others assume bodybuilders will cut the chassis bumper to accommodate the lifting arms.
Italian-based Anteo claims to have one of the lightest tuck-unders on the market. Its 1,500kg REP-15 is designed for trucks from 7.5 tonnes and has an unladen weight of 320kg excluding bumper, with a 1.23m platform. As with all tuck-unders, the platform has to be folded and unfolded by hand, but Anteo says this can be done using no more than two fingers. It also claims to be the only tail-lift manufacturer to fit an overload warning buzzer as standard.
All tail-lift load capacities assume the centre of the load is either 600mrn or 800mm from the back of the platform. Placing goods further away from this load-centre reduces capacity, says Dhollandia, which is why some operators are specifying three-tonne lifts.
Forfar manufacturer Ross and Bonnyman is the UK importer for Hubfix lifts, from German manufacturer MBB. Managing direc
tor Alan Honig and chairman Freddie Craig bought the tail-lift manufacturer from Eadie Industries last October: since then there has been extra investment in new column-lift designs and aftersales support for MBB.
M13B's new KSeries is claimed to be 20% lighter than the previous range: the 1.5-tonne lift now weighs under 400kg, depending on platform depth. ' On most models the power pack has been moved: it is now enclosed in the beam, rather than chassismounted, cutting installation costs and offering better protection against road dirt.
BAR Cargolift is the second German manufacturer to join the Belgians, Dutch, French, Italians and Swedes in the crowded UK cantilever market; it has been making tail-lifts since 1981. The BC1000FF one-tonne lift is designed specifically for the UK market.
Its aluminium platform is 60mm rather than 140mm with a redesigned heel which reduces the rake angle from 10 to 4° at the ground. A rear steel lifting bar provides strength, and with a 1.34-metre platform it weighs in at 425kg.
While none can match BAR's figure, the latest cantilever lifts do slope less than earlier models. At one time a slope of 10-12° was common, but new designs of heel area have reduced this figure to 7-8°.
Ratcliff plans to unveil a new cantilever lift from Erhel-Hydris at next month's CV Show. It says it will be a "competitively priced" lightweight 1,000kg model. Ratcliff has been the UK agent for French-built Erhel-Hyclris taillifts since the two companies were bought by Groupe Comino in 1996 following the collapse of Erhel-Hydris's previous owner, Fontenay Industries.
Belgian manufacturer Dhollandia reports record sales in Europe last year of 11,500 lifts, up 10% on 1996. Its latest tuck-under, the DHRC, was unveiled at last year's Kortrijk trailer show It's designed for trucks at 7.5 tonnes gross and above, with three platform depths and capacities of 1,000 and 1,500kg.
Unlike some of its competitors, who now fit one centrally mounted lifting ram on small tuck-under lifts, the company has retained two on its new model. It believes that the narrow-spaced lifting arms necessary with a centrally mounted single ram can affect platform stability when lifting large loads.
Instead of a swinging bumper bar the DHRC sports a fixed three-piece bumper: Dhollandia says that as more operators specify low-height chassis there's a risk that hinged bars can foul the ground.
While other tail-lift manufacturers are mov ing down the weight range, Del Equipment is moving up. Earlier this month it started production of a four-ram cantilever lift called Power Loader, developed in conjunction with Irish tail-lift manufacturer Monrekl, with capacities of 1,500 or 2,000kg. Bucking the trend towards aluminium, the Power Loader has a steel platform up to 1.5m deep. The 1500kg model weighs 485kg.
Retractables
Retractable cantilever lifts, also known as zoom lifts or sliders, are taking an increasing share of the UK market. Weights, prices and fitting times have all been cut.
On retractables the lift is fitted on a carriage that slides hydraulically under the tail of the vehicle. Until now their use in the UK has been confined mainly to refrigerated and demount trailer operations because there is no need to cut into the body or rear chassis member to make room for the lifting arms.
Double and triple folding platforms allows the average retractable to fit into a rear overhang. Minimum space is around 1,450mm; some models can be squeezed into a 1,200mm overhang. Because the platform stows horizontally, longer platforms can be specified even on low-height chassis without risk of fouling the ground.
Federal Express, for example, has been able to install a BAR retractable lift with a 2.065m double-folding platform on a 17-tonne Iveco Ford working on a contract out of Stansted Airport. FedEx is the first customer for the new two-tonne lift, which will make its official UK debut at the Birmingham CV show.
Although they are still heavier than comparable tuck-unders, retractables have been losing a lot of weight. Anteo and Dhollandia, for example, have one-tonne capacity rectractables which weigh about 450kg with aluminium platforms.
Typical of the latest retractables is Ray Smith's Zoom lift, where savings in manufacturing costs have been passed on to customers to make the price more competitive with imports. The redesigned Zoom has fewer parts and the same set of chromium-plated sliding tracks is used for all sizes of vehicle or tail-lift. It comes pre-wired and often predrilled for bolting to the chassis.
A lift that used to take nearly two days to install can now be fitted in less than half that time, says Ray Smith. The platform stows horizontally, so less ground clearance is needed than with tuck-under lifts.
Twin-column tail-lifts
Ratcliff and Del are the main contenders for twin-column orders but they do face competifion from the likes of Tipmaster, which sells the American Tommy hydraulic column lifts for pickups and vans.
Del has always prided itself on tailor-made solutions to lifting problems. Component sharing and modified production methods ensure that custom building doesn't increase delivery times or cdsts.
Ratcliff is focusing attention on the RQ508, specifically developed for the expanding range of box-bodied 3.5-tonne 'vans. It uses aluminium—not just for the platform but also the frame, which saves another 45kg compared with the steel-framed RQ507. The RQ508 is supplied ready to bolt on.
Double-tier lifts
As more operators switch to fixed doubledeck trailers to maximise cube, makers of double-tier tail-lifts are hoping for a knock-on effect on their sales, Although the market is small, there are currently four double.tier lifts available, from Ratcliff, Wilson Double-Deck Trailers, Dhollandia and Ray Smith (which sells the Belgian-made Solid lift in the UK).
They will face extra competition from next month, when Ross and Bonnyman unveils a new double-tier lift at the Birmingham CV Show Like the Dhollandia and Solid lifts, it will have a platform comprising a steel frame with aluminium inserts.
il by Sharon Clancy