Q have been told that fork-lift truck masts are prone to
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fractures when used in cold stores. Do you know if this is confirmed?
A A technical paper dealing with this sub
ject was presented to the International Institute of Refrigeration at Bologna last year by Mr. W. T. Evans, chief engineer of Birds Eye Foods Ltd. He reported six failures—in a fleet of 25 fork-lift trucks—due to brittle fractures in masts and chains.
Investigations indicated that steel used in the mast of one of the trucks was liable to brittleness at extreme temperatures.
While it may be possible to use special steels with a greater capacity for resisting impact damage in extreme temperatures the cost of doing so would be high. But users of fork-lift trucks in cold stores may be welladvised to consult manufacturers in view of the possible risks of failure. Drivers too, should be warned of the danger of incurring impact damage in sub-zero temperatures.