Lift trucks getbigger

f X/ITH THE advent of new prodY V ucts in lonser lensths and the desire of -u.rug".i to imp-rove operating efficiency by having fork lifts make fewer, larger trips, loads at lumber yards are getting heavier.

Lift truck manufacturers are responding with greater capacity trucks. Yale Material Handling, Flemington, N.J., has introduced its first line of Big Trucks, vehicles specifically built to handle larger,

One major restriction for building material dealers

moving up to heavier duty trucks is stability.

Hyster produces lift trucks up to 105,000 lb. capacity, sizes impractical for the typical lumber yard. "We have seen a few that use a 25,000-lb. truck, but most of the lumberyards are using an 8,000-lb. to a 15,000-lb. truck," says Terry Moore, vice president/general manager of Hyster dealer Wrenn Handling's Mid-South division, Memphis, Tn. "Normally, they use larser trucks where the lensth of

Custom Power Lifter

Aiming to improve efficiency, Carolina Builders' Atlanta, Ga.-based regional operations manager, Steve Wilson, turned to "The Beast."

Nicknamed by its drivers, this 35,000lb. capacity monster truck is a one-ofa-kind Linde-Baker forklift which has tumed out to be a beauty for Carolina Builders when they're reviewing the bottom line.

A division of Carolina Holdings, Raleigh, N.C., Carolina Builders primarily sells to all the top builders in the Atlanta area. A 9-ll4-acte yard in Tucker, Ga., is its primary distribution location for rough framing lumber, siding and roofing. Their products are the first to arrive at the construction site, and Carolina Builders picks the loads at the yard in such a manner to ensure there is no wasted time at the site-construction crews work from the lumber is really long, and they're picking up a half a trailer load at a time, like container loading and unloading on a dock."

"You also see (higher capacity trucks) where they're handling more pre-treated lumber, which is much heavier than regular lumber," he adds.

One major restriction for building material dealers in moving up to heavier duty trucks is stability. Heavier, wider loads require a wider carriage for proper balance, meaning aisles must be wider. "Most of the yards must maneuver through a confined warehouse," Moore says. "Most of the lumber yards and home centers are stacking in a warehouse where a customer's walking by, saying, 'I want four of these and five of these.' You have to be very, very careful driving alongside consumers. You can do that with a 10.000-lb. truck. but not a 25.000lb. truck." capacity of 35,000-lbs. with full capacity to 241" of lift at 48" load center. And, Wilson knew that LindeBaker forklifts typically handle more than their rated capacity. the top of the load down.

The truck's standard features include a heated cab offering optimum visibility; three wiper/washer systems; integral side-shift and fork positioning, and a multi-function hydraulic control handle. Even though the machine is huge, the all-hydraulic steering, pneumatic brakes, and pneumatically-assisted control levers ensure the driver's work may be performed without excessive effort.

Wilson and Reeder determined the truck would need four forks to handle the split loads safely. The driver had to be able to sideshift the forks, and there should be no restrictions on distances between the forks.

They presented this requirement to the Linde-Baker engineers, who designed a custom l5'-wide carriage using four forks. The forks could be easily sideshifted automatically, but the carriage also had a special cylinder which could be unlocked, providing the option of moving each fork individually and hydraulically.

Although Wilson has been purchasing his other forklifts after leasing the first units, he decided to lease the new unit because of the unknowns involved with this one-of-a-kind truck.

Of course, it takes time in the yard to ensure such loads are picked accurately. Before the Beast arrived on site, it normally took about 45 minutes for two forklifts to safely load a truck, no matter how experienced the drivers. Then considerably more time was spent by the truckers in the heavy Atlanta traffic. Wilson was looking for a way to have these trucks make additional deliveries each day which would translate into better use of his resources and a more profitable operation. Since he couldn't do anything about the traffic, he would have to cut the time the trucks spent in the yard.

His idea: have the delivery package sitting in the yard as it sits on the flatbed, then load it onto the truck in one motion. Such a task would take a unique forklift, though, as some loads can weigh between 32,000 and 36,000 lbs. and consist of varying lengths. In addition, no matter how big the truck, two forks couldn't provide the required support underneath the split load.

Due to the success he had with the l2 Linde-Baker forklifts that comprise the material handling fleet at the Tucker yard, Wilson contacted the local Linde-Baker dealer. Lift Atlanta, and asked sales manager Jeff Reeder, "Just how big a forklift can we get?"

Capacity was no problem.

Powered by a Perkins turbo-diesel engine specifically optimized for lift truck use, Linde-Baker's Hl60-1200 counterbalanced truck has a rated

The Beast arrived in Atlanta within 120 days of order placement. Because of its size, the mast and carriage came on one truck and the chassis on another. The truck was assembled on site. It now roams the back of the Tucker location in an area of its own where a special foundation had been installed because of the combined weight of the truck and a load when in motion. The other yard trucks, meanwhile, assemble the packages which are banded together with rail car banding and logging chains. They then sit in rows waiting to be loaded in one fell swoop by the Beast.

At 49,405 lbs., the monster truck features an overall length of 2l'9", 8'4"-wide chassis, lS'-wide carriage, and 3.9"x 9.8"x94.5" forks.

Within two weeks, the time a delivery truck spent in the yard was cut in half-from 45 minutes to 20.

Putting a dollar figure on the delivery trucks, yard lifts and labor, and comparing it to the cost of the Beast, Wilson found that the monster truck would have paid for itself in 16 months had it been bought outright.