Yard mules outpull forklifts

dozens of tractors or "yard mules" to work in their yards. They have found that getting the job done with the right equipment can avoid costly repairs and down time.

UMBER companies throughout sports car." the West already have put Victory custom rebuilds tow tractors to each customer's exact requirements. They find out what type of loads are to be pulled, the slope and type ofsurface (concrete, gravel, etc.), the size of the trailers to be pulled, and the number and size of wheels on the trailers, all to determine the pull capacity needed.

"Tow tractors free up the forklift for what forklifts are supposed to be doing: lifting," says Tony O'Gorman, sales manager for Victory Ground Support Equipment Co., Los Angeles, Ca. "F'orklifts place the weight and strain on the drive train not on the rear ends. So they aren't designed to tow. You break off the gears and axles."

"Tractors will pull that full 20 ft. stake bed, with a couple of trailers behind it," he adds. "They have a special industrial-geared, low-gear transmission. Just like a pickup truck has a different transmission than a

"One unit we sold last year to a South Carolina kiln yard is being used to pull full kiln loads, with a total weight of about 800,000 lbs.," says O'Corman. "They put them on carriages and the tractor pulls them in and out of the kiln like a train."

The company is one segment of its parent company, Victory Salvage Co. Since 1947, Victory has been buying surplus equipment from the government, overhauling it and reselling it to private industry. But the salvage business isn't quite what it used to be. "Technology advances so fast today that brand new equipment is. of course. better and often cheaper," he says.

Story at a Glance

Ways tow lractors bring efflciency to yard operations... sturdy vehicles pull tremendous weights, go where llft trucks can't. last many years without costly repairs

The ground support equipment division, though, has taken offin the last l5 years, because it deals in equipment that hasn't changed much in the last few decades. It reconditions tractors to pull aircraft, belt loaders to load baggage on planes, tractors to pull baggage trailers, and steps to climb up to planes and sells them to regional airlines at smaller airports (e.g. Ontario and Palm Springs, Ca.) and Fortune 500 corporations which own their own aircraft fleets (e.9. Dow Chemical Co., Quaker Oats).

But lately Victory has detected a new, growing market for its tow tractors: the lumber industry. "We noticed that during the last three to four years, a lot of lumber companies have been coming to us, complaining that they were hurting their forklifts with all the pulling," says O'Gorman.

"The first company we dealt with was Hayward Lumber," he recalls. "We made trailers which they used as an order picker. They loaded the

January 199O trailer as they went up and down the aisles. This allowed them to have narrower aisles and increase storage space. Yard mules are also more maneuverable than forklifts."

Since then many other lumber companies have followed suit, including Terry Lumber Co., Los Angeles, which has a fleet of more than l5 Victory tow tractors, according to O'Gorman. A number of other firms in Los Angeles use the tractors to move rail cars.

The tractors arrive at VictorY in no way resembling the form in which they leave. The company completely strips each piece of equipment down to the lrame, does all bodY work necessary to restore it to its original condition, primes it and paints it. Engine, transmission, braking and steering systems, radiator and other engine accessories are replaced or thoroughly rebuilt. Equipment is completely rewired and furnished with all new gauges, lights, seats and tires.

"We start from scratch and then build it back up again," says O'Gorman. to "zero time." Zero time is an aircraft term referring to equipment with an hour meter instead of an odometer. Hour meters clock time in use instead of mileage.

Victory's tractors are rebuilt to zero time, since every single feature is reconditioned. "There's no way I say, 'Oh, the brakes aren't that bad, clean the shoes and let's Put them back on.' This way I can offer a full warranty, fully supportable, since our work is such that it's equal to OEM (orginal equipment manufacturer). Yet it's just 50 to 60% the cost of new equipment," he explains.

An additional benefit is that Victory's models use a general automotive engine. "Some people are hesitant because they've never owned a tow tractor. But it's the same as maintaining a pickup truck. You can get the basic partswater puffip, alternatorat the local auto parts shop, meaning less down time and cheaper prices," he says. Additionally, Victory provides service and parts for all kinds of tow tractors. "People call for parts for some vintage World War Il tractor and you can tell from their voice that they've lost hope," says O'(iorman. "l say, 'Yeah, we've got it in stock, you'll have it by tomorrow,' and they can't believe it."

Actually, he has come across numerous companies who have been using the same yard mule for 40 years. "They keep running for a long, long time," he explains. "That's the way they were made."

And using the proper equipment for jobs can help ensure your equipment is still running for a long, long time. he adds.