Warehouse & Logistics News is proud to bring you the twenty-seventh instalment in our exclusive series on the history of the forklift truck, the machine that over the decades has revolutionised the face of materials handling around the world. Our writer is James Brindley, an acknowledged authority on forklift trucks. James’s distinguished career has involved engineering and management roles with BT Rolatruc and serving as a Director of the Fork Lift Truck Association, before he set up the National Fork Truck Heritage Centre in 2004 as Britain’s first such collection open to the public. The Heritage Centre continues to need your support in 2008, and if you or your company would like to help in any way, you can contact James on the number below. Now sit back and enjoy the latest part of this fascinating series.
Episode 27: 1957 – Hyster opens Glasgow factory: Germans show strength in Hanover
As there was no British Materials Handling Exhibition in 1957, most home-grown companies chose their own launch platforms for new equipment. Among them, Coventry Climax made an important announcement in the middle of the year. This was to discontinue the highly successful FTD and FTC models and replace them with two new additions from their Skyzone “CDFT” range. Until now the range consisted of the heavier capacity 50,00lb and 6,000lb trucks with a 4,000lb flameproof. The new additions were lower priced and introduced under the heading of the Skyzone “Economist”. Both `UTF 3C` models were designed for general use and offered with lifting capacities of 3,500lb and 4000lb. A choice of three engines was available; the Coventry Climax three-cylinder type CDF, the Perkins type P3/144 diesel and a petrol engine, of which the spec sheets carried no details.
Another company to produce a new model was Conveyancer, with the launch of their first reach truck. The machine was designed for a stand-on operator and could lift 1 ton to 12 feet in a 5 ft 6 in aisle.
In contrast to the British situation the German Industries Fair at Hanover attracted a comprehensive display of materials handling equipment. Over 100 German and bordering country concerns in the lifting and materials handling industries showed a mixture of cranes, conveyors and mobile handling trucks. Among the German manufactured machines exhibited at the Fair between April 28th and May 7th was a new three-wheeled truck from Still. This compact electric forklift truck, model EFG.601.K5 was an addition to their “Muli” range and had a lift capacity of 600kg.
The other larger concerns, Jungheinrich and Co of Hamburg, Gerbruder Crede of Kassel-Niederzwehren and Machinenfabrik Esslingen were well represented, with most of their range of trucks on display.
Omiclift, another forklift manufacturer of German origin, also demonstrated their new forklift truck at the fair. The model “DG 2”, with a Mercedes Benz diesel engine and a lift capacity of 2 tons, was one of the company’s series of trucks ranging from 0.6 tons lift capacity up to 15 tons. The “DG 2” machines were available with diesel, petrol or electric drive. On the diesel and petrol powered models, a fluid clutch was fitted as standard in addition to the normal dry clutch. This enabled the driver to bring the truck to rest with a gear still engaged, if required, and driven away again by just depressing the accelerator. Later in the year the truck was demonstrated and sold in Britain.
Of the larger American companies, Clark added the Model B to its production of the Truckloader, Clipper, and Carloader and Utilitruc models. The Model B was a complete series of petrol and diesel forklift trucks featuring hydrokinetic transmission. The company also became an equal partner with the Austin Motor Company Ltd and Crompton Parkinson Ltd. All parties shared equally in I.T.D. Ltd, which had been marketing the `Stacatruc` and `Electricar` platform truck for a number of years.
In the autumn Hyster completed building a new manufacturing plant in Glasgow Scotland and also launched three new models to the Spacesaver series: “S60A”, “S70A” and “S80A”. These trucks were available with the “Continental” F226, six cylinder petrol or “Perkins” 4.203 four cylinder diesel engines.
As October arrived, the Raymond Company of America announced that they had begun production of their 4D- four way reach trucks.
To be continued
By James Brindley, Director, National Fork Truck Heritage Centre
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