As the driving experience is an essential element of success in high intensity applications, Hyster Europe is focussing on enhancing the operator environment according to the application, including in the wood, metal, construction, ports and paper industries.
“When handling expensive, awkward and heavy loads, the driver environment matters more than ever,” says Chris van de Werdt from Hyster Europe. “Every lift truck brand claims its products are ergonomic, but you have to ask, ‘under what conditions?’” “Intelligent Hyster® lift truck design focuses on the driver environment in all applications, but this proves particularly important for efficiency and driver comfort in extreme and demanding operating conditions,” Chris says.
Wood handling
Throughout the wood supply chain, lift truck drivers may have to drive in reverse due to tall loads obscuring forward visibility. These operations can be very uncomfortable if the design of the driver environment doesn’t account for it. The shape of the rear of the truck, including the position of the exhaust stack, can affect visibility, while the seat needs to minimise body rotation to accommodate reversing. The Hyster® H13XM-6 is a typical lift truck used in the wood industry and addresses these challenges. With a clever rear design and the option of a swivel seat that turns 15/30 degrees, it aims to provide maximum comfort for the driver when driving in reverse.
Depending on the application needs, Hyster Europe can also fit lift trucks with full rotating seats and drivers can be further assisted by camera systems. In addition, TouchPoint™ minilever controls help reduce awkward shoulder and arm postures by locating the hydraulic functions directly at the driver’s finger tips. This maintains driver comfort and helps the driver to focus on reversing.
Construction materials handling The Hyster® H8-16XM range was recently updated with a completely new mast and carriage giving fast attachment exchange as well as optimum visibility of the forks, the attachment, and the load. With enhanced visibility, handling and transportation is simple and comfortable for the operator. For operators that need to change attachments quickly, the dual function sideshift and fork positioning carriage (DFSSFP) with hook type mounting (often referred to as Terminal West Style) allows for quick disconnect giving greater flexibility for handling different types of loads.
Metal handling
High shockload applications can negatively affect comfort for the driver. The Hyster® H16XM-9 heavyduty lift truck is commonly used in the metal handling industry thanks to its robust frame, mast and carriage, and wide drive axle that provides stability when handling loads at full capacity.
This rugged lift truck design helps reduce vibrations in the cab, and when combined with the full suspension seat, the driver can benefit from a comfortable ride for the duration of their entire shift. In fact, whole body vibration can be as low as .35 m/s2.
Ports and Terminals
In operations where drivers are sat in the cab of a container handler for a long shift, comfort helps to aid productivity. The noise level in the operator environment is one important factor, although the noise may not always be from the engine. “Often noise from the operation itself can affect driver comfort,” says Chris. “That’s why on Hyster® container handlers there is the option for a soft-landing spreader to reduce the clunking noise from the metal containers.”
Not only is this more pleasant for the driver, but it also reduces noise levels for neighbours surrounding inland terminal applications. This can enable longer hours of operation and, in turn, more productivity benefits.
Good upwards visibility and accurate control are also essential for providing the driver with a comfortable operating experience. The innovative spreader design on the Hyster® H8XM-EC6 – H11XMECD9 range enables the operator to see the twistlocks or hooks in every load condition.
Paper Industry
In the paper supply chain, it is common to handle large, expensive and fragile paper reels using giant clamps.
“It’s important for drivers in paper applications to use trucks and attachments that not only minimise the risk of damage, but also optimise speed and performance,” says Chris. “However, this should not be at the expense of driver comfort.”
A popular truck is the Hyster® S9.0FT which gives a 9-tonne lift on a 7-tonne chassis footprint, providing the instant advantages of added space and manoeuvrability during handling. The truck also offers a spacious driver environment, thanks to the design of the overhead guard and optimised floorspace in the operator cabin.
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