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Forklifts and lifting devices:
Designers focus on battery life and maintenance
Lisa Wichmann
In the past, checking in with forklift vendors to find out how the trucks were evolving was somewhat deflating. Each new generation of forklift trucks was quite similar to its predecessors, aside from minor tweaking in the way of safety and ergonomics. Today, however, there's a lot of buzz around forklift trucks—particularly in the areas of emissions and maintenance.
Hydrogenics Corp. (Mississauga, Ont.), for instance, conducted a high-profile test at GM of Canada’s car assembly plant in Oshawa, and FedEx Canada's mission-critical hub at Toronto International Airport late last year.
Hydrogenics designed, built and integrated fuel cell hybrid power packs to replace the lead acid batteries in two Hyster Class 1 forklifts provided by NACCO Materials Handling Group.
The forklifts were put into service at the two multi-shift plants to determine the benefits of the technology in the industrial market. "Our forklifts operated full time for three months in rigorous operations, with virtually no maintenance downtime," said Pierre Rivard, president and CEO of Hydrogenics.
Multi-shift operations are challenging in terms of forklifts. Often, the forklift batteries are depleted by the end of the shift, resulting in lost productivity for battery change-out.
The field trials at GM and FedEx addressed those problems, according to Hydrogenics. The forklifts were operating at full power before and after each shift, with a two-minute refueling at an on-site station as needed.
Keeping the trucks running goes beyond battery management, though. This year, vendors are coming to market with new tools and systems to cut maintenance.
For instance, the BBX50 series of forklifts from Komatsu Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.) have no contactors and motor brushes, reducing the potential for downtime. The forklifts also feature on-demand power steering, which cuts energy consumption and increases run time. Additional energy savings are gained through LED headlights.
The four-wheel counterbalanced forklifts offer a lifting capacity of 4,000 to 6,500 lbs., and the models also include cast steel final drive housing, a welded frame construction with integrated hydraulic reservoir, and a rubber mounted steer axle. The Total AC function was incorporated for both drive and hydraulic systems.
The programmable electronic dash display allows the warehouse manager to regulate lift, tilt and travel speed, and braking. The dash was developed with maintenance in mind and comes with built-in diagnostics.
Easier maintenance isn't confined to powered trucks, however. Manual lifting devices are also getting a boost in easy-care functionality. Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp. (Richmond, Va.) has designed a new hand pallet truck—called the AM 2200—billed as a "warehouse workhorse."
The steering wheels have an aluminum hub with a bearing cap, meaning the truck can operate essentially maintenance free, without lubrication. It has a maximum load capacity of 5,500 lbs., and a short head length of only 14.7 inches, making it suitable for tight spaces.
The hydraulic system allows operators to pump a pallet off the ground with just three strokes of the differentiator mechanism, while five strokes take the load to the maximum lift height of 4.8 inches.
A precision valve permits gentle lowering and precise setdown of the load. The push-pull movements of the truck are smooth and quiet, due to the ball-bearing wheels and Teflon-coated joints, Jungheinrich reports.
Finally, Hyster Co. (Greenville, NC) unveiled the W40Z series of walkie lift trucks earlier this year. The W40Z motorized walkies have a lift capacity of 4,000 [lbs.,] and use an automatic deceleration system to slow the truck when acceleration is released, which extends the life of the motor brush and brakes.
Regular maintenance is also simplified by a 40 per cent reduction in electrical connections, and easily identifiable wiring, Hyster reports. A "Freighter's Special" option—which features shorter fork tips, allowing for easier maneuverability in trailers—is also available on the series.
With production and delivery schedules getting tighter all the time, it's little wonder battery life and lighter maintenance are a focal point for many forklift vendors.
Contact Lisa Wichmann, editor of Purchasing b2b, at lisa.wichmann@pb2b.rogers.com
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