Large lifting capacity of counterbalanced truck handles heavy, wide loads
Carolina Builders increases its productivity with a heavy-duty lift truck equipped with four forks.
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 8/1/1998
Conditions under which fork lift trucks operate in the construction industry are tough. The situation for Carolina Builders of Tucker, Ga. is no different. A division of Carolina Holdings of Raleigh, N.C., the company is a distributor of construction materials for residential home builders.A notable factor that has contributed to major improvement for the company is the use of a 35,000 lb capacity lift truck made by Linde-Baker. Nicknamed "The Beast" by drivers, the truck allows Carolina Builders to cut time that was wasted at its primary distribution location near Atlanta. Steve Wilson, the Atlanta-based regional operations manager, knew that the best way to make better use of his resources, and to make the company more profitable, was to cut time spent in the distribution yard.
Wilson's idea was to have the delivery package sitting in the yard as it sits on a flatbed, and then have it loaded onto the truck in just one motion. This could cut time dramatically, resulting in a significant labor savings.
Carolina Builders turned to its supplier of 12 Linde-Baker fork lifts already in use for the company for a possible solution. Special requirements were a lifting capacity of 32,000 to 36,000 lb for stock of varying lengths, and four forks to handle split loads safely. Two forks would not be able to provide the required support underneath the split load.
The counterbalanced truck selected has a rated capacity of 32,000 lb, and 241 in. of lift at a 48 in. load center. Standard features include a heated cab offering high visibility; three wiper/washer systems; integral side-shift and fork positioning; and a multi-function hydraulic handle.
Carolina Builders has seen a number of positive results. Within two weeks, the time a delivery truck spent in the yard was cut from 45 min to 20 min.
By putting a dollar figure on the delivery trucks, yard lifts, and labor costs, and comparing it to the cost of the new truck, Wilson found that the H160-1200 would have paid for itself in just about 16 months, had it been bought outright.
Baker Material Handling Corp. 803-875-8319
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