Reach for the top
June 1st 2008

Demand for reach trucks to lift to higher heights presents potential health and safety concerns. Craig Johnson, marketing manager at Jungheinrich UK comments on design functions that can help to counter the problems

The dramatic increase in land values in the UK and throughout mainland Europe has resulted in a significant upsurge in demand for reach trucks that can lift safely and economically to ever greater heights. At Jungheinrich we are supplying reach trucks capable of lifting to 12m and above to more and more clients.

Last year alone, a large retailer ordered more than 100, 12m reach trucks, while a major player in the 3PL sector took delivery of over 40, 12.5m machines.

With the trend for higher lifting reach trucks, Jungheinrich has introduced a number of new design functions that not only increase throughput and productivity but also have a significant effect on safety within the warehouse or distribution centre. For example, one of the most dangerous accidents within a warehouse can occur when the forks of a truck catch the underside of a pallet, forcing it into the racking cube. If another, lighter pallet is stored on the other side of the rack face, the force of the pallet being pushed into it could be enough to nudge it out of its place in the racking and down onto the floor and the workers below. To counter this potentially serious problem – which is exacerbated the higher a pallet is stored – Jungheinrich has introduced optional forktilt levelling on its reach trucks. The tilt levelling switch adjusts the angle of the truck's forks so that they are flat – not tipped backwards – when entering the pallet position within the racking, making accidents significantly less likely.

Mast sway Productivity and safety are further enhanced by Jungheinrich's patented reach truck mast damping system which speeds lifting cycles by up to 10 seconds. Essentially when working at great height, forklift truck masts sway back and forth. For health and safety reasons it is important for truck operators to wait for the swaying to stop before attempting to deliver the pallet into the racking. Tests have shown that Jungheinrich's reach trucks fitted with the mast damping system take up to 10 seconds fewer for an elevated load to stop swaying than some competitive models. This has important productivity and safety benefits.

The strength and reliability of the mast should be a key consideration for anyone specifying reach trucks. Users should ensure that their reach truck mast offers good forward visibility while manufacturing quality should also be checked to ensure that all of the mast's sections are produced to the highest standards.

Environmental concerns influence most capital expenditure purchases these days and reach trucks are no exception. All Jungheinrich reach trucks across the range are fitted with third Generation AC technology as standard. AC technology in the early 1990s enabled truck manufacturers to offer higher performance than traditional DC machines but the trucks were not energy efficient. Second generation technology offered higher energy efficiency and now third generation AC technology enables the highest standards of energy efficiency, enhanced performance and reliability. Jungheinrich offers third generation AC technology across its reach truck range as standard.

With Jungheinrich reach trucks, you can find the best solution for any lift height.

Options include the compact Series 1 range, the high productivity Series 2 equipment, and the Series 3 trucks with lifting heights of up to 12,020mm, as well as the C Series for indoor/outdoor use and the Q Series multi-directional reach trucks for handling long loads.

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