The wood industry continues to expand with the market for forest products anticipated to grow 200 Billion Euros in the next 10 years. To be prepared, now is the time to address your most common challenges with the right Hyster® solutions for wood handling.
What are the pain points in wood handling?
Wood handling is often carried out in tough conditions, such as hot or cold environments. Trucks typically work long hours over rough terrain where operator and workforce safety are paramount.
Operators are influential, so supporting their comfort with ergonomic truck design is important. This is especially so considering that the wood industry is facing workforce shortages.
Wood handling also encompasses many different types of loads, from woodchip to MDF board and OSB, through to lumber. All present their own challenges.
1.Loose timber handling
To simplify handling raw wood material, one fork with hydraulic lift of 100mm can be placed on the left or right of your Hyster lift truck carriage, activated by lever or switch. This special engineering solution allows for easy and accurate load manipulation for loose timber and can also be used for accurate trailer loading and un-loading.
2.Large, tall loads
A raised operator compartment is also available on 2.0-5.5 tonne capacity Hyster lift trucks – both IC and electrics – via the Hyster special product engineering team. This solution helps improve visibility over tall loads as the operator seat height is raised by 500mm which provides the driver with an excellent all-round view of the working environment.
Another option is a +/- 4 degrees power pile sloping carriage. This helps operators to maintains good visibility of the load and enables picking up uneven loads with two forks at the same time. It is helpful for accurate trailer loading and un-loading when the trailer bed is sloped or is on uneven ground.
3.Radiator clogging
Wood handling environments can have high levels of dust in the air. A lift truck’s cooling system attracts this contaminated air, and the bigger particles tend to clog the radiator over time, causing the truck to overheat and de-rate when not regularly cleaned. This can result in downtime and maintenance demands.
To overcome this, Hyster has developed a self-cleaning radiator option for several lift truck models in order to extend cleaning intervals when working in applications with dust and debris in the air. The automatic reversing fan extends radiator cleaning intervals by minimising radiator clogging caused by debris build up.
4.Difficult working conditions
Wood industry applications often include bumpy ground. What’s more, increasing space is at a premium, with yards full and stacked high. With a short wheelbase design that reduces the truck’s footprint, the Hyster H10-16XD heavy-duty lift truck series offers a tight turning radius and manoeuvrability, including on uneven terrain in harsh applications.
These Hyster lift trucks also feature an ergonomic cab for operator comfort and visibility over long shifts in arduous environments. It is an energy efficient model without compromise on power, with extended service intervals contributing to a low cost of ownership.
5.Reducing emissions
Making operations more sustainable is a key driver for many applications handling wood and timber. The new Hyster J7.0-9.0XNL series is a zero-emissions electric lift truck, powered by lithium-ion batteries, which is well suited to tough applications with environmental objectives.
These tough electric forklifts provide up to 9 tonnes of lift capacity with diesel-like engine performance for both indoor and outdoor applications. The have the endurance to support three shift operations with fast battery charging in as little as 2 hours. Opportunity charging during a shift also extends run time.
6.Fire risk
Fire suppression for Hyster lift trucks is another consideration for these wood handling applications. Hyster forklifts can be specially adapted to incorporate carriage protection where hydraulic hoses are protected with a heat resistant fire sleeve. Hydraulic auxiliary valves are also repositioned into the frame or protected by heat shield.
Every wood handling application is different
The right solution will depend on many factors, from what is produced on site, the flow of materials and production capacity, through to the operating environments and safety regulations. Your local Hyster dealer can advise specific solutions based on what you are trying to achieve and the specific challenges you need to overcome.
Find your local Hyster dealer now.
Visit the Hyster website for more information specifically on our tough solutions for timber handling with Hyster equipment, or to contact an Industry Solutions manager.
