Construction materials handling operations involve goods that are often high value, awkward to handle, and may require a lift truck attachment. The Hyster® H8-16XM range of heavy duty forklift trucks has been designed with these challenges in mind, offering enhanced visibility to operators when using special forklift attachments.
Recent updates for the 2018 series of Hyster® H8-16XM lift trucks include a completely new mast and carriage, which enables attachments to be exchanged quickly and easily. The lift truck provides optimal visibility of the forks the attachment and the load, helping to avoid damage to valuable goods and enhance operator visibility, comfort and efficiency.
With a range of attachments available, tough Hyster® forklift trucks are used to support many operations throughout the construction materials supply chain, handling a variety of loads such as aggregates, brick and block, pipes and many more.
Attachments for handling bricks and blocks
For lifting and transporting bricks and concrete blocks, single or double hydraulic clamps can be used to eliminate the requirement for handling on pallets, this can save on space and allows bricks to be stacked higher. For brick and block stacks, overhead clamps are also available making handling easier and resulting in faster cycle times and higher productivity.
Attachments for marble slabs
Using clamps also helps to reduce the risk of damage to expensive product. For marble handling operations for example, Hyster offers a specialist attachment that enables marble loads to be handled using a lift truck, instead of a crane, removing the risk of the load getting crushed or broken due to the crane or the rope. Handling the marble loads on a pallet using an attachment enables the truck to carry slabs of stone without directly touching them, helping reduce damage.
Attachments for handling large concrete slabs
There are many Hyster® solutions for handling concrete slabs. One popular option is a multiple forks attachment fitted to a tough Hyster® truck provides a wider base to transport concrete elements of more than 6 metres, like large, heavy slabs. The attachment also helps to improve stability, which in turn reduces stress on the truck itself and contributes to greater operator comfort.
Attachments for handling pipes and cylindrical materials
Other Hyster® solutions for the construction materials industry have been developed to help with lifting and transporting cylindrical shaped materials such as pipes, coils, cylinders or drums. For example, kissing forks with no gap between the forks when they are closed and with rounded edges, offer load stability without causing damage to loads such as pipes.
Solutions for any Hyster® lift truck
All Hyster® trucks can be equipped with a wide range of attachments to handle various construction materials with ease. For instance, handling aggregate bags is often a two-man operation, with the forklift operator being guided by a colleague to help position the forks through the bag handles to lift them. However, using a clamp attachment with a Hyster® FT lift truck, the operator can simply grab the bag from a lorry without using the handles, heightening operational efficiency.
For more information about the robust and dependable Hyster® forklift trucks for handling in the construction materials supply chain and the wide range of attachments available, visit www.hyster.eu or contact your local Hyster® distribution partner.
