Forklift manufacturer Sichelschmidt has supplied a wide gauge pallet truck fitted with a crane jib to a leading manufacturer of measuring and testing equipment which needed substantial reach capacity and stability when feeding extremely large components to the testing plant.
Sichelschmidt’s designers took a wide gauge model from the d 500 series, the d 516 with a nominal capacity of 1,600 kg, as a basis for the truck before adapting it for the application. A shorter mast to enable lift heights of 1,900mm was fitted to the base unit, and a longer than standard crane jib – 3,230mm rather than 1,200mm – was mounted onto the fork carriage to achieve a load centre of 3,000mm with a 1,000kg capacity.
Wide gauge pallet trucks characteristically offer a high level of stability and are a popular choice for high lift applications. They are also often used for the handling non palletised loads, in conjunction with attachments such as bale tongs, barrel clamps or rotating and tilting devices. The wide distance between the wheel arms of Sichelschmidt’s pallet truck/crane combination is said to guarantee extreme stability and consequently the straightforward picking up and setting down of loads.
The frequency regulated and energy efficient ASM AC drive enables the operator to have precision control for exact positioning of the load. This was important to the customer as the nature of the high-tech testing equipment and components makes careful handling a priority.
MD Ralf Sichelschmidt says: “We foresee many more suitable applications for this type of machine: the wide gauge concept is a flexible and efficient system for changing machine tools on production lines for example, or for general plant repair operations.”
Sichelschmidt Material Handling
