Miniature forklift climbs into vehicle

Problem: . Injuries are often long term, with time lost through back injuries costing hundreds of millions if not billions of pounds every year. Accounting for 25% of all industrial accidents are loading bays. Where dock levellers or scissor lifts are not available, many hauliers with smaller vehicles resort to a rope and hook attached to a pallet's centre bearer to manually drag a load to or from a vehicle entrance. Solution: Wilmat Handling of Birmingham is able to offer a miniature forklift vehicle, which can climb into a van after lifting a load into it. At first sight, the Innolift, looks like an electric pedestrian pallet truck with a mast. However, unlike other such trucks, it also has a retractable set of trolley wheels that may be manually slid in or out of the pallet envelope. On reaching the back or side of the vehicle, it raises the load up its mast, moves into the vehicle as far as the pallet depth allows and lowers the pallet onto the floor. But, as the load lowers, the Innolift starts to climb up its mast. At this point, the operator manually pulls out the trolley device. When the mast has realigned itself with the forks, the operator simply pushes the trolley wheels forward into the fork envelope. The wheels then re-engage and the load may be moved around inside the vehicle. Unloading is simply a reverse of the process without the need for a counterbalance weight. If the Innolift has to travel with the vehicle, space lost at the vehicle rear is only 400mm, and the payload loss is just 160 or 210kg depending on model, and, In the lowered position, the height is 1,150 to 1,430mm. Powered by a 12V battery, the forklift can raise a 600kg load 1m and manoeuvre in storage aisles 1.78 to 1.82m wide. Applications: Anybody concerned with mechanical handling should be able learn something from such lateral thinking.TS Wilmat Handling