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Fork Truck Design - Automotive versus Industrial
Forklift trucks are the key element to many industrial businesses and they cannot operate without them. Over the years forktrucks have been modified and updated, some of these changes have been for the better and some have not. It seems over the last few years the latest forklift designs from major brands such as Hyster and Yale have not been user friendly. It has become apparent that some of the choices they have made with the design have reflected that of what the engineers have wanted rather than what the customers want. The engineers seem to be running full scream ahead with clever automotive ideas and functions just because they can rather than what actually works best in real life using the fork lift trucks. Clark on the other hand, probably the most famous brand of fork trucks and fork truck parts has kept customer focused and so do not suffer from these problems. Here we look at a few examples which demonstrate this.
Forktruck Automotive Dash - Instead of a slim, functional front cowl, you find a plastic “fat dash” that has lots of surface area and much airspace internally. The impression sitting
in the forktruck driver’s seat is similar to a car where you need that space to reach to the windshield, install heaters and air conditioners, radio’s, CD players, etc. A forklift has none of these needs and is much more practical if you slim that area down and use it for operator space. The Clark forklift design doesn’t have wasted space and “decorative” panels.
Sit and Stay versus Easy On/Off - Operator compartments in the automotive fork lift versions have tilt steering wheels that require two-hand adjustment with release levers in hard to reach locations. Also the park brakes require reaching down to release by hand, it is possible to adjust to different operators, but the design doesn’t lend itself to getting on and off quickly and easily. The Clark design is set up to allow lots of legroom to swing your feet and knees out of the forktruck compartment, the steering column flips up with a two-finger touch, and the park brake can be set and released without bending down. You can get on and off with minimal effort which is a lot more user friendly.