The GM is the engine engine of choice for Aisle Master where Bendi fit Nissan. Translift supplied these Irish built Aisle Master machines for a short period which concluded in 2004 and I agree with you that these machines do require a lot of up keep. The Bendi built machine which replaced the Aisle Master is very different in terms of aisle performace and heat generated by these Irish trucks.

Not got a problen with the componets (apart form the GM Engine) used to build them its the way translift put them together, parts backup etc. As for the competence issue i take offence to that been in the industry for over 25 yrs diagnosing and repairing everything form ic upto ac vna without a prob. As for Translift training done the lol was a total joke there trainer knew less about the electric system on the truck than we did (was only a EV100 for gods sake).
I stick to what I said with a Bendi expect more down time then a reach or counterbalance truck even when translift are repairing the things

Obviously lifter01 is reading with only a 'bit of intrest' as SMB1 posted his position on 4th June. The Bendi is made using tried and tested components used extensively in the industry. It is the design geometry of the machine which is clever, not the complexity of components. As an field service engineer, your concerns and priorites are possibly different from a logistics director or warehouse manager. If you have problems keeping a Bendi going it would suggest a training or competance issue. Perhaps training from Translift would help you keep both your and their customers happy.

Been reading this with a bit of interest and ive got to think that SMB1 works for Bendi lol.
Best option is reach any day of the week. yes you end up with extra cost of a counter balance truck but this saves on downtime when your bendi breaks which it will and regulary.
As a field service engineer whos done lots of work on the them i crindge when i hear weve sold another of the things. Quality is to put it bluntly crap and Flexi no better leave well alone!!!!

as a seller of forklifts we have been guided by our engineers as to which is best between bendi and flexi, today we collected our latest bendi truck which will be delivered on a 5 year contract hire on monday.

I have some knowledge of the Sumoglove Impact Reduction System. The Sumogloves are bonded to the end of the forktips, and offer a reduction in achieved impact forces on everything that forks can come into contact with. This would include Racking, however tests are being carried out in conjunction with the premier testing facility in the UK so as to be able to more accurately state what the likely reductions would be, and results will be published to industry. Put Sumoglove into Google and follow the links.

Your thinking of Sumo. Here is an email "[email address removed]" but these are more to protect the good on the pallets from being punctured/damaged.

I think the bendi and flexi are both well built, I have recently seen both of them and they really are impressive machines!

Has anyone come across yellow pads that slide onto the end of the forks, I think they are used to protect racking/goods from the ends of your forks? Would appreciate it if someone could point me in a direction of where to buy these!

Thanks

Here in NZ and to an even greater degree in USA, land and therefore warehousing space does not carry the premium that it does in the UK. The reach truck in my is opinion not the best option at all. In addition to it being wasteful in space, a counterbalace machine will also be needed for loading and unloading trailers and ouside work. If you buy and maintain 2 machines it will cost more than one Bendi. Neither machine is capable of doing the other's job therefore machine utilisation is poor and the potential for addional storage capacity is lost. If a turret truck is used, again there is a need for an addional machine for loading and unloading, the added cost of a guidance system, impossible to handle different sized loads, and again poor machine utilisation, with and no increase in storage density compared to the articulated option. In contract warehousing or 3rd Party distribution, the potetial ability to store 25% more pallets means 25% more revenue. If a Company is able to incrase revenue by 25%, and reduce operating costs by good machine utilisation and associated savings on drivers wages, a Bendi will pay for itself.

I agree the Flexi is a little more complicated, but the Bendi is'nt the cats meow either. Can give you mulitple refrences from customers that dislike both equally. And the newer Bendi's are proprietary now, (GM 4 cylinder Hydraulic software program). If you have'nt installed the rack yet, I would stick with a reach set up at all costs. Barring that I would then prefer a turrent as opposed to a Bendi or Flexi. Just my opinion.

Seta makes good sense. There are differences in design between Bendi and Flexi which will affect the machines operation, serviceability and suitability to your needs. The Bendi is available in several different versions, 3 Wheel, 4 Wheel, Front or rear drive etc etc one of which will best suit your needs whereas the Flexi is a 'one fits all' approach. Having seen many sites where both machines are in operation, for longevity, reliability and long term investment the Bendi is head shoulders above Flexi. The initial investment may be higher but the cost over the life of machine will be less. The Flexi by design is far more difficiult to work on, over complicated and less reliable. This is only my opinion, but as Seta suggests, take a long look at both, and remember, you get what you pay for!

Jonathan, It would be a wise man that at least evaluated the offerings from Flexi and Bendi directly before making what is a very significant purchase for your business! Might i suggest that you make contact via the web to both and invite them in then you will know for sure after each has done the site survey and discussed your needs.

Thank you for all your information guys, this forum has been a great help.

We have decided to go for narrow aisle and are currently working towards buying an articulated truck. Leaning towards Flexi as they seem to have good offers on at this time!

Thanks again

I disagree that the flexi has an advantage over the Bendi because it has front wheel drive. The Bendi is available in front wheel drive too as well as rear wheel drive and four wheel drive. Also, 50% of an articulated truck's stacking time is done in reverse by the very nature of the design so when does rear wheel become front wheel drive? The drive system is dictated by the application: Front wheel drive costs less but there is less traction so it's a trade off. All the articulated trucks require the centre of gravity to be at the broader rear of the truck leaving the front relatively light. Rear wheel drive offers much better traction.
However I agree that the productivity figures of all articulated trucks is more often than not 50-60% above that of a reach truck.

Hi, we have a lot of experience with articulated trucks, namely FLEXI and can it recommend. The advantage of FLEXI over Bendi is that Flexi has front drive and is very easy and precise to handle. It's more expensive than a reach truck but the space saving compensates largely the cost. Moreover, Flexi is much quicker in the whole operation - work cycle - than a reach truck namely because it saves time for not having to move the mast - to push and to reach back. Here are the figures:
Flexi/ Typical Reach Truck

Travel to pallet 15m 8 sec/ 7 sec

Reach out 0 sec/ 10 sec
Lift Forks 2 sec/ 2 sec
Reach back 0 sec/ 10 sec

Travel 30m to rack location 17.1 sec/ 13.6 sec

Turn 90° in aisle 0 sec/ 12 sec

Lift load to H2 (4 metres) 11.4 sec/ 11.4 sec

Drive load into rack 10 sec/ 10 sec

Drive forward/brakes 0 sec/ 8 sec

Reach load in 0 sec/ 10 sec

Lower load 2 sec/ 2 sec

Turn forks out of pallet 10 sec/ 10 sec

Reach forks out 0 sec/ 10 sec

Drive forks out 0 sec/ 8 sec

Lower forks out (4metres) 11 sec/ 11 sec

Travel 30m to end aisle 17.1 sec/ 13.6 sec

Total time (nett) 88.6/ 138.6
Add 15% orientation 13.29/ 20.19

Total work cycle 101.89 sec/ 159.39 sec

Cycles per hour 35/ 22.6
(The first figure is for Flexi, the second one for a reach truck.)

I agree with both SMB1 and Septic1 In addition, the installation of guide rail for VNA is not only costly, but prohibits access to ground floor pallets with a hand pallet truck. The wire guiance option is again costly to install both in the warehouse and on the machine. Guidance systems, either rail or wire require ongoing maintenace costs. Choosing VNA also severely restricts machine availability in the event of breakdown or busy times. The transfer aisles for VNA machines need to be much bigger which will reduce the storage density (Defeaing the whole object) The need to lift a pallet over the guide rail at groud level reduces the overall available stacking height. The 150mm saved can mean the difference between stacking 5 pallets or 6 pallets high. 25% of storage density lost at a stroke.

Concering the comments from SMB1. I have many years experience of Bendi trucks and have to state that they are far more productive than counterbalance, Reach, swinglift and guided VNA trucks. Bendi trucks truly are the answer to one truck does it all!

Racking damage really is reduced as they have no rear end swing. Whilst guided VNA trucks are relatively secure in the racking aisle, they are very slow.

Training is very important, so do ensure your provider is experienced in driving the truck.

Dear Edward,

Why would a driver want to dismount from his truck to check the load via a laser scanner when equipped with a hand-held scanner, provided the despatching company had the sense to place all the pallets on the lorry with their barcodes facing outwards? The driver could simply scan the load while it is still on the lorry and then read the storage destination of that pallet on his RDT (radio data terminal), be it within racking or on a cross docking area.

The same applies when the reverse operation takes place, i.e. from the racking directly to the lorry.

sure enough, and in an operation where you get people used to the articulating truck, you can not get them out of the seat even for breaks, as they enjoy sitting up high, and the seats and arm rests are pretty dang comfortable. I know of a few where they have decided to use a standup-end control counterbalanced (what often is called a "dock stocker" style) for the cross-dock work and to offload trucks and the articulating truck for work in the aisles, and have eventually traded in all the reach trucks..

Hi Edward T

I understand what you are saying and can accept it.

But surely this still leaves a huge market for applications where this may not be as important.