I would not buy an electric truck if it was not all AC. AC offers less parts, lower battery consumption and they are way more reliable and quicker than DC trucks.

Toyotaman, wasn't Jungheinrich, Still & Linde building AC trucks in Europe about 3 years before anyone in the US built them? Same as the 80V electric trucks. Just asking?

All AC = Toyota,Clark, Linde, Nissan, Doosan and maybe Crown

DC and AC = Hyster, Yale, Mitsi, Cat, Heli, Hyundai, Komatsu, Tusk, Kalmar, Raymond.

6 are all AC

10 are not. This is what I mean when I wrote "Most of the competition". By the way Toyota was the first all AC in 2002.

etharp,

Not ALL manufacturers are 100% AC! Some slackers are still running only AC drive motors, still DC hydraulic pumps. Yale/Hyster still build a truck with a DC pump! Even Clark is 100% AC!

Best 3 wheel in the market is the market leader since 1917- CLARK
Also the only #5000 lb 3 wheel truck in the market place is CLARK
90 years of industrial/construction grade quality. I have a half dozen and wouldn't even consider any other type lift.

Toyotaman, the Toyota you are speaking of is not 100% AC if you want to get technical. It still has DC steermotors

Toyota also has the mini lever option. It is very easy to operate

The Yale ERP series truck is excellent. Try it with the Mini-lever hydrolic control option. The mini-levers allow you to feather the forks and you have excellent control over the truck. It is fantastic.

I would agree that the Toyota is a fast machine. I do have some reservations about the fact that it will go full speed with the mast fully raised.

Unlike most of the competition the Toyota 7FBEU (U stands for built in the USA) is 100% AC. Both Drive motors and Hydraulic pump.

Toyota 7FBE series. Hands down. AC drive w/ regen, anything else is 2nd rate.

As a further comment. other designs I have serious reservations about are stand up forklifts with no safety bar to prevent the rider falling out, electric reach trucks and similar with a singe drive wheel and hence single braking wheel with electric motor plugging, and often a single separate mechanical brake to the same wheel (braking limited by the weight on that wheel alone; failure of the drive can mean no braking or drive at all - I have investigated two such incidents over the past 8 years

Hi Simon K

Yes three wheelers are built for a specific environment as are all specialist forklift designs.

However there is a question as to why some designs are built at all in their present form given the emphasis on engineering safety into machinery.

Forty years ago three wheel mobile cranes were being built and sold - now there are none being built I am aware of based on safety / poor stability grounds.

Tenty five years ago three wheel all terrain motorcylces were being built and sold - I still have a 1978 Honda ATV 110 on my farm. Now they are banned from sale in some countries on safety/ stability grounds.

What makes three wheel forklifts so different? I beleive a thorough risk assessment in relation to a warehouse system including mechanical handling and racking (and this includes risks in construction) would show that the best option would be wider aisles and lift heights of no more than around 5 metres.

Remember it takes very little speed to tipover a 3 wheel forklift on full or near full lock.

..In my opinion 3 wheelers are designed for a specific enviroment which shouldn't involve speed!. If there is distance involved in your lifts then choose a 4 wheel that can handle twice your max load!....then speediness is possible..
But if you want handling in tight spaces and a counter-balance electric then why look further than the Still R50 range..
..in 10 to 16 (1000kg to 1600kg) capacities..
**** ****....I sound like a salesman!!!...

Hi all


tcmgirl - that's fine.

Sense that numbers of you on this forum are a "forklift professional" who have minds that are open to learning - and people like that are the one's I prefer to work with. If any of you want to query me on anything, or discuss something direct you can contact / email me direct on lambertj235 at bigpond dot com

John,
Sorry, my mistake. The info I posted is for the TCM 4 wheel electric.