I understand the claim however we had seen the Hubtex 3050 ic powered all wheel drive 4 directional unit prior to combilift units being available. I apologize for any confusion caused.

This just in from Combilift:
"Your reader is correct, Combilift does not claim to be the world's first 4 way truck, rather Combilift is the world's first IC engine-powered all-wheel-drive 4-directional forklift. This can be seen on our website: http://www.combilift.com/En/ABOUTUS/CombiliftConcept.aspx
Electric-owered 4-directional forklifts existed prior to Combilift, however these electric powered 4-way forklifts were not designed to operate outdoor, due to their small diameter wheels.
Also 100% utilisation is not possible in multi-shift operations due to necessary battery charging or replacing.
Martin McVicar
Managing Director
Combilift

AS i see it combi lift are not claiming anything ,,, they say they designed the first machine /well multyway directional
forklift designed to fill a gap in the market....They have just done that....i do not deal with them... but they have filled a gap in the market????????I DO NOT SEE THE POINT

Check hubtex's 3050 which the combi is somewhat modeled after. Propane and diesel 4 way units since the 80's. Baumann and fantuzzi also have taken a stab at these units. I was referring to the industry profile on this site which said "The company was formed in 1998 by McVicar and fellow engineer Robert Moffett. Combilift developed the world's first multi-directional forklift, designed to fill a gap in the materials handling market. "

Combilift do not claim to have invented the 4 way design, just that they built the 1st IC engine 4 way truck, and as far as I know, they did.

wow this is a coincidence
i was actually at a warehouse today that had combi lifts and a raymond "crab" truck that could be driven sideways

it looked like a normal reach but with massive outriggers 1 had a caster and the other outrigger wheel was turned with a hydraulic piston

Thanks for pointing this out. It seems that CombiLift's claim is a bit inaccurate. I have cheked with an industry expert in Japan who has an encyclopedic knowledge of products and he points out that the articulated steering system was invented by the Mathew Brothers (Matbro).
His comments are as follows:
"This Matbro company went bankrupt and the Matbro brand is now owned by Terex. Matbro invented 'Swinglift', mast is rotateable for 90deg and long loads could be accessed from front then lifted to the chassis height and the mast rotated 90deg
so that the long load is placed on the chassis for easier transportation.
"NarrowAisle, Bendi of UK and AisleMaster of Ireland are the popular articulated forklift OEMs. Their products
can be utilised in warehouse application as well as outside the warehouse. The size of their wheels is much
larger than the other type of VNA (three directional forklift). This is their main and only feature.
"I could not find any back up evidence, but Towmotor/Caterpillar once made the articulated-type forklift in 60s. US Baker before being acquirred by Otis, also had such model in their product range."
So, let's see what Mr McVicar says about that!

very true.i,ve seen some old cleco,s that were early 70,s. still working everyday ,unreplacable little trucks with todays rules and regs