A Hyster H13XM-6 at work at Radmacher Kalksandsteine

German brick maker Radmacher Kalksandsteine has added two heavy-duty Hyster forklifts for its demanding operations.

The family business recently chose the new Hyster H13XM-6 heavy-duty forklifts, with a lifting capacity of 13 T after testing several different trucks from well-known manufacturers.

While all trucks tested performed well when unloading trolleys and equipping saws, one competitor was unable to deliver the required performance working on the ramp. The heavy forklifts, fully loaded with sand-lime bricks, have to manage a short ramp with a grade of approximately 12%. Although some competitor trucks with strong engines managed the ramp, they consumed significantly more fuel than the H13XM-6, which is equipped with a powerful six-cylinder Cummins QSB 6.7 litre engine.

"The engine power was not the only deciding factor though," says Hyster dealer Torsten Franke, managing director of GS-Gabelstapler Service in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. "The truck has to be a good overall fit, from the three-speed ZF hydrodynamic transmission to the transmission ratio."

Christian Baars, Radmacher Kalksandsteine production manager, says: "For us, the high-power reserves and low fuel consumption of the Hyster H13XM-6 were key. After all the testing, we put the first forklift into use in our sand-lime brick factory in Uslar, and then ordered another 13 T truck, with an S + H stone clamp, to use at the Wendeburg plant."

Radmacher Kalksandsteine also has four Hyster H3.0FT Fortens ICE forklift trucks which reach up to 3,500 operating hours per year. The trucks are primarily used to transport the sand-lime blocks around the site.

Equipped with Superelastic tyres and the maintenance-free Hyster Stability Mechanism (HSM), these forklifts support the heavy demands of the operation.
Set to the ECO-eLO fuel efficiency mode, these are among the most fuel-efficient forklift trucks available, another deciding factor for Baars.

Founded in 1963 by Paul Radmacher in Wendeburg near Braunschweig, the Kalksandsteine main plant and the production site of Uslar are still family-owned.
The company produces numerous different products made of sand-lime bricks from the KS-Kleinformat to KS-Ratio blocks, and KS-building boards up to the KS-ISO-Klimmstein.