The new Jungheinrich IC forklift

Jungheinrich AG is launching a new hydrostatic IC engine forklift that will roll off its Moosburg assembly line in December.

The VFG 425-435s forklifts have Volkswagen motors, Bosch Rexroth variable displacement pumps and wheel motors, and are controlled by Jungheinrich-made software. They can carry up to 3,500kg (7,716.2lbs) and stack up to 7.5 metres (24.6 feet).

Tobias Harzer, Jungheinrich Moosburg GmbH's head of product management and marketing, says the forklift is suitable for "so-called reversing options", for example, when lorries are loaded and offloaded.

Hydrostatic drive technology enables travel and hydraulic processes to be implemented directly. By pressing a button, the operator can choose five predefined work programs from energy saving mode to maximum throughput to adapt to the forklift application.

Jungheinrich says the forklifts benefit from the automobile industry's advantages with the Volkswagen motors. The forklift's engine is "very quiet" and has low energy consumption and low emissions.

Harzer praises the ergonomic design of the VFG4250435s for contributing to higher productivity.

"If the operator not only feels safe but also [feels] good on the trucks, this reflects ... on the truck's efficiency."

The forklift has an electrically activated parking brake, a start button similar to newer cars and a duo-adjustable, slim steering column with memory function.

He boasts the vibration values of the forklift were equivalent to the lowest values of Jungheinrich's electric stackers.

The forklifts will be available in 11 European countries by the end of the year or early next year, a Jungheinrich spokesperson says.