Whose forklift ad is this - and the answer is...

Advertisement
- 25 Jun 2020 ( #980 )
2 min read
There really are some wonderful old forklift advertisements out there: black-and-white depictions of dutiful workers, beavering away on the historic forklifts that have shaped our industry.

We decided to feature a couple of these adverts in our recent forklift challenge. We asked you to guess the manufacturer of the forklifts showcased in two historic print advertisements from our gallery archives.

We are impressed at the number of you who guessed correctly!

Here are the advertisements in full:

Forklift A: It's a Towmotor!

Click for larger view
Click for larger view
Forklift B: It's a Hyster!

Click for larger view
Click for larger view


We were lucky to receive this wonderful response from reader Tim, forklift enthusiast and now retired from Hyster Europe:

FORKLIFT B is a Hyster Willamette Hyster Company 'Handy Andy' manufactured from 1941 to 1943 with four capacities, 3,000 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 lb
Some detail:
  1. The engine was a Hercules IXB-3 side valve.
  2. The transmission had four speeds forward and four speed reverse.
    Quote from the Instruction Book:
    "It is not necessary to begin with the low gear. With the left foot press either the left or right pedal, depending on whether you wish to go forward or backward.
    Hold the pedal down until you wish to stop and then release it and use brake with right foot as you would in a car"
  3. There was no hoist cylinder. The carriage was raised by a roller chains that passed over sprockets at the top of the mast. The sprockets were driven by a hydraulic motor at the top of the mast that was supplied by a hydraulic pump.....Perfect forward view!
  4. The mast was tilted by a single hydraulic cylinder connected to a cross shaft by a crank. The shaft had cranks at each end which were connected to the outer mast
    channels.
An innovative design for its era. Masts without a hoist cylinder did not form part of any subsequent Hyster design.


Thanks Tim, one of the great perks of these challenges is getting to know our Forkliftaction readers a little better and enjoying the wealth of your experience.

Unfortunately we don't have details for the Towmotor forklift model, but if you think you have some more information about the forklift depicted feel free to share it with us!

Got an idea for a fun Forklift challenge to play with Forkliftaction readers, we'd love to hear it: email www.forkliftaction.com.
To learn more about impactful advertisements: download our media kit
The article on this page is supplied by and shown on behalf of an advertiser and does not in any way represent the views of Forkliftaction. The originators take full responsibility for their content. We advise you to contact the advertiser directly for any matters concerning this article.
Words of support …

After advertising with Forkliftaction.com, we got many enquiries regarding interest to be our distributor. Mostly from Europe and USA but including a few in ASEAN. We feel that the advertisement was useful and good for market expansion.

Lawrence Xu, Assistant Sales Manager
Upcoming in the editorial calendar
WIRELESS CHARGING
Aug 2025
MANAGING MIXED FLEETS
Oct 2025

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading
TOC Europe wraps up Rotterdam, Netherlands
Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading
Words of support …

Thanks to advertising with Forkliftaction, we have received inquiries and more and more people are aware of Ningbo Ruyi Joint Stock Co.,Ltd, which fits with our company's goal to go global and let the world know more about the benefits of our Xilin brand.

Michille Shi, Vice General Manager Sales
Upcoming in the editorial calendar
WIRELESS CHARGING
Aug 2025
MANAGING MIXED FLEETS
Oct 2025

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading
Words of support …

The cooperation with Forkliftaction has been exceptional. It's always a pleasure to work with specialists who know the inside out of the industry

Ane Miren Elorza, Communications Specialist

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Upcoming in the editorial calendar
WIRELESS CHARGING
Aug 2025
MANAGING MIXED FLEETS
Oct 2025