by US correspondent Roger Renstrom

Some readers raised their eyebrows about the fairness of forklift-truck-performance tests that Toyota Material Handling USA Inc (TMHU) sponsored (Forkliftaction.com News #239).

The testing compared the fuel efficiency and productivity of five current comparable production models. They included a Toyota 7FGCU25 and rented competitor forklifts: a Caterpillar C5000, a Komatsu FG25ST-14, a Nissan MCPL02A25LV and a Yale GLC050VXNVSE083 Veracitor. Each featured a three-stage mast.

Independent testing organisation USAC Properties Inc made the comparisons in September in a warehouse environment on the premises of the Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) plant in Columbus, Indiana, said David Petrali, vice president of testing operations for USAC Properties, a subsidiary of the United States Auto Club.

In the results, USAC Properties determined the Toyota model was most fuel efficient and productive.

"TMHU regularly uses USAC's reliable and proven testing services to gauge where our products rank in relation to our main competitors in the US market," said Martin Boyd, national product planning manager with Irvine-based TMHU. "Whether testing results are favourable or unfavourable, TMHU primarily uses the results in its ongoing product development discussions with the Toyota design engineers."

Boyd underscored the need for fairness.

For the tests, TMHU temporarily hired certified forklift operators with no other Toyota affiliation. Each truck ran on factory standard tyres, had service life of less than 450 hours and was configured with factory-installed, three-way catalytic systems meeting US emission standards.

"Nothing prevents our competitors from using USAC's services to confirm the results," Boyd said.

He declined to disclose how much TMHU paid USAC Properties for performing the tests.

For Toyota, over 14 years, "USAC Properties has done 14 of these" tests on competing forklifts with internal combustion engines and a 15th on competing forklifts with electric motors, Petrali said. "We have never been contacted by anybody else" in the forklift industry to perform such tests.

For automotive original equipment manufacturers, USAC Properties has tested the performance of snow tyres, batteries and fuel, acceleration and braking systems.

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