Superior Fabrication has been providing specialized masts for wheel loaders used in the Canadian lumber industry. There appears to be an emerging market for this type of heavy-duty material handling vehicle as Superior Fabrication develops a third generation mast designed specifically to fill the need.

Superior Fabrication has designed and manufactured masts for the Rough Terrain Forklift market since the early 1980s. In 2000 they entered the Industrial Lift Truck market with the purchase of the Swingshift line of masts and carriages. The mast line ranges from 4,000 lb to 80,000 lb capacity.

In 1978 Swingshift first developed a mast and carriage family to be mounted on a wheel loader for use at a Canadian lumber mill. In succeeding years they improved the product as more was learned about the customers' needs. Superior Fabrication has continued this development path and been rewarded the continued slow growth of sales of this type of mast. To incorporate all the lessons learned with the new technology available, Superior Fabrication has taken on a development project for a new line of mast and carriages to exceed the tough application demands.

A mast that is mounted to a wheel loader must be much tougher than one found in a normal forklift application. Wheel loaders are selected instead of large pneumatic lift trucks for greater underclearance and greater durability in the extremes of weather and terrain that they are designed to work in. The operational environment ranges from very large rough dusty yards in the summer to extremely rough heavy ice and snow in the winter. The applications range from loading rail cars or trucks, storing and moving rough or finished lumber, moving kiln cars, and the high-speed travel the wheel loader is capable of.

Stringent maintenance requirements result from the tough operation under adverse conditions in remote locations. Most of these locations rely on the equipment 24/7 and cannot afford down time. In some instances slider mast elements have been introduced to maximize toughness under these punishing conditions.

The current models provide 20,000 lb, 25,000 lb, and 30,000 lb lifting capacity. The masts are typically two-stage but a three-stage mast is also available. The carriages are sideshifting and about two-thirds also include fork-positioning features. The current product line typically does not require repairs for about 10,000 hours of use.

A wheel loader lift truck is an asset anywhere extremes of terrain must be traversed with a load. They have been used on beaches, in rough and muddy yards, on snow and ice rutted roadways, etc. There appears to be an emerging market for this type of heavy material handling vehicle. The new mast under development will also be capable of mounting other types of heavy equipment if needed.

With a mast and carriage proven to have the longevity and toughness to compliment the wheel loaders they are mounted to, Superior Fabrication is well positioned in this developing new market.

For more information Call: +1 360 896 8332 or Email: jvanderbout@supfab.com