The History of The Fork Lift Truck
Episode 16: The Quest for Steel
British forklift manufacture during 1951 was more about supplying basic materials than building trucks. Post war supply and production of steel relied to a large extent on imports, and these at their best were not arriving in sufficient quantities to meet demand. The long-term situation was starting to be addressed in part by the Steel Company of Wales who were building a new four and a half-mile long steel production plant at Port Talbot.
 It was stated that this facility, when completed, would be one of the largest, best equipped and most up to date of its kind in the world. In a works of such importance and immense size it had to contain materials handling equipment with sufficient lifting capacities to be reliable. Unfortunately there was no equipment produced in Great Britain, at this time that could match the planned load capacities of up to 14 tons. The solution was found in America with the Automatic Transportation Company of Chicago who produced a model called the "Skylift Giant." Five forklifts were ordered, and the early delivery of two machines helped with the initial construction of the rolling mill.
One of the few English companies that were able to maintain a good production level throughout the steel shortages was Coventry Climax, who at this time elected Walter T. F. Hassan to the board of directors. Mr Hassan was a leading engine designer with Jaguar until joining Climax Engines in February 1950, primarily to design and build a new fire pump for the company. His new featherweight design 1020cc engine used aluminium for the block and head, and was able to use low octane fuel. This basic engine was to be modified over the next few years, and was eventually ready for sports car use. During the 1955 racing  season, machines fitted with the Coventry Climax engine gained no fewer than 69 firsts. Unbeknown to the company at this time, it was the precursor to major successes on the Formula 1 racing scene.
Ransomes Simms and Jefferies also kept up their production with the launch of a new forklift truck that had a 10 cwt lifting capacity. The machine was designed for narrow aisle work with a chassis width of 28 inches and a length of 61 inches, and was known as the "Forklift 10" (FL 10.) As from this launch date the Company dropped the designation "Forklift" from all model titles and replaced it with the shortened "FL."
By the end of 1951, as the steel shortages in forklift manufacturing reached their worst position, the British Iron
and Steel Federation were part way through a strategy to try and alleviate matters by organising a mass scrap collection.
The appeal went out as advertisements in most trade magazines and newspapers, and called on everyone to recycle all ferrous metals. Such was the importance placed on this campaign by the Federation that they persuaded scrap metal merchants to offer free of charge help with the dismantling of steel frame buildings and large items of machinery.
To be continued
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If you would like to support the National Fork Truck Heritage Centre please contact:
James Brindley
07801 954 167
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