The History of The Fork Lift Truck
Episode 20: 1954 - New forklift models
 As 1953 came to a close the diesel engine was now well established with a growing number of major manufacturers. However, there were still some like Ellwell Parker and Hirst & Son Ltd with their new 'Forager' who kept the petrol engine as standard. This was also the case for the 'Komatsu Forklift Company Ltd' who were just starting to produce their first forklift trucks. A typical example of the company's first model is displayed in the entrance hall of the main plant in Oyama, Tochigi north of Tokyo. Known as the FG 10 it had a 1ton capacity and was powered by a petrol engine. The truck serial number is # 032 and although it is a 1953 model, it was actually produced at the beginning of the following year.
January 1954 started with important news for UK companies who delivered or planned to deliver their goods on pallets. The British Transport Commission announced that in order to encourage the use of pallets there would be no conveyance charges made by British Railways on owners pallets on which goods are loaded. Charges would only be made on the net weight of goods and packaging and all returned empty pallets would be carried free, by rail, back to the point of origin.
This news must have been very welcoming to British forklift manufacturers, as no fewer than eight companies planned to launch new models throughout the year. One of these companies was Lansing Bagnall, which, in addition to the opening of a new factory extension at Basingstoke, introduced six new truck models. These were a diesel counterbalance 'Model FD 223', a stand on straddle forklift 'Model SFS 225', an electric pallet truck 'Model PP 230' later to be renamed 'POEP 2 Transloader' and the stand on reach truck 'Model SFR 225' later renamed the FRES 2. To complete the six, there was a fixed mast pedestrian forklift 'Model PF' with a tilting lift carriage and a light duty tractor 'Model TD 200'. This machine had a twin cylinder opposed piston air-cooled diesel engine fitted as a power source. Coventry Climax also launched their new 'Skyzone' range with 'Models CDFT' that were produced in three lift capacities, 6000lb, 5000lb and 4000lb. The first two were for general use with four cylinder diesel engines as power units; the latter was for flameproof applications only and was fitted with a three-cylinder diesel engine.
 Montgomery Reid chose this year to introduce a new style, push-pull pedestrian counterbalance forklift. Known as the 'Wheelabout Loader' this machine had a lift capacity of 6 cwt to 60 inches and was electro-hydraulically operated. Later in the year a fully powered model, with lift capacities of 8 and 10 cwt were added under the name of 'Powerloader'. These trucks had two forward and two reverse speeds.
At this time, new forklifts were also released by Matling Ltd of Wolverhampton with two counterbalance models, one being pedestrian controlled and the other a stand on truck. The latter was known as the 'Retracta' with the mast moving in and out in much the same way as a reach truck. Both models were battery controlled and had lift capacities of 2000 lbs. to a height of 4 feet 6 inches.
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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