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The History of The Fork Lift Truck
Episode 2 - The First Forklifts
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 Warehouse & Logistics News is proud to bring you the second instalment in an exclusive series on the history of the forklift truck, the technology that has transformed the face of materials handling around the world.
The writer is James Brindley, an acknowledged authority on forklift trucks. In James's distinguished career he has worked in engineering and management roles with BT Rolatruc and served as a Director of the Fork Lift Truck Association, before setting up the National Fork Truck Heritage Centre in 2004.
You will be hearing a lot more from James and the Heritage Centre in these pages, as we will be telling you just why the Heritage Centre needs your support. Now sit back and enjoy the second part of our new series.
The History of The Fork Lift Truck
By James Brindley, Director, National Fork Truck Heritage Centre
During the First World War, much of Britain's male workforce went off to fight, putting greater pressure on the remaining workers and encouraging industry to make greater use of mechanisation in their materials handling.
In 1917 Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries of Ipswich launched an all-British version of the powered platform truck. It was known as the type `B` Stevedoring truck, and designed to work on rough and uneven road surfaces. As such, the platform had leaf springs front and rear for a more stable ride.
To keep the drive unit in touch with the road at all times, the Stevedoring truck had a three-wheeled configuration. The two front wheels were either side of the load, and the one at the centre rear was for traction only. The driving unit was fully powered by a battery, mounted underneath the load platform between the main chassis bearers.
Contrary to the first American versions, the operator's driving position was facing the load, but the steering function was similar in that he still used a horizontal steering lever. This was attached to a vertical shaft and linkage to transmit the desired action to the front wheels.
Later in this year the Clark Company in America produced a one-off three-wheeled vehicle for transporting goods and equipment around its own factory departments. Named the `Tructractor,' it was propelled by a petrol engine and carried boxes and parts in a metal carrier mounted in front of the driver.
Subsequently the Clark Company produced a platform truck called the `Truclift` (1920) and a towtractor called the `Duat` (1923/4.) The former is claimed to be the first truck to use hydraulic power to lift its load, and the latter would later be used as the drive unit for their first forklift truck.
In this busy time, other American companies released their first pieces of materials handling equipment, including the petrol-driven `Towtractor` from the Towmotor Corporation (1919) and a platform truck from the Yale Company (1920.)
Yale had recently acquired the production rights of this truck when they purchased the company of C.W.Hunt, Staten Island, New York. They continued to manufacture these until their own designs were ready, and then produced a tow tractor and both low and high lift platform trucks. In the period up to 1923, the company also produced their first forklift truck, which in essence was a modified high lift platform truck with a pair of forks attached to its front end.
The years 1917-1920 also saw the foundation of the American Lansing Company by F.E. Bagnall, which was eventually to aspire to the largest materials handling company in the UK. The products being produced at its inception were primarily towing tractors and platform trucks.
Back in Britain, the 1914-18 War had brought a huge shortage of labour to some companies, and they had expanded their use of industrial equipment, including materials handling. As a consequence a large proportion of industry permanently changed their way of operating, to include some form of automation.
Having seen this change, Ransomes Sims and Jeffries of Ipswich, then Britain's leading supplier of automated materials handling equipment, began to experiment with the prospect of stacking loads. During 1923 the company produced its first tiering truck with an elevating platform that could lift a load of 2 tons to a height of 49 inches. Its platform was raised by a cable and pulley arrangement on a fixed single section upright. The truck itself was 9` long and 3` wide; battery powered and had four wheeled steering.
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