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The History Of The Fork Lift Truck
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 Episode 10: 1946 - The Rise of the British machines
Warehouse & Logistics News is proud to bring you the tenth instalment in our exclusive series on the history of the forklift truck, which over the decades has revolutionised the face of materials handling around the world.
Our writer is James Brindley, an acknowledged authority on forklift trucks. James's distinguished career has involved engineering and management roles with BT Rolatruc and serving as a Director of the Fork Lift Truck Association, before he set up the National Fork Truck Heritage Centre in 2004 as Britain's first such collection open to the public.
The Heritage Centre continues to need your support, and if you or your company would like to help in any way, you can contact James on the number below. Now sit back and enjoy the latest part of this fascinating series.
By James Brindley, Director, National Fork Truck Heritage Centre
As we come to 1946, we are now at the point in history where British companies were starting to design and produce an all-British version of the counterbalance forklift truck. UK industry had seen the benefits and was purchasing the product: the unfortunate thing for the British economy was that the only machines on sale at this time were made in America.
 As introduced in the previous episode, there were four British companies who were trying to address this situation. The first two, Electro Hydraulics (Messier) Ltd and Coventry Climax, which have already been mentioned, produced the "Conveyancer" and "Coventry Climax" prototypes, and as 1946 advanced, the companies that produced the "Stacatruc" and the "Aerolift" joined them.
The "Stacatruc" was designed and made, in the early years, by the Stockport Manufacturing Company, and the "Aerolift" was designed and manufactured by Clifford Aero and Auto Ltd of Spring Road, Hall Green, Birmingham. Sales and marketing of both trucks was carried out by Industrial Truck Development Ltd (ITD) of London.
Driven by a 10 hp Ford industrial engine, the ÒAeroliftÓ had three lifting capacities 10cwt, 15cwt, and 1 ton. Lift heights were from 6 to 12 feet, with a wrap around section mast and pre-stretched steel lift cables, not chains, to supply the connection between hydraulic cylinder and lift carriage.
In contrast, the "Stacatruc" was the larger of the two trucks that ITD marketed, and had a lifting capacity of 5000 lbs. at a height of 9 feet reducing to 4,500 lbs. at 12 feet. Its mast was manufactured from channel section steel, and the lift carriage was connected to the hydraulic lift cylinder by heavy-duty roller chains. A "Meadows 4 EL/AV" four-cylinder overhead valve petrol engine gave ample power for this machine to climb a gradient of 1 in 8 fully loaded.
 There were also other smaller companies that made forklift trucks, but they were only in production for a short period of time. Of these machines, one worth mentioning was manufactured by the Moss Gear Company Ltd of Birmingham. It was a petrol-driven, four wheeled counterbalance and was made in three models. They were capable of lifting 5,000 lb., 6,000lb. and 7,000lb. respectively. These were marketed by the "Mercury Truck and Tractor Company" under the name of the "Merlift," but six months later the name was changed to the "Castle" truck and marketed by the manufacturer.
Although 1946 was a major step forward for British manufacturers of materials handling equipment, we should also realise that the Americans were not going to give up their markets without a fight. Hyster were already moving into a modern manufacturing plant in Danville, USA and Yale were planning to move to a new plant in Northeast Philadelphia.
Across the Channel there were also the initial movements of a new company into the materials handling field. In the war-damaged city of Hamburg, Germany, the brothers Friedrich and Otto Jungheinrich joined in partnership, with the aim to manufacture and sell lifting machinery and mechanical handling devices.
Although this did not happen immediately, it did establish the framework for future business development. The growth of this company over the following years into one of the leading manufacturers of materials handling equipment stands as a testament to the brothersÕ strength and determination.
To be continued
If you would like to support the National Fork Truck Heritage Centre,
call James Brindley on 0780 195 4167
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