Manitou challenges Mountys
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by Dan Gilkes • French materials handling equipment manufacturer Manitou is to mount a challenge in the truck-mounted fork-lift market. The company, known in the construction and agricultural sectors for rough-terrain fork lifts and telescopic handlers, is to field a five-model line-up headed by an all-wheel-drive/ steer machine for longer loads, Unlike the established Moffat Mounty range, the Manitou machines do without a conventional fork-lift mast, opting instead for a telescoping boom offering vertical lift and horizontal forward reach through a wide operating envelope.
The boom is lifted by a single large-diameter hydraulic ram; a second ram on the left of the boom keeps the forks level throughout the lifting arc. The whole boom sideshifts by 150mm on the pivot pin—which is itself a hydraulic ram--for precision placing of loads. The range has lift heights of 2.8-3.1m and forward reaches of up to 2.0m. All models are powered by a 40hp (30kW)water-cooled Lister Petter four-cylinder diesel mounted diagonally on the right of the machine. It is designed to be serviced while hanging on the back of a truck Manitou UK, based in Verwood, Dorset, will sell the new range through a number of its larger fork-lift outlets but it also plans to take on new dealers in the truck market.