Masonry Magazine November 1962 Page. 9
Varied Chores
For the Small
Lift Truck
The hand lift truck such as the one shown above handles packaged or palletized brick. This particular model has a heavy duty transexle drive that powers the front loud wheels. The rear wheels are steered by a combination steering and clutch control. Hand lifts vary in size and function, and are the result of the differing needs of the mason contractor.
The multiple operations the mason contractor is called upon to perform, many of them fall into the category requiring the services of the hand-operated, or powered, lift.
These lifts may be seen scurrying about a job, squeezing a small package of brick through a narrow opening, stacking masonry materials at a central station, or doing a host of other chores.
The attraction to this type of lift is its smallness, its suitability to perform jobs such too "undersized" for the always the powerful lifts used to handle massive masonry loads.
Typical of the kind of operation suited to the small lift truck (see right photo) is the following: such small lift handles packaged or palletized brick, as well as stone, block, tile and mortar. It has a two-stage mast that raises the load over nine feet. The mast retracts to clear doorways, and tilts to engage, carry, and discharge loads. (And the manufacturer boasts that it's "made for long, trouble-free, profitable performance.")
Some of the smaller lift trucks are manually operated. Typical is a model that has the capacity to haul a 16 x 24 inch pallet with a peak load of 120 bricks. This model has a length of a little over 49 inches, a width of 29 inches, and attaining a little more than 41 inches in height. The fork can be raised to more than 51 inches.
There's always room for innovation in the small lift. A major manufacturer now offers a small lift with a new high lift mast (see photo at right), which has a lifting capacity of 750 pounds at 15-inch load centers. The mast consists of three sections which telescope down to 74 inches and reach maximum height in 15 seconds.
For the small mason contractor or the large one, the diminutive fork lift truck provides an answer to certain problems. Whether the mason contractor chooses to employ them is a decision he must make consistent with his business requirements.
Another example of a small lift is this model. The high mast provides greater versatility and reach.
NRY November, 1962