GrowHow lifts more with Kalmar

Fertiliser manufacturer GrowHow UK has placed an order with Kalmar for a fleet of 16 specially adapted DCE100 heavy duty forklift trucks.

GrowHow’s operators handle six bags of fertiliser at a time, each weighing around 600kg, at an extended load centre of 1,800. The application also requires the bags to be stacked four high.

Steve James, area sales manager at Kalmar, part of the Cargotec Group, said: “The drivers need to accurately position the forks into the lifting points on the bags.  But when stacking above the first level, the fork pockets on the bags are out of view when using a standard truck. The solution was to develop an elevating cab so that the drivers can continue to look down onto the fork tips, even when the mast is fully raised.”

The rising cab allows operators to raise the cab by an additional 1,900mm taking the overall maximum cab height to just over five metres.

Each truck also comes equipped with a camera and monitor inside allowing the operator to see that nothing is obstructing the underside of the cab before lowering it back into position.

Longer forks were developed with guides clearly marked so that operators can see the ideal position for lifting six bags of fertiliser at once. 

The Kalmar DCE100 has a capacity of ten tonnes and comes from Kalmar’s medium capacity range. The DCE range also offers lower running costs thanks in part to the CAN-bus electronic control system.