Material Handlers Have Many Applications
Published in: Michigan Contractor and Builder
Date: 2/4/2006
By: Aram Kalousdian, Editor
Mid-size machines will remain popular
Masons, carpenters, steel erectors, glass glazers, roofers, and restoration contractors are typical users of material handling equipment, according to Brian E. O’Toole, president of Schuster Construction Services Inc., of New Hudson. Schuster specializes in material handling equipment sales, rental and service. Material handling equipment is used on all types of construction projects, including road and sewer projects.
“In the old days in the highway business, you sent a boom truck and three or four men to pickup something and bring it back. Now, you send a telehandler to pickup the materials. A telehandler will go 20 miles per hour across a job site,” O’Toole said. Material handlers are also great for moving pipe on a sewer project.
“Once they are on a job site, they become indispensable, because the crew finds more and more applications,” O’Toole pointed out.
“Sometimes you’re setting material onto the job and at other times the telehandler is used to fetch and carry in order to bring material closer to a crane or bring material closer to be picked up and hand-carried. Fetch and carry is a big application for telehandlers,” O’Toole said.
The most common telehandlers are 6,000 pounds and 8,000 pounds. Some are 10,000 pounds. Common reaches are 36 feet, 42 feet and 54 feet.
O’Toole said that new developments in material handling equipment include the capability to handle a variety of attachments. These are attachments that will do everything from operating an auger to hoisting with a winch.
“Something that’s becoming very popular is the ability to put a personnel basket on the forks and operate the personnel basket from the basket, instead of the machine,” O’Toole said. This eliminates the need to have someone in the machine operating the basket.
Schuster Construction Services Inc. handles Sky Trak and Mustang brand material handling equipment. Schuster also handles cranes and mast-climbing scaffolding.
“The telescopic forklift market has growth on both ends of the spectrum as far as larger machines, more height, more reach capacity; and smaller, more compact machines. In the coming years, you’ll see the trend going for more reach, but the bread and butter will remain in the 6,000-pound to 10,000-pound and 36-foot to 54-foot reach,” O’Toole said. Schuster believes in maintaining one location and reaching out to its customers with more sales staff and its fleet of trucks.
“We’re firm believers in having one central location and adding trucks and sales staff rather than having branches. Because we are specialized, we think it’s more effective to have one location and reach out with our trucking fleet.”
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