Top 10 Innovations

Hyster was the first manufacturer (in 2005) to feature a rear-mounted ‘Vista' cab on a laden container handler, designed to make it even easier for the driver to stack laden containers in the first row.

The driver is able to maintain a complete 40ft container in his/her line of sight, during the entire handling operation with minimal head movement.

This cab position had been used before on Hyster's empty container handling trucks as it offers excellent visibility when stacking empty containers up to 8 high (up to 18m).

The Hyster ReachStacker also features a powered, sliding version of the ‘Vista' cab (see #2 below), which along with widely spaced rear boom supports, and a sloping rear counterweight, delivers optimum visibility. The cab can be moved to various positions by a switch inside the cab which can be done while driving and/or lifting. It can slide from the rear of the machine over 2.6m to a fully forward position.

The ability to reposition the cab is essential for intermodal Hyster ReachStacker models when handling swap-bodies or trailers, so that the driver can see the grapple feet at ground level. Some drivers also prefer the fully forward position for low height container handling.

Hyster's ‘Vista' operator compartment is an industry leading design, offering excellent comfort, all-round visibility, low noise levels and outstanding ergonomics. It is used across the Big Truck range and some of its best features are as follows:

• Excellent Visibility - The convex, curved design of the front screen means that the front corner pillars of the cab are positioned relatively far back, ensuring maximum visibility of the load and operating area. The doors also feature upper and lower glass panels enhancing sideways visibility.
  The large windows are fitted with tinted safety glass and the curved front window prevents glare, ensuring a clear view at all times.
• In Poor Weather - Wipers with washers are featured on front, top and rear screens and along with a filtered fresh air inlet, sliding windows, an effective heater / demister and air-conditioning, help to ensure that good visibility is maintained.
• Upward Visibility - Upward visibility is virtually free from obstruction, thanks to a clever ‘wave pattern' overhead guard design.
• Rear View - Rear view mirrors are located inside the cab and extra rear view mirrors are available for the front fenders
• Container Engagement - Indicator lights for the container engagement functions are mounted on the spreader and also conveniently placed in the roof of the cab.
• Minimum Vibration - The cab is mounted on anti-vibration isolators
• Comfort - There is an effective heating system with 3-stage fan and extensive ventilation / demister air outlets to ensure comfortable operation.
• Easy Access - Wide anti-slip steps and conveniently placed handrails make it easy to get on and off.
• Comfortable Seat - The fully adjustable suspension seat has armrests, a high backrest and safety belt.
• Steering and Control - The steering column is adjustable for both height and angle and the soft-grip steering wheel features a spinner knob for finger light operation. Power-assisted steering and lever controls, push-button parking brake (with park brake off" warning buzzer), and conveniently positioned instruments plus responsive, fully hydraulic brakes and an automotive style pedal layout further contribute to driver confidence and comfort.
• Convenient Display - The dash display is conveniently to the right of the operator, to ensure maximum forward visibility. A set of flashing LED warning lights positioned on the steering column catch the driver's attention, should he need to refer to the readout on the dash display at any time.

The Vista Cab also has a series of options, including an operator presence feature, where the engine is shut down when the seat is not occupied, to help reduce fuel consumption, a preset travel-speed reduction function, plus an air-suspension seat with heating option, high output air-conditioning and climate control.

Hyster's latest innovation significantly saves the money spent on tyres in empty container handling operations. The tyre preserving technology featured on H16.00-22.00XM-12EC series of empty container handlers is the first of its kind to be offered in Europe in 2010.

Tyre wear is typically the third biggest operating cost for container handling operations after labour and fuel. The new Hyster Tyre Saver Drive Axle has been designed to significantly improve tyre life and deliver major reductions in operating running costs.

On a conventional dual-tyre axle the inner and outer wheels of a pair are fixed together, so that they turn at the same rate when cornering, although they have different turning distances, which causes some tyre drag or "scrub" on one of the wheels, causing conical wear. This is standard for big trucks made by all manufacturers and affects all types of equipment.

Hyster has been able to drastically reduce this by applying new tyre preserving technology. The differential is now mounted in the wheel ends at each side of the axle, allowing the wheels to rotate independently, yet still providing full acceleration and braking power. With this solution, Hyster has been able to reduce tyre wear by as much as an anticipated factor of 3 for the front (drive axle) tyres, plus 1.5 for the rear (steer axle) tyres.

This will significantly reduce the total cost of ownership, reduce downtime from taking the trucks out of the operation to change the tyre and less rubber waste means a better environmental footprint.

No other forklift truck manufacturer has access to this technology in Europe at present and it is the result of a seven year product development programme and significant investment from Hyster.

Hyster Big Trucks offer uniquely good access for maintenance, ensuring that both service and maintenance costs and downtime are kept to a minimum. These are a series of innovations demonstrating low cost of operation.

A side-tilting cab is a standard feature on Hyster Big Trucks, however not a common sight in the industry. The cab can be-tilted to the right-hand side, by a hand lever or an electrical push button powered tilting system, providing easy access to the key components located underneath. Trucks also feature gas-spring assisted, ‘gull-wing' shaped, engine hoods and a rear opening hood.

Hydraulic oil level can be easily checked by a sight-glass on the side of the tank and Leak-free O-ring ‘ORFS' hydraulic fittings are used throughout the machine. (A light on the dash warns of high hydraulic oil temperature). Hydraulic functions can be adjusted in speed (by a Hyster service technician), and optimised for a specific application.

The CANbus wiring connection for the engine, transmission and instruments cluster and the electronic control unit for the load-sensing hydraulics are both located inside the operator compartment's side-console. All error codes are shown on the dash display's LCD screen.

The truck also features centralised pressure check points and a digital pressure indicator on the brake system accumulator and the standard maintenance interval is 500 hrs.

Hyster Big Trucks are now equipped with a range of Tier 4i / Stage IIIB compliant Cummins Diesel engines, featuring an integrated Diesel Particulate Filter exhaust after-treatment and a cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system.

These engines feature very smooth torque characteristics and high power ratings, delivering extensive peak-performance operation in demanding applications. The result is excellent lifting and acceleration power combined with smooth power delivery, with low emissions and excellent fuel economy.

A heavy duty engine air filter is standard, featuring a maintenance-free ‘SyKlone' cyclonic pre-cleaner, plus a 2-stage filter, making it suitable for dusty operating environments. A ‘puller' type cooling fan draws in cleaner air, from the top of the truck (not from underneath).

Cummins Diesel Engines are mated with S.O.H. (Spicer Off-Highway) powershift transmissions, equipped with the intelligent ‘Soft-shift' auto-shift logic, and have a protective forward / reverse shifting lock-out to protect the transmission against abuse operation. Hyster trucks can work in ambient temperatures ranging from -18 ºC up to +50 ºC, in standard configuration with no additional options required.

In addition to the well renowned, immensely strong construction of the frame, mast and axles, a number of features ensure that Hyster Big Trucks operate reliably in the most arduous applications. We have therefore classed Hyster's dependability as an innovation, combing modern control and protection systems for the engines, oil immersed ‘wet discs' brakes, tropical cooling system and transmissions with automatic shifting and forward - reverse shifting lock-out.

The tropical cooling system ensures that trucks are able to work in normal applications in ambient temperatures of up to 50°C, or up to 45°C for heavy duty operations. A unique ‘stacked' 4-piece radiator cooler block has 4 separate elements for: Engine (coolant & turbo-intercooler), the transmission, and the ‘wet discs' brakes and hydraulic system. Cooling is highly efficient as each of the 4 elements receive direct fresh cooling air.

The drive axle is a planetary double reduction type, providing stability and durability, whilst the oil-immersed ‘wet disc' brakes reduce maintenance requirements. Hyster's ‘sandwich' type steer axle, with a single cylinder and non-adjustable tie rods is renowned for its long life and low maintenance requirements.

The S.O.H. powershift transmissions feature the APC200 Soft-shift automatic gear shifting system, and are also fitted with a protective forward/ reverse shifting lock-out, active at over 5 km/h and more than 1400rpm.

An engine and transmission protection system is standard equipment. This system initially derates engine power and finally shuts the engine down, helping to prevent possible damage. The protection acts on high engine coolant temperature or low oil pressure, plus on transmission low oil pressure and high oil temperature.

Hyster has optimised this important power consumption (and fuel consumption) function, by designing an efficient, so-called ‘Power on Demand' hydraulic system.

The hydraulic system is load-sensing, so ‘feels' the load weight that is lifted. Depending on the actual load weight, two ‘variable displacement' (piston-type) hydraulic oil pumps supply the required hydraulic power, but no more. This is in contrast to conventional ‘fixed- displacement' (gear type) pumps.

This system also makes the lifting function more operator-friendly and contributes to the decreased wear of hydraulic components and the engine. The life of the hydraulic oil is also extended, so the load (weight), these variable displacement oil pumps and the diesel engine are linked.

As maximum loads are not always handled (and many lift modes are without load), the truck requires less engine power and will consume less fuel, with savings of 5% to 15%. The load-sensing system with ‘variable displacement' pumps really is environmentally friendly, as power is not wasted, neither in 'light' operating conditions nor when working up to the maximum hydraulic performance.

Hydraulic oil is effectively filtered at three locations: In the hydraulic tank, at the brake pump plus a filter in the ‘wet discs' brakes cooling circuit. A light on the dash warns of high hydraulic oil temperature

The operating speed of the hydraulic functions (lift, tilt, sideshift, fork-positioners or auxiliary) can be adjusted (by a Hyster service technician), to optimise them for a specific application, e.g. for low or high lifting heights or the use of a hydraulic attachment. The user can choose either maximum energy saving or maximum performance, or the best balance of the two. The factory setting is at this mid-point and the alternative settings provide lower or higher speeds.

The Hyster Range of Big Trucks is adaptable to a wide range of varying customer applications and operating environment, from 8-high empty container stacking through to handling steel and aluminium coils.

In addition to the standard product in a capacity range of 8 to 48t, certain Hyster trucks are available as short wheelbase models, offering the most compact solution in the industry for operations where space is at a premium.

For example, the 16-18t series offers the compact H16.00-18.00XMS-12 with a wheelbase of only 3.50m. In the larger 25-32t series, the 3 compact models available (H25XMS-9, H30XMS-9, H32XMS-9) have wheelbases of between 3.655m and 3.935m.

Hyster is also renowned for providing uniquely designed solutions to meet the need of specific application environments through Hyster SPED (Special Products Engineering Department). An example is a boat handling solution that has been developed, using "negative lift" to enable boats to be lowered from the quayside into the water.

The Big Trucks range is also available with a vast array of front end equipment, such as varying mast heights and carriages. For example, the Hyster ‘Dual-function' fork-carriage offers two fork-positioning ranges, in addition to sideshift. A uniquely simple ‘Outer' and ‘Inner' mounting position for the fork- positioning cylinders delivers additional application versatility. A ‘Zero in-to-in' fork- positioning version is optional, where two forks can also be moved together to handle one coil.

The Dual-function carriage is also Hook-type, with a ‘Quick-disconnect' feature for fast interchange between forks and a coil ram or another handling attachment. The simplicity and versatility by the ‘Dual-function' carriage sets a new standard for large forklift trucks, by offering unique built-in flexibility for various fork handling duties.

Hyster's reputation for providing industry leading solutions for container handling applications in ports & terminals is renowned worldwide. The range of container handling equipment delivers fast, accurate lifting for stacking and storage of both empty and laden containers.

Hyster has brought many solutions to the Empty Container handling industry. This is a rapidly changing industry, having to cope with side-handling the mix of more and more odd size and non-ISO standard containers and Hyster has no less than 7 EC spreader versions, for different user needs.
The Hyster H16.00-22.00XM-12EC range is able to stack 9'6" containers 7-high (2 on 5) and 8'6" containers 8 high (2 on 6). This allows operators of container yards to maximise both the available space and productivity, increasing the speed of the handling operation and keeping operating costs down.

The Hyster laden container stacker, versions of which are based on both the H25-32XM & H36.00-48.00XM forklifts, offers stacking solutions in the first row for up to 5 containers high.

For extra flexibility, The Hyster ReachStacker, featuring extendable boom, represents a more flexible solution, enabling container yard operators to stack laden containers up to 3-deep. The ReachStacker, in addition to Container handling applications, is also adaptable to intermodal handling, thanks to extendable legs, enabling the machine to "pick" trailers, for example, from railway carriages on the second rail.

To enable even higher stacking density, the Hyster ReachStacker is today the only reachstacker available on the market able to stack 8'6" height containers 6 high, in the 1st container row. Thanks to the development of a longer inner boom, this option is available on the RS45-31CH, RS46-36CH and RS46-41LCH ReachStacker container handling (CH) models.

In addition, 8 Hyster ReachStacker models are now available with a longer-wheelbase of 6.7m and stabilisers, for increased stability, when handling heavier loads in the 3rd row (up to 30t, 3-high in 3rd Row).

Several Hyster innovations are making it easier to operate on container terminals.

The Hyster ReachStacker features a container weight, distance and height display, allowing the driver to anticipate the truck's handling capabilities before the stability and weight limit is reached.

he new ‘lay-back' mast options on the H16.00-22.00XM-12EC, enables the empty container handler to pass easily underneath overhead obstacles, which are commonly found in port and terminal environments, such as bridges, pipe line or over-height constructions. Previously the mast would have to be dismounted.

On the ‘hooks and side-clamps' empty container spreader option, Hyster has also further improved visibility for the driver by re-positioning the vertical end pillars and the work lights, useful when the spreader is in the 20' retracted position.