|  Celebrating
over 40 years of manufacture, Sidetracker Sideloaders
are still at the forefront of innovation and reliability
when it comes to moving long and awkward loads and is
still in the same family ownership.
Working for the Production Engineering Research Association
in the 1950s on projects to improve productivity, Chairman
Peter Dobson saw a need for efficient materials handling
equipment in factories, particularly where long loads
were involved. Eventually, he patented designs for a
multi-directional transport system and then in 1963
formed the company. The first trucks, built part-time
in an old stable, were un-powered models which had to
be pushed, but they did incorporate a multi-wheel design
which allowed them to move sideways as well as forwards
and backwards. The first year's turnover was £700.
The first fully powered production model was sold to
Chesterfield Transport Department for use in the bus
maintenance workshop. It was a four-way model and had
a ton capacity. This was followed by models with greater
load capacities and higher lift heights, and a guided
narrow-aisle system was also developed.
Reliability
In 1976 the company, by now in a purpose built factory,
produced its first fully multi-directional model which
incorporated many of the design principles that are
still applied today. Since the earliest days reliability
has been one of the most important considerations, because
it was recognised that unlike general purpose pallet
trucks - a high proportion of customers would only operate
a single Sidetracker and they would usually not be able
to hire a short-term replacement quickly if anything
serious went wrong.
It is this design principle that led to the inclusion
of dual power systems on every model, which enables
them to operate without loss of load capacity or lift
height, even if one power unit is removed for repair.
For the same reason, the trucks continue to use electro-hydraulic
control systems rather than electronics, which can still
be adversely affected by rough surfaces and the treatment
trucks typically receive.
While the company has avoided innovation for its own
sake, many technical advances have been developed and
incorporated over the years. The rail guidance system
designed 35 years ago was probably the first in the
UK, and recently the company developed a multi-direction
truck with joystick controlled all-wheel steering.
The rugged simplicity of the battery-powered Sidetrackers
also means they are able to operate outdoors, and many
customers use them as multi-purpose load handlers rather
than solely for narrow aisle warehouse duties. The specification
of the latest models makes them ever more versatile:
load capacities now reach 15,000kg and lift heights
can be over 10m.
The advantages of the multi-directional Sidetrackers
are well understood in sectors where handling long loads
is a standard rather than an unusual procedure such
as steel stockholders and window profile manufacturers
where Sidetrackers operate in aisles from 1.5 metres
wide with loads as long as 21 metres.
Space Saving
Over the last few years the manoeuvrability and space-saving
capabilities of the multi-direction Sidetrackers have
caught the eye of less typical customers. Polestar Varnicoat,
one of the UK's leading gravure printers, uses two trucks
to carry printing cylinders and stillages up to 4.5m
long around the works, passing along corridors and through
openings that could not be negotiated by conventional
lift trucks. They also have special pivoting forks to
enable them to carry stillages or individual cylinders
of various lengths.
For household removals and storage specialists, Michael
Gerson, the arrival of a Sidetracker has allowed an
extra 108 storage containers, each 370ft3 capacity,
to be stored on its restricted site in North London.
The truck is designed to lift the cases, which weigh
up to three tonnes, to 8.1m. |
