2023 May June Marina World

DRYSTACK STORAGE
The all-new M4200H at work in the Viking
Yachts facility in Riviera Beach, Florida.
Forklift design for growing
centre console market
US manufacturer Marine Travelift has designed, built and delivered a new
model of marina forklift specifically engineered for the growing centre console
market. The M4200H (42,000 lbs/19,000kg capacity) centre cab Hydro M_Drive
forklift was recently delivered to Viking Yachts in Riviera Beach, Florida for use
in hauling the Valhalla line of boats and more.
Viking Yachts currently has a 150 ton
Marine Travelift boat hoist at both its
north and south yards but was looking
for a faster more efficient way of moving
smaller craft around, as well as loading
and unloading trailers. There are also
future plans for a rack system at the
yard to help with space constraints and
the number of vessels moving through.
A marina forklift was the best solution
for current needs and future plans.
The growing popularity of larger
centre console vessels means that
drystacks need to increase their forklift
capacity. “There is definitely a growing
need and market for this range of
forklift,” said Brock Rubens, director
of sales/marketing at Marine Travelift.
“In order to best meet our customers’
needs it was time to expand our product
offering, and with Viking being such a
great customer of ours for decades the
timing was perfect,” he added.
While designing the M4200H,
Marine Travelift put extra emphasis
on serviceability, cycle speeds and
turning radius. All of the improvements
are also being applied to the M3600H
(36,000lbs/16,000kg capacity) and
M5200H (52,000lbs/24,000kg capacity)
models. Shorter wheelbase, combined
with a tighter turning radius, allows
marinas to upgrade without needing to
make major infrastructure adjustments.
The M4200H comes in either a 140in
(3.5m) or 129in (3.2m) wheelbase and,
with Marine Travelift’s own-manufacture
steering axles, it is said to provide an
unrivalled turning radius.
Serviceability is key. Service points
are typically accessed from underneath
a forklift but for ease of maintenance
the access points on this unit are top
side. The tyres are also solid as Marine
Travelift realises that most marinas
don’t have the proper size compressors
to inflate to the necessary 145 psi. This
eliminates any issues with flats and the
need to call in an outside company to
keep the tyres properly inflated.
A larger engine was also chosen
for the M4200H model so as to give
it adequate drive speed and power
necessary for efficient navigation in
virtually any marina or service yard.
An additional benefit is the power left
over for increased mast, carriage and
fork speeds. The combination of all this
equals faster cycle times, which means
more boats launched and retrieved in
the same amount of time.
The standard centre cab
configuration moves the operator as
far forward as possible, achieved by
setting the steering column forward
of the front guard rails. The forward
position and standard rear back-up
camera displayed on a 10in colour
screen, gives the operator maximum
visibility. A Moment Indicator System,
which provides a green/yellow/red scale
to indicate the limits of the machine,
allows the operator to safely and
efficiently move boats.
www.marinaworld.com – May/June 2023
33