Brookridge Timber has been a leading supplier of timber and timber related products since 1981. Its range includes structural timber, cladding, sheet materials, decking, fencing and buildings which it delivers across the south-west from its bases at Cullompton, Devon and Bridgwater Somerset.

To streamline deliveries and offer a more convenient service to customers, the company has added a Palfinger truck mounted forklift (TMF) to its fleet, which has also enabled compliance with health and safety policies at certain customers’ sites.

Around 50% of Brookridge’s deliveries carried out with its own fleet are required to be self-offloaded, particularly those going to construction sites where various subcontractors may be at work with no direct access to a forklift.

The company’s truck-mounted cranes are suitable for some scenarios but not all; some sites do not allow their use as they necessitate drivers climbing on the wagon to attach slings to the load. This prompted Brookridge’s management to look at other options for self-offloading to make the procedure more flexible and safer.

A logical place to start was with a truck-mounted forklift, and as Brookridge uses Palfinger as the preferred supplier for its cranes, it made sense to look at its range of TMFs.

Brookridge director Roy Brooke decided that the CR 253 4W model, supplied by the UK’s official Palfinger importer Bill Bennett Engineering, best suited his needs.

It is dismounted from the back of the truck by the driver on the ground using the forklift controls and can be ready for work in around 60 seconds. With the driver seated on the TMF to offload, the issue of working at height is also avoided.

The 4-way steering mode of the Palfinger – activated by the touch of a button – also comes into its own when long loads such as packs of timber need to be delivered through gateways or in confined spaces.

Operating as a sideloader, the CR253 4W can access the narrow rural lanes in the area which cannot be negotiated by large delivery vehicles. It is also designed for rough terrain and tough conditions on building sites and a lift capacity of 2,500kg ensures even the largest packs of timber can be easily lifted.

In restricted sites, on very rough terrain or busy roads, Brookridge sees that the Palfinger TMF’s compact size and manoeuvrability offer several major benefits over a fixed crane, with which the driver has to ensure that he can park his vehicle close to the point of delivery.

The TMF allows a truck to be parked away from the delivery area in a suitable and safe spot so avoids wasting time, getting stuck and the potential for damage to vehicle or property. Customers also get their goods exactly where they need them.

Other unexpected benefits have arisen from the new system: with the rear-mounted TMF, Brookridge can now use curtainsiders which not only offer weatherproof protection for products during transport but also allow the company name to be prominently displayed for better brand recognition and advertising opportunities.

Mr Brooke said adding a further Palfinger to the fleet was definitely a good move.

“We have an extra level of flexibility alongside our cranes and we can ensure we adhere to site health and safety policies,” he said. “We also now have the ability to self-offload high value goods from curtainsided vehicles, keep to tight delivery schedules and improve our customer service.

It’s a great asset,” he said.