The humble sideloader, that workhorse of timber merchants up and down the country, has not changed very much since it first appeared in the 1950s, according to joint managing director of Northern Sideloaders Ian Platts.
“It’s basically been the same from when it was first devised until now, ” he said, “except, physically a six-tonne truck in the 1970s would have been a great big thing whereas now it is a five-tonne machine. Everything gets more modern but the shape of it is basically the same.”
Mr Platts should know a thing or two about sideloaders. The management experience at family-run Northern Sideloaders, the sole UK importer for the Czech-made VKP Commander series, totals more than 130 years. This includes his 83-year-old grandfather Tom, the former sales director of Shawloader, who still works three half-days a week.
Despite the basic design of the machines not changing much, technological improvements have included a move from standard engines, gearboxes and transmission to units with hydrostatic drive. And the engine, which always used to sit on the back of trucks, limiting visibility, has been increasingly dropped below deck level.
Mr Platts said: “You used to get trucks which were just a metal box with a solid seat. Drivers were going home with bad backs, earache and headaches. Now, it all adds up to more comfort.”
Health and safety
Customers want better vision and accessibility to engines, while health and safety requirements and emission rules are becoming ever stricter.
Mr Platts said customers in the timber sector are looking for more reliability, truck stability and guaranteed back-up for spares within the UK so they’re not waiting for parts to come from abroad.
The Commander trucks supplied by Northern Sideloaders feature longer wheelbases and wider well widths for increased stability when transporting long loads. Mr Platts said this counters the “see-saw” effect, particularly important in helping to minimise damage to long loads such as I-beams.
“Stable movement of long loads is a must now as many customers have zero tolerance towards damage in transit,” he said.
Not surprisingly, the need to save space is a main talking point with customers. And it is here, Mr Platts added, where the greatly reduced widths of sideloaders comes in handy, compared with standard forklift trucks.
Mr Platts said: “In the UK everyone is limited for space. In the US there is ample space so sideloaders are not so crucial. Here, everybody’s sites are compact and every inch of space matters. More often than not customers say they can’t expand any further because it is built-up around the site or it is at the water’s edge.”
Moving upwards
So, instead they look up and consider how high they can go without moving premises.
Mr Platts said different customers have different lift height requirements. For sheet material handling they might want a wider bed width, while some warehouse operations with racking are looking to get the maximum space out of an aisle and store products right up into the roof.
Mr Platts described sideloaders as “rugged” machines, designed for long runs, and if they’re kept in good condition you can get a very long service life out of them. He said some of the old Shawloader units from the 1970s are still in use.
Northern Sideloaders’ timber customers include North Yorkshire Timber, Parker Kislingbury, of Brill Sawmills, EC Waltons, of Sutton-on-Trent and JELD-WEN UK Ltd. But it was Howarth Timber and New Holland Dock in North Lincolnshire that first trialled the truck three years ago. A total of 22 units are now in operation there, with four more already added this year. They are used for offloading ships and distributing products throughout the site, including packs of timber and I-beams.
Compared with the 10,000-or-so forklifts sold every year, the UK sideloader market only adds up to between 300-400 vehicles annually. But Northern Sideloaders says sales are currently buoyant.
As for future developments, Mr Platts said there may be further advances in hydraulics, otherwise customers are demanding smaller or larger versions to the same unit. Northern Sideloaders’ own range has been expanded to include 1-12 tonne machines, plus a two-tonne four-way directional truck.
