Hyster Company announces that it has been selected as the successful bidder by Pacific National for a 31-unit big truck deal. Pacific National, one of Australia’s largest rail companies, has ordered 21 Hyster^® ReachStackers, five masted container handlers and five heavy duty forklifts, with two boasting 105,000 pounds of lifting capacity and three with 45,000 pounds of lifting capacity.

Hyster, along with one of its dealers, Adaptalift, worked with Pacific National to evaluate each site across Australia (Perth, Melbourne, Moolabin, Townsville, Adelaide and Sydney), where the trucks would be deployed in rail terminals moving containers, trailers and steel coils.

“A good analysis of each site’s application, together with the detailed tender document, allowed us to provide tailored solutions for each site, meeting Pacific National’s diverse requirements,” said Jan-Willem van den Brand, Manager of the Big Truck Application Center for Hyster. “The tender focused on total cost of ownership, ergonomics and safety.”

“With system and option enhancements on the equipment, Pacific National was seeking to achieve safety, customer and performance benefits in line with its company values,” stated Andrew Adam, General Manager, National Intermodal for Pacific National. “While at Hyster’s factory in Nijmegen, Pacific National staff witnessed first-hand the alignment of these company values that supported our safety motto – to ensure that operators, customers and all facility users return “home safely every day.”

Since Pacific National’s various rail sites handle different types of loads, ranging from high top containers with round roofs to curtain containers with bottom pick points, the company needed solutions that were adaptable. To meet these requirements, Hyster will provide customized ReachStackers that allow operators to easily swap between a standard container spreader to a piggy-back spreader, enabling quick response to changing operational demands of loads and helping to optimize fleet usage.

In the company’s Melbourne steel handling location, a Hyster^® RS46-41XLS model with 295-inch wheelbase and stabilizers will be equipped with a tool changer, so it can switch between a c-hook for coil handling and a spreader for container handling. With the c-hook, the truck will be able to pick 70,000 pound coils from the second rail using the patented Hyster^® Stabilizer Control System. This Stabilizer Control System optimally spreads the load over the stabilizer and tires for good stability in all directions. Three 45,000-pound capacity trucks will be supplied with special coil handling carriages optimized for this application, and chamfered forks.

The Hyster big trucks that will be deployed at Pacific National’s various Australian locations will feature modular designs helping to minimize the variation of parts needed to support the trucks, making servicing and operator training easier. All customized options chosen are also designed using similar components, having a positive impact on uptime and cost of ownership. All trucks will be fully serviced by Adaptalift Hyster, the nationwide dealer for Hyster in Australia.

“We are very excited that Pacific National selected our products, which can provide the durability and versatility that their demanding operations need,” said Brett Schemerhorn, President of Big Trucks for Hyster.