Mobile Elevating Working Platforms (MEWPs) are the common name of the equipment that puts people on an elevated position to work. In general, forklifts can be classified into 3 main groups:

• Boom Lift
• Scissor Lift
• Mast Lift

Among them, boom and scissor forklifts are the most popular.

Today, forklifts are gradually used in overhead construction and widely applied in many jobs because of the practical benefits that it brings: fast, safe and accessible to areas. difficult to access, which other construction methods cannot satisfy.

Let’s find out the history of the forklift truck with Vietnam Rental.

History of the human forklift

People from time immemorial have desired to build great works, typically the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, with a height of up to 140 meters. Along with the development of science and technology, people increasingly want and create greater and more complex projects. To be able to build these works, people need to work at high altitudes, which are very dangerous. The most commonly used method is scaffolding. However, this method gradually becomes outdated, when it costs a lot, manpower to install, the construction progress is slow, but the safety is not high, especially at high altitude projects. . From these reasons, people have to invent more advanced, faster and safer methods of overhead construction. That is the premise for the birth of the forklift.

1. The introduction of Boom lift

In 1951, Walter E. Thornton-Trump (1918 – 1998), a Canadian inventor, invented the boom lift device (Boom Lift). Initially, he called the device Giraffe (Giraffe) because the shape is quite similar to the animal’s long neck. Interestingly, despite its names: AWPs (overhead work platforms), aerial divices, EWPs (aerial work platforms), or MEWPs. (portable aerial work platform), the boom boom overhead equipment is widely known as the Cherry Picker, because it is often used to harvest the Fruits, including cherries from the tall trees of large orchards

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The reason why boom forklifts are popularly used to harvest fruit is because, if you use a ladder, it is difficult to climb, you also have to carry heavy baskets and other equipment to be able to pick. get the fruits on high. Not to mention the use of ladders in uneven terrain is very dangerous, and the risk of falling is very high. Therefore, people often use the boom type forklift because it is safer, more efficient and can easily reach high positions.

Some boom-type lifts have the ability to lift and reach like a crane, easily overcoming obstacles below. This is great in case you need to reach locations where you don’t have to place your device directly below the object you need to reach. So, in 1958, just seven years after Walter E. Thornton-Trump invented them, boom-like structures appeared on fire trucks in America to help firefighters put out fires faster and less risky than using a traditional ladder. Soon, boom boomers began to be used by workers in the maintenance and care of cable lines, overhead telephone lines, in mining, changing street lights or any other job. Which requires remote access.

In 1960, Walter E. Thornton-Trump was granted a patent for his invention. (illustration)

2. The Birth of the Scissor Lift

Scissor lift, also known as scissor forklift, is a line of vertical lifts operating under a pantograph scissor lift, which means using two identical scissor pillars to lift a floor. maneuver in the air. In fact, the design of the scissor lift has appeared in the United States since the 1920s. However, due to technological limitations, with the use of a one-cylinder scissor mechanism, the use of a large cylinder with seals Made of leather, low pressure, there is a phenomenon of bouncing, shaking, dangerous and difficult to use. Because of this instability, the application of the scissor lift to lift people has not been used for a long time.

It was not until 1963 that an American inventor named Charles Larson re-engineered the scissor lift with two scissor pillars on either side to raise the working floor. This lifting mechanism helps the working floor become more stable, easy to lift and safe when lowering. A patent for this scissor lift mechanism was filed by Charles Larson on December 26, 1963, and by April 1966 the patent was approved. By the 1970s, this design was commercialized and widely put into production by manufacturers.

Today, the scissor lift has many improvements, using hydraulic lifting mechanism to lift and lower the working floor, accompanied by many other modern technologies, but basically still use the design style. Designed by Charles Larson for its ease of use, neat design, and reliability.

We are the official dealer of Genie Lift (USA) and Maeda mini crane (Japan) in Vietnam. We have over 20 years of experience in the field of specialized lifting equipment and are partners of many large corporations in the field of industrial construction, factory maintenance, shipbuilding, aviation, hotels, …

We specialize in selling and renting high quality human lifts and spider leg cranes, with 3 branches in Hanoi – Da Nang – City. HCM with a fleet of nearly 1000 equipment including many types with working altitudes from 6 to 43 meters, meeting most of the work needs of customers.

If you need consulting, technical or business support, please contact: 1900 6553 or email: info@specialkindofstupid.com.

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