A landscaping specialist has described its new Hinowa tracked forklift supplied by Access Platform Sales as a “gamechanger”.
Just Gardening says its new Hinowa TP1600 has transformed the way it lifts and moves materials and is allowing the business to take on work it additional work.
Company owner Paul Williams says the machine is also the perfect solution for a growing trend in materials being delivered in palletised loads off curtain wall trucks.
“A lot of the stone we order is now delivered in this way, so requires roadside unloading without the assistance of a lorry-mounted crane,” he explains.
“Having the Hinowa forklift means this isn’t a problem, even if lorry has to park some way from our project because of access difficulties. We just lift pallets off the lorry and track them straight to where they’re needed.
“It’s turned out to be a brilliant piece of kit for us, a real game changer really. Other options we looked at were just too bulky and costly and couldn’t do what the Hinowa can.”
Access Platform Sales (APS) is the UK’s exclusive distributor for all Hinowa products, which includes tracked forklifts, mini dumpers and tracked spider platforms.
The Hinowa TP1600 tracked forklift, also known as a tracked pallet jack, has a maximum safe working load (SWL) of 1.6t. It weighs 1.33t and is powered by a Honda GX390 petrol engine.
The ride-on forklift’s tracks can be set at a width of 1800mm or withdrawn, at a touch a button, to 1240mm to drive through narrow gaps and operate in confined spaces.
The Hinowa TP1600’s forks can be lifted to 1775mm and tilted down from the horizontal by 3 degrees or up by 7 degrees. It can also be fitted with a lifting boom to turn it into a pick and carry crane.
Its 250mm-wide rubber tracks greatly assist in working on low load-bearing surfaces such as lawns, gravel paths and stone patios.
Other models in the tracked forklift range are the TP1800, which has a maximum SWL of 1.8t and the TP2000, with a maximum SWL of 2t.
APS Sales Manager Jonathan Wiseman said he was thrilled that Just Gardening’s Hinowa forklift was making such a big contribution to its continued success.
He added: “It is one lifting solution but answers so many questions in terms of site access, working in confined spaces, over difficult terrain while significantly improving safety by reducing manual handling.
“At APS, we also do our bit by working with customers like Paul to assess specific requirements, provide competitive payment terms, and on-going maintenance support if it is needed.”
Just Gardening, based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, uses its Hinowa TP1600 for a wide range of landscaping and gardening projects.
“The ease with which we can move materials is a key cost and constraint for landscapers like us,” says Paul Williams.
“So, having the TP1600 is allowing us to bid for and win work that, previously, we’d decline because material handling difficulties meant it wouldn’t be profitable.
“We’re being specifically asked by builders to assist them because they know we have the Hinowa forklift and we can help them move their materials on site.
“It also helps our clients and their neighbours because lorries don’t have to get so close, blocking narrow roads, to deliver materials. The PT1600 is giving us a lot of advantages as a landscaping business.”
For one project, Just Gardening was tasked with installing a 1.2t stone ornament in garden in the centre of a small village. Access constraints meant it had to be unloaded from a lorry 500m from the property.
“Previously, we’d have needed a team of three people and the job would’ve taken up to two days to plan and execute,” said Paul Williams. “With the Hinowa tracked forklift I did it by myself in two hours.
“As a piece of landscaping equipment, the PT1600 is right up there in terms of return on investment. Now we’ve got it, we wouldn’t want to be without it.”
