A straddle carrier or straddle truck is a freight-carrying vehicle that carries its load underneath by "straddling" it, rather than carrying it on top like a conventional truck. The advantage of the straddle carrier is its ability to load and unload without the assistance of cranes or forklifts. The lifting apparatus under the carrier is operated by the driver without any outside assistance and without leaving the driver's seat.

Lumber carriers

Early_Valmet_straddle_carrier_from_the_1940s_p1

The straddle carrier was invented by H. B. Ross in 1913 as a road-going vehicle that could easily transport lumber around mills and yards. Lumber was stacked on special

pallet A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or an erect crane. A pallet is the structural found ...

s known as carrier blocks; the carrier would then straddle the stack, grasp and lift the carrier block, and drive off with the load.Roots of Motive Power, Lumber Carrier, Ross Straddle Carrier
/ref> Because a straddle carrier is open at both front and rear, it can transport lumber much longer than the carrier itself, over in length. The Ross Carrier Company (now Northwest Caster & EquipmentNorthwest Caster & Equipment
/ref> ) was founded in Seattle to manufacture and market the carrier, and similar designs were later manufactured by Gerlinger, Hyster,

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larva, larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterfly, butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawfly ...

, and other companies.Roots of Motive Power, Ross Carrier Company
/ref> These "straddles" or "timber jinkers" were a common sight in seaports around the world until the 1970s, but were phased out as larger and faster conventional trucks came into use. An example of these road-going straddle carriers can be seen in the 1950 comedy film Watch the Birdie.

Industrial straddle carriers

Similar industrial straddle carriers are used in manufacturing and construction, both for handling oversized loads such as steel and pre-cast concrete and where transportation of special loads such as nitrogen tanks is required in restricted spaces not suitable for trucks. A key advantage of industrial straddle carriers and reach stackers over most forklifts is the ability to load or unload a

semi-trailer A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer. A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a trac ...

in a single operation, which can improve efficiency. Straddle carriers are also used for handling boats onshore. These are also often called travel lifts or travelifts.

Shipping container carriers

The most common use of straddle carriers is in port terminals and intermodal yards, where they are used for stacking and moving ISO standard containers. The carrier straddles its load, picking it up and carrying it by connecting to the top lifting points using a container spreader. Some machines have the ability to stack containers up to four high. They travel at relatively low speeds (up to ) with a laden container. Drivers of the carrier sit sideways at the very top and face the middle, so they can see behind and in front of the vehicle. Straddle carriers can lift up to , which equals up to two full containers.

Gallery

Melbourne--swanston-dock-container-carrier.jpg, Straddle carriers at work at the Port of Melbourne, Australia Portalhubwagen.jpg, Straddle carriers at the Port of Copenhagen,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

. Straddle Carrier Northport Malaysia.jpg, Straddle carriers or SK as known at Northport,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Straddle carrier from Port of Chittagong (05).JPG, Straddle carrier work at Port of Chittagong.

References

External links