Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1019591
WINERY & VINEYARD EQUIPMENT 50 WINES&VINES September 2018 "During racking and bot- tling, it becomes our little gravity machine," Callahan said. "We lift barrels and tanks and let gravity move the wine to its new location, whether it's a new barrel or the bottling machine." Callahan said this "forklift method" is generally gentler than using a pump to move wine from one place to an- other. By using the lift to raise up barrels and tanks and at- taching a racking cane and hose to start a siphon using nitrogen, the wine is pushed out of the raised receptacle to the grounded receptacle. "It takes a little longer, uses less energy, and is less upsetting to the juice," Callahan said. The machine is owned by the warehouse landlord and is included as part of the win- ery's lease as long as Calla- han and Gower maintain it. And they do — by them- selves. Callahan said much of the maintenance — which mainly revolves around the machine's hydraulic system (repairing the lines, topping the fluids) as well as brake adjustments and battery re- charge — is similar to that of the tractor used on their home vineyard. "We do have access to people in our complex who run a heavy-equipment rental company, and they seem to be able to fix anything that moves," Callahan said. "Trad- ing for wine is usually an easy proposition." Multiple lifts for multiple jobs Wine Foundry, a 30,000-square- foot custom crush facility in Napa, Calif., produces an average of 35,000 cases of wine annually, so the forklift story is an eclectic mix. Ac- cording to general manager Steve Ryan, the facility is home to three forklifts: one propane and one electric, purchased through Holt of California in Pleasant Grove, C a l i f. , f o r $ 1 2 , 0 0 0 a n d $9,000, respectively, and an additional electric machine that is a part of the building lease. Ryan said the propane forklift, a four-wheel Cater- pillar that can lift about 3 tons, is the winery's main workhorse during harvest season. Though it gives up a little on maneuverability, Ryan said, it makes up for it by how much it can haul and by moving around tanks or large stacks of case goods. And because they do have a bin-dumper attachment, the Foundry team can use the forklift for loading grapes into the hopper during crush. "This is our most versatile lift b e c a u s e o f t h a t a n d t h e higher weight load to move l a r g e e q u i p m e n t w h e n needed," Ryan said. The two electrics, a Clark and a Toyota, are both three- wheel lifts, so they are able to move around in tight spaces and stay inside the barrel room. "With a tighter turn radius, it's less of a bull in a china shop," Ryan said. Each electric machine can load up to 2 tons, and they are most commonly used to move barrels, small cases and supplies and for loading and unloading half-ton bins of grapes. All three of the forklifts were procured used. "As long as the batteries on the electric lifts are in good shape, it's a big savings as opposed to pur- chasing new," Ryan said. The most common maintenance problems he and his team have encountered are the bat- tery cells going down on the electric forklifts or the hy- draulic lines clogging on the propane machine. "It's easily managed with preventative maintenance, though," he said. The Foundry's forklifts are all regularly serviced by Holt mechanics. The Wines & Vines Product Focus feature is not intended to provide a definitive listing of all available products in a particular segment or provide any comparative analysis, but rather serve as an overview of what's new or available and also of potential interest to readers as determined by the magazine's editorial staff. CROWN The recently redesigned FC Series of forklifts by Crown feature a near- zero turning radius and allow for a larger battery, providing longer run time with up to 40% more loads per battery charge and up to 10% more loads per shift. The hydraulic system has been optimized to provide greater lift and tilt and lower speeds, resulting in increased productivity and savings of time, energy and effort. Models in this series can load from 4,000 to 5,500 pounds. crown.com CAT A three-wheel electric forklift with 2,500- to 4,000-pound load capacity, the 2ET4000 by Caterpillar uses an energy-efficient AC electrical system that the manufacturer claims requires only one charge to last two full work shifts. The machine also features curve control that automatically re- duces the speed of the forklift when it's taking corners. The mast, overhead guard and counterweight are designed in such a way to provide operators with optimum visibility in all directions, and a display panel provides information on service icons, directional indi- cators and performance modes. With AC power steering, operators can control the forklift with standard fingertip con- trols that include a travel directional switch and horn. holtlift.com JUNGHEINRICH The ETR 340 by Jungheinrich is a single-reach lift truck that uses a hydraulic system that can reach a lifting speed of up to 160 feet per minute. The bat- tery-powered forklift has a load- ing capacity of 4,000 to 4,500 pounds, and the supplier claims the machine can run for up to two consecutive shifts on one charge. The machine was de- signed to operate in tight spaces such as narrow aisles requiring high lift heights. holtlift.com Jungheinrich Cat