Long and awkward loads have for many decades been the bane of warehouse designers, developers and operators. With a conventional forklift, the aisle has to be as wide as the load is long, robbing the operator of valuable real estate. Conversely, side loaders are restricted in their manoeuvrability, and are of limited use other than for the transfer of long loads, despite the heavy investment required to purchase and operate one.

Robert Moffett of Ireland first developed his multi-directional steering concept for the all-terrain building site specialist machine the Moffett Mounty, which in addition to its flexible steering ability could be simply mounted on the back of a truck. This allowed the machine to be transported to wherever the truck needed to be unloaded, without the need for a special trailer or losing valuable load space on the truck.

CombiLift: the ultimate evolution

After selling the Moffett Mounty business in 1997, Robbert Moffett turned his attention to other ways he could utilise his multi-directional steering concept. Robert teamed up with Martin McVicar, whose career in engineering started with a summer job at Moffett Engineering, where he quickly moved on to become Moffett’s chief engineer before he was 20. Their aim was to develop a niche product for the materials handling sector for handling long and awkward loads.

The result of their cooperation was CombiLift, said to be the world’s first IC engine-powered all-wheel-drive multidirectional forklift. It is a highly manoeuvrable combination of forklift and side-loader, safe, cost effective and efficient.

The Combilift is designed to handle long-loads safely. By eliminating the need to travel with elevated long loads, the unit provides greater stability. Its integrated platform with low centre of gravity also provides a more stable base. The load is rested on the platform while travelling, minimising the danger of the load slipping off the forks.

The forklifts are equipped with a 4-way steering system that allows the units to travel sideways with long loads. This system gives the user multi-directional capability, claimed to deliver possible space savings of up to 100%.

The Combilift eliminates the unnecessary multiple handling of goods by being able to manoeuvre easily through doorways that are narrower than the load it carries. This results in less product damage and safer handling as well as eliminating the need for oversized doorways or conveyors.

Its ability to work inside and out and to replace a combination of other types of forklift allows more streamlined offloading and load handling in and around the warehouse. This eliminates double handling, increases operational speed and, combined with the ability to work in narrow aisles, contributes to increased productivity.