Steel Coil Handling 16 Ton Heavy Duty Forklift Truck With Fork Positioner Clamp

Coil yards punish forklifts. The FD160C takes the 16 tonne counterbalance platform and rebuilds the front end for steel, adding a hydraulic fork positioner, 1500 mm forged tines, coil saddles and a carriage reinforced for off centre loads. A 4000 mm two stage mast with reduced free lift keeps the lowered height low enough for warehouse doorways, and the mast support has extra webbing to survive the shock of setting a 16 tonne coil onto concrete. The layout was developed with a steel service centre in Jiangsu, which prioritised sight lines over the coil and protection of the hydraulic lines inside the mast.

• Coil Dedicated Front End A hydraulic fork positioner spreads the tines from 400 to 2000 mm under load, and 1500 mm forged forks carry coils by the eye or on saddles without adapter plates.
• Reinforced Carriage The carriage, fork bars and mast support are upgraded for the off centre loading coil work produces, extending structural life in continuous mill duty.
• Low Profile Mast Option A reduced free lift duplex mast keeps overall height near 3000 mm, allowing entry into warehouse bays with restricted door openings.
• Protected Hydraulic Routing Mast hoses run inside steel guards rather than exposed clamps, removing the most common failure point reported by steel plant fleets.
• Dust Tolerant Cooling An oversized radiator with reversible fan and cyclone pre cleaner holds coolant temperature stable in scale and graphite dust environments.
• Certified Stability at 16 Tonnes Dual front tyres, a 25,500 kg service weight and a 1220 mm load centre provide the lateral margin needed when a coil swings on the tines.

Built for steel coil warehouses, cold rolling mills, pipe and plate yards and port steel terminals where coils between 8 and 16 tonnes have to move from truck bed to rack without waiting for an overhead crane. With the positioner retracted and saddles removed, the same truck handles palletised plate, bundles and general heavy cargo, so a single unit can cover a whole service centre floor.

A steel service centre in Jiangsu handling 12 to 15 tonne cold rolled coils ran two FD160C trucks on a three shift pattern. Coil edge damage claims from fork contact dropped to almost zero after polyurethane saddle pads were fitted, and the positioner cut an average of 55 seconds from each coil handling cycle. At 5,000 operating hours the mast showed no measurable twist, and a third unit was added to the fleet.

The SLD factory group operates four workshops dedicated to heavy lift trucks between 12 and 45 tonnes. In house capabilities include mast fabrication, counterweight casting, hydraulic cylinder machining and full vehicle electrical harness assembly, which keeps lead times short and quality control tight. The company exports to over 70 countries with a service network of regional parts warehouses, and holds CE, ISO 9001 and SGS factory audit reports. Production capacity stands at 600 heavy units per year.

The heavy lift programme has been in continuous production for eighteen years, with cumulative output above 4,000 units. Engineering holds complete weld traceability records, uses finite element analysis on every new mast section, and runs a 125 percent overload test on 100 percent of finished masts. Assembly technicians average nine years on the heavy line. Paint systems are salt spray tested to 500 hours, and every machine undergoes a four hour loaded road test before dispatch.

Q: What coil diameters can the truck handle?
Coil saddles accommodate outside diameters from 800 to 2000 mm and widths up to 1600 mm. Larger coils need a custom saddle set, which we dimension from your coil specification sheet.

Q: Does the fork positioner need extra hydraulic flow?
No. The positioner runs off a dedicated auxiliary valve block with its own gear pump, so positioning speed stays constant regardless of mast movement.

Q: Can standard forks be refitted later?
Yes. The positioner carriage accepts standard fork bars, so the truck can be returned to pallet or container duty if the coil application changes.

Q: Are spare tines kept in stock?
Forged 1500 mm tines are held in stock and ship within seven working days. Custom lengths between 1200 and 2400 mm take four to five weeks.

Q: What is the warranty position on the reinforced carriage?
The reinforced carriage and mast support carry the same twelve month or 2,000 hour warranty as the rest of the structure, with no exclusion for coil duty.

Export packing uses flat rack containers with the mast folded, forks detached and all hydraulic connections capped. Shipment is completed within 30 working days of deposit under T/T or L/C terms. Warranty coverage extends 12 months or 2,000 hours across frame, mast, transmission and hydraulics. The after sales team supplies a commissioning checklist, operator training videos, and a stocked one year wear parts list, with air freight support for urgent components in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.