We are proud to announce that we have recently chosen Volvo Penta as the preferred OEM supplier of EPA Tier 4 Final diesel engines for our line of industrial material handling machines.
Our first forklift with a Volvo Penta six-cylinder TAD870 engine was deployed for stevedoring operations at Port Hueneme, California, and is performing admirably. More recently, we delivered a Marina Bull with a Volvo Penta four-cylinder TAD571 engines to Bolton Landing in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York. This week, another Marina Bull with the Volvo Penta will head for the State of Delaware.
Volvo Penta’s after-treatment solution uses selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), which meets Tier 4F emission standards. The Volvo Penta solution for Tier 4 final is compact and does not require regeneration, resulting in less downtime and reduced maintenance costs.
Although we are not yet required to meet Tier 4F emission limits, we have many customers who specify EPA Tier 4F, EU Stage IV and CARB compliant engines. We have tested products from other Tier 4F engine suppliers, and we selected Volvo Penta because of their superior emission-reduction technology, and their technical support and service.
At Volvo Penta, we are able to draw on the extensive experience of the Volvo Group in emission reduction technology for trucks, buses and construction equipment. Our SCR technology is mature and thoroughly proven over many years.
The Volvo Penta engines install relatively easily into our existing engine compartment without a major redesign. The Volvo engineering team provided prompt and efficient support, and the certification process was easy and painless. Customer service and satisfaction is also enhanced because Volvo Penta has servicing dealers close to our customers—especially at marinas and port facilities.
Our customers have given the new engines positive reviews. They like the high power/torque performance at low RPMs, which provides better fuel efficiency and quieter operation.
The American Journal of Transportation has published an article on Wiggins Lift Company, Inc. Highlighting the beginnings in agriculture, the article by Marty Pilsch describes the company’s beginnings in the needs for a custom machine for field workers and the conditions of agriculture.
Now, known internationally as the premiere manufacturer of high quality, custom lifts, Wiggins services the marina, mining, military, construction, and agriculture industries with innovative designs and customers service.
When a marina owner or operator wants to buy a marina lift, the first question is usually “what capacity?” How big of a boat does it need to lift, and how high?
The answer to that question is not as simple as one might think. In our last post (“A Brief Note on the History of Marina Lifts and Capacity”), we discussed how the terminology for forklift “capacity” was not developed with boats in mind.
The First Problem
In brief, the 36” or 48” “load center” terminology was not coined for lifting boats. Boats are heavy in the stern, light in the bow , and longer and narrower that regular forklift loads. Manufacturers began to specific 96-inch load centers (eight feet), yet even as early as the 1990s, boats had 10’, 12’, and even 15’ load centers. Accidents happened because of the lack of an easy and precise terminology.
The problem was exacerbated when marinas began asking to lift 40- and even 50-foot boats. Some manufacturers began using 144” load centers (12 feet!), but this didn’t solve the problem.
Operators just want to move boats, and do it safely. Using a 96” and 144” load center capacity is not the easiest or most precise terminology.
The Second Problem
Because boats are so long, with unusual weight distributions, they place heavier stresses on the carriage, mast, and forks of a marina lift than regular forklift loads.
For example, 5,000 pounds at 36″ puts 50% more stress on the forks and carriage than 5,000 pounds at 24”. When we lift a 42’ boat heavy at the stern and a bow that extends well beyond the forks, the stresses on forks, carriages, and masts are far more than typical non-marina loads. Accidents happen because some manufacturers do not build beyond the capacity of a typical 96” or 144” load center, necessary for these added stresses. (Wiggins Marina Bull are built 30% to 50% stronger than other forklifts designed for 96” load centers for this very reason.)
So, 96” and 144” load centers:
do not accurately reflect the load center of any boat
give no indication of the strength of the carriage, mast, or forks to lift any particular boat
The Wiggins Solutions #1: Build to the Boat
Wiggins spent many decades thinking through all these issues. We constantly research, test, measure, and innovate. We engineer, design, and construct our lifts to the largest boat a customer needs to lift—not to a 96” or 144” load center. Easy for you, standard for us.
The Wiggins Solution #2: MIPs
We use two capacity terminologies: the common “load center” (because it is expected), and a more precise and easy measurement of capacity called MIPs.
In the real world, no one is lifting a boat that weighs 35,000 pounds with a 96” load center (they don’t exist!). A 35,000-pound boat might have a load center closer to 240” (20’). A better measurement of the forces a boat will place on a lift is “millions of inch-pounds” (MIPs). An “inch-pound” describes how much force is exerted by a boat on a forklift per square inch, and takes into account weight and torque when turning or braking. How do you figure MIPs?
Weight of boat (lbs) x load center (inches) = MIPs
A 35,000 pound boat with a 20’ load center is 8.4 MIPs. Since Wiggins’ Marina Bull have MIPs in their model numbers, you know you will need a model W8.4 M2 or higher. (It would be listed as 52,000 lbs at 96” load center for continuity.)
If you have a Marina Bull W8.4 M2, and a boat arrives at your marina that weighs 36,000 lbs with a load center at 216 inches, can you lift it? Multiply 36,000 by 216 to get 7.8 MIPs—then get out there and move that boat with complete confidence!
Lifting Boats in the Real World
Wiggins model numbers are based on boats, not an out-of-date 96” load center. Do you want to know if a competitor model compares to the Wiggins W 8.4 M2? They might tell you that you need their model 600 which has a capacity of 60,000 lbs at a 96” load center. Will it lift your boat? Maybe, but how do you know? First, there is no 60,000 lb boat over 50’ long with a load center at 8’! Second, did they design the carriage, mast, and forks for that much boat? In order to lift the same boat as a Wiggins M8.2, you might need a lift of larger capacity from our competitors, because many manufacturers use the same carriage, mast, and forks across a family of marina lifts.
Wiggins builds our Marina Bulls to lift the largest boat you need to lift, and provides an easy formula for safe lifting capacity. A measurement that ensures the safety of your lift, your facility, your employees, and your customer’s expensive boats.
We will delve into the details of load capacities, strength of components, and MIPs in future posts. Join our mailing list to keep up!
Why do Wiggins marina lifts have the reputation as the safest and most stable in the world?
Over the next few posts, we’ll take a brief look at the history of lift capacity and the differences between lifting a boat and lifting other loads.
From Lifting Pallets to Lifting Boats
About 35-years ago, the first modern “marina forklifts” were built. Like today, they designed like regular forklifts, modified to pick up boats. Those “regular” lifts worked with loads that usually had a center of gravity near the physical center. That center of gravity is the “load center,” and became the standard way of discussing capacity.
Imagine a pallet of bricks on a forklift, set back against the carriage. If the pallet is 48” x 48” and weights 5,000 lbs, then the load center 24” out from the carriage. So you need a forklift that can lift 5,000 lbs at 24” load center. (How high out can lift the pallet is another consideration—the higher you raise a load, the more capacity is needed. More on that later.)
Regular forklift capacities became standardized at 24” or 36” load centers. For larger loads, this was increased by building bigger lifts with heavier counterweights. Still, most loads had their load centers somewhere near the center, and were usually easy to calculate.
There are other factors to be considered. A forklift is not a teeter-totter (or see-saw) which simply lifts a load up and then puts it down. It accelerates, moves, brakes, turns, and goes up and down slopes. This all affects the center of gravity. If you want a forklift to be stable, it has to be built beyond the stated capacity. Specifications are one thing—stable and safe operation in the field is another.
Wiggins Lift has always designed and manufactured our lifts far beyond our competitors’ ratings. Safety and performance in the field are a matter of pride for us. A non-Wiggins lift may be cheaper, but it will not be safer or perform as well.
Designing to Lift Boats
When the first marina lifts were manufactured, the same capacity terminology was used. But boats are quite different from other loads. Their centers of gravity are often not anywhere near the center of the boat. They are far longer than most normal loads. Every boat is different, not only in OEM options, but owner additions (larger tanks, generators, appliances, etc.) Boat manufacturer are concerned about displacement, overall-length, beam, and so on. The center of gravity of a boat is not as important to them as to us, and not always easy to calculate for marina lift operations.
Early manufacturers found that to design a forklift for a 20’ boat, the forklift had to be rated 96” load centers! Moreover, longer boats placed more stress on the lift through additional leverage, resulting in bent forks, broken mast bearings, and other damage. Not only did the capacity at load center need to be moved out, but the lifting mechanisms needed to be beefed up. Wiggins Lift has always been at the forefront of these developments, and that why we have the reputation for the toughest and safest marina lifts in the world.
As marinas needed to move larger and larger boats, the forklift capacities had to increase: 6,000 lbs at 96” load center, then 8,000 lbs, 10,000 lbs, and even 12,000 lbs.
You might be thinking that a 96” load center doesn’t make a lot of sense with boats beyond 20 feet long. And you would be right. If a marina owner want to lift 25,000-pound boats which are 35’ to 45’ long, along with a strong enough mast and carriage, the capacity would need to be 25,000 lbs at a 96” load center. That’s an 8’ load center, which makes little sense for a 40’ boat. (We are not aware of any 20’ boats that weigh 25,000 lbs!).
Another Way of Determining Capacity
Still, these are the terms we are stuck with after such long usage. However, Wiggins has used an additional capacity measurement, specifically designed for boats, for about ten years. Along with the standard capacity rating of 96”, this rating gives you a leverage rating and gives you a more accurate measurement to determine what lift you need for your marina, and what boat you can safely transport.
We’ll discuss this capacity measurement in our next post.
Our engineers and production people love a challenge. So when Westrec called and asked if we would build two Marina Bulls for their new Haulover Marina Center in Miami Beach, they jumped at the opportunity.
Of course, we build a lot of Marina Bulls—each one customized for the owners and the Marina; size, weight, profile, lift height—you name it, we can do it.
But this was different. Westrec, one of the world’s largest owner-operators of marinas, wanted a Marina Bull that could lift and transport 50’ boats that displace 20 tons, and raise 10,000 lb boats to 75′ and place them in their 5-level racks. It also needed high-definition cameras and wireless remote controls. The two lifts would be centerpieces of a 508-rack, Category 5 hurricane-ready dry storage facility. Building such a machine would make it the largest Marina Lift in the world, surpassing the previous world record Wiggins Marina Bull built in 2013.
We made it happen.
Design and Construction
Our expert engineering department went to work with their magic. Such a large lift had special requirements and needs, new ways of thinking about lift and traction, visibility, stability, and more.
With their usual skill and innovative approaches, it was not long before they had the designs and specs out to our purchasing and manufacturing people. That famous Wiggins’ pride was felt by all a the frame of the first machine began to take shape.
At the same time, our hydraulics department began manufacturing the massive hydraulic cylinders, and the huge mast was built.
Vendor parts began to arrive. The 6’ tires. The monstrous drive axle. Soon, the frame and body was assembled, and first stage painting began.
Wiring, electronics, hydraulics, tanks, and other systems were installed, snaked, welded, and tested. The true size of the monster began to show. Our state-of-the-art IQAN™ and Stabilift™ information system was installed.
The excitement around the Wiggins facility grew. Each day, everyone watched the first machine, now named Colossus, take shape with the installation of the engine, operator console, tires, and more.
With the body finished, it was time to attach the 50-foot mast. A high-reach crane lifted the record-setting mast into place, and our guys swarmed over Colossus, connecting and checking and testing. The machine towered over the Oxnard plain, and could be seen for miles. All who passed by stopped and stared.
Completion and Inspection
Representatives from Westrec and Haulover Marina Center were our guests to inspect and commission Colossus. They gathered the employees for a picture and spoke to them about the excellent work they had done—stressing that they were more than engineers and construction employees—they were artisans! Thank you to Bill Anderson and John Louis for your kind words. Our job is not done when we finish a machine; it is done when the customer is pleased and impressed.
For comparison, the guys lifted one of our test boats with Colossus, lifted a second boat with a regular Marina Bull, and a jetski with one of our US Navy LCS trucks. Parking them under each other, you can see how Colossus is…well, colossal.
On Its Way
Once all testing was completed and Colossus was commissioned, we disassembled the 220,000-pound machine and sent it on its way to Florida (on four multi-axle trucks, including one with 11!). It arrived in North Miami Beach in a few days, was set up, and is ready for the Marine Center to open. Meanwhile, its brother truck, Atlas, is nearing completion.
Wiggins Lift Company and Westrec proudly present Colossus, the largest marina forklift in the world:
The American Journal of Transportation has published an article on Wiggins Lift Company, Inc. Highlighting the beginnings in agriculture, the article by Marty Pilsch describes the company’s beginnings in the needs for a custom machine for field workers and the conditions of agriculture.
In brief, the 36” or 48” “load center” terminology was not coined for lifting boats. Boats are heavy in the stern, light in the bow , and longer and narrower that regular forklift loads. Manufacturers began to specific 96-inch load centers (eight feet), yet even as early as the 1990s, boats had 10’, 12’, and even 15’ load centers. Accidents happened because of the lack of an easy and precise terminology.
A 35,000 pound boat with a 20’ load center is 8.4 MIPs. Since Wiggins’ Marina Bull have MIPs in their model numbers, you know you will need a model W8.4 M2 or higher. (It would be listed as 52,000 lbs at 96” load center for continuity.)
About 35-years ago, the first modern “marina forklifts” were built. Like today, they designed like regular forklifts, modified to pick up boats. Those “regular” lifts worked with loads that usually had a center of gravity near the physical center. That center of gravity is the “load center,” and became the standard way of discussing capacity.
When the first marina lifts were manufactured, the same capacity terminology was used. But boats are quite different from other loads. Their centers of gravity are often not anywhere near the center of the boat. They are far longer than most normal loads. Every boat is different, not only in OEM options, but owner additions (larger tanks, generators, appliances, etc.) Boat manufacturer are concerned about displacement, overall-length, beam, and so on. The center of gravity of a boat is not as important to them as to us, and not always easy to calculate for marina lift operations.
Wiring, electronics, hydraulics, tanks, and other systems were installed, snaked, welded, and tested. The true size of the monster began to show. Our state-of-the-art IQAN™ and Stabilift™ information system was installed.
The excitement around the Wiggins facility grew. Each day, everyone watched the first machine, now named Colossus, take shape with the installation of the engine, operator console, tires, and more.
With the body finished, it was time to attach the 50-foot mast. A high-reach crane lifted the record-setting mast into place, and our guys swarmed over Colossus, connecting and checking and testing. The machine towered over the Oxnard plain, and could be seen for miles. All who passed by stopped and stared.
Representatives from 