1. General Purpose Mobicon

General Purpose Mobicon

Introduction

In many Army, Navy and Air Force Depots and Warehouses there is a need to load containers on and off vehicles. The containers need to be placed on the ground, or sometimes inside a building.

The Problem

  • High cost - Conventional container handlers like Reach Stackers and Container Forklift Trucks are expensive; especially where the number of containers handled is relatively low.
  • Restriction of use - Reach Stackers and Container Forklift Trucks are very heavy.  When a container is being lifted, axle weights can exceed 100,000 kg (220,000 Pound).  This restricts where these heavy machines can be used.  They damage yard surfaces or get bogged in soft ground conditions.  Preparing a yard for these heavy machines can be very costly.
  • Space restrictions - Often containers need to be brought inside a building for storage, or for freight handling. Conventional container handlers need huge doorways to get a container inside a building.
  • Safety - Conventional container handlers typically need to lift the container high above ground level for the operator to see where he is driving.  Having a container high above the ground makes the container handler prone to tipping over.
  • Hard to access containers - If a certain container needs to be accessed, often many other containers need to be moved first, a timely and costly exercise.
  • Hard to lift flatbed containers - The top-lifting frames that are used by many Reach Stackers and Container Forklifts cannot handle flat bed containers, and special chains or other lifting devices need to be used to handle these containers.
  • Hard to transport - Large conventional container handlers are around 55,000 kg, (120,000 Pound).  They are not easy to transport and need special heavy trailers.  This makes transporting them costly and time consuming.

The Solution

A Mobicon Straddle Carrier has proven to be an efficient, safe and flexible container handler, and is used by many logistic companies to handle their containers. The requirements in many Army, Navy and Air Force Depots are not different from Industrial Logistic Companies.

Mobicon - a safe, flexible container handling system

The Benefits

  • Low cost per container - The purchase cost of a Mobicon Straddle Carrier is much lower than a conventional heavy Reach Stacker or Container Forklift Truck. The operational costs are also much lower.  Fuel consumption per container is very low, and the service and repair costs of a Mobicon are comparable with an 8-tonne forklift Truck.
  • User friendly for yard surfaces - The Mobicon container handler has the lowest wheel weights of any container handler in the world. The axle weight while carrying a 20,000 kg (44,000 Pound) container is only 10,000 kg (22,000 Pound).  The Mobicon Straddle Carrier can be used where other container handlers will damage the yard surface, or get stuck in soft ground.
  • Very flexible - The Mobicon Straddle Carrier can transport containers lengthwise, and needs less space than a Reach Stacker or a Heavy Forklift Truck.  The Mobicon can travel with a container through a 5 meter (200 inch) wide, by 4 meter (158 inch) high door way, which means that containers can be moved inside and under low awnings, keeping the freight secure and out of the weather.
  • Less space needed - The Mobicon Container Handler is very manoeuvrable.  As it handles the containers lengthwise, there is no need to have a large area at the side of the container.  The Mobicon approaches the container from the front or the rear.  With a Mobicon, more containers can be stored per area.
  • Safe - The Mobicon carries containers only 0.3 m (12 inch) above ground level, and therefore a Mobicon cannot tip over.  The operator’s cabin is at the front of the Mobicon, giving the operator an excellent view of the surroundings (aided by a CCTV system with 3 cameras).
  • Better container access - Using a Mobicon Straddle Carrier, containers can be placed next to each other in a yard.  This means that all the containers can be accessed by personnel, and each container can be pulled out by a Mobicon, without having to move other containers first.
  • Easy lifting of flat bed containers - The Mobicon Container Handler uses the side-holes of the container to lift, and therefore the Mobicon can also lift flat-bed containers with the same ease as full containers.
  • Easy to transport - The Mobicon Straddle Carrier only weighs 15,000 kg (33,000 Pound) and can be made ready to transport in minimal time. The low weight allows it to be transported on a light trailer (chassis).

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