About Container Handlers
There are two main types of container handlers: mast container handlers and reach stacker container handlers. Both types of vehicles are commonly found at ports, terminals, railyards, container yards, and other work sites. Container handlers offer cost-effective means for transporting empty, loaded (sometimes referred to as laden), intermodal, and other types of containers quickly and safely, usually across short distances.
Mast vs. Reach Stacker Container Handlers
While individual container handler models can vary greatly, both mast and reach stacker container handlers are capable of lifting containers weighing tens of thousands of pounds (or many thousands of kilograms), whether individually or stacked; some models can extend upward of nine containers high.
While mast container handlers essentially lift containers straight and up and down, reach stacker container handlers differentiate themselves with their ability to lift up and down and outward, with some models able to stack containers four rows deep.
Container Handler Characteristics
Due to their forklift-like design, the height to which they are required to lift containers and smoothly put them into place, and the crowded and busy environments in which they often operate, mast container handlers are made to provide a wide mast view, or even as much as 360-degree visibility, throughout the handling process. Some models also incorporate weight-sensing and control systems that provide operators with greater precision and overall feedback where handling is concerned.
Additionally, container handler machine often provide multiple handling features, including extended spreaders, hook and side clamps, vertical and horizontal twist-locks, and other features that offer enhanced handling and versatility. Manufacturers are increasingly incorporating fuel-efficient engines and eco-friendly components into newer models, as well as idling, shutdown, and other technologies aimed at reducing fuel consumption.
More Features To Consider
In addition to cab-mounted and exterior work lights, container handlers may variously include warning or strobe lights, warning alarms, touchscreen displays, elevated and tilting cabs, advanced diagnostic systems, multifunction joysticks and controls, inclination and distance sensors, anti-corrosive chassis and component protection, and inching and pile-sloping technology. Other features may include easy accessibility to the engine and components for easier maintenance, reinforced chassis construction, tiling steering columns, power steering, integrated USB ports, and rotating seats.
Some leading manufacturers of container handlers include Fantuzzi, Hyster, Kalmar, and Taylor Machine Works.
