Nils Berggren's workdays were much less intensive and stressful last year. Thanks to a MOFFETT M4 truck-mounted forklift, his work became simpler and freer.
Tväråns Transport's truck-trailer rig rolls between Älvsbyhus and southern Sweden every week with a load of between two and three houses. Älvsbyhus is a nearly 50-year-old homebuilder in northern Sweden that has delivered 26,000 single-family homes and has gained recognition through achieving the highest quality rating in the industry. The average distance for each trip is about 1,200 kilometres. After a MOFFETT M4 truck-mounted forklift was added to the rig in February, much of the work has been simplified.
Drivers Nils Berggren and his brother share the job of driving this truck rig. Earlier, they were forced to contract help to unload and at times transport the load the last stretch to complete the job. The load comprises long roof trusses, loose timber, gable board, gutters and building elements for a garage. The actual house is delivered separately in large sections that are unloaded with a special crane.
"I often arrive at the building site on a Sunday, so that all the pieces will be on hand when the carpenters start work on Monday. To contract people and machinery for unloading on weekends is not particularly cheap, so that a lot of the profit is lost because of this", relates Nils Berggren.
With your own truck-mounted forklift, that money stays in the company.
"But the greatest gain is that you are much freer now. Previously, there was a lot of stress to arrive on time to meet up with the help that was booked. Now, the trip can take the time needed."
Nils Berggren admits that he was a bit skeptical about whether the MOFFETT that was purchased could actually do the job. The ground to drive on at a building site is seldom ideal.
"But the forklift was a positive surprise. It is very skilled at getting around. And the customers are satisfied, because now they always get the material delivered right up to the house foundation."
In certain situations, it is totally impossible to drive up to some areas with the 24-metre truck-trailer rig. Then the forklift comes in handy again.
"I can reload from the trailer so that the material to be delivered is placed in the truck, hang the forklift on the truck and unhook the trailer. Previously, we were forced to hire another truck and to contract extra help for reloading. The truck-mounted forklift has changed the job a lot."
Everything possible is transported on the return trip. Certain days the truck is filled with fuel pellets, on other days with general cargo.
"If the return cargo for a customer is bulk goods, I drop the forklift off in Gävle and pick it up the next time I pass by. But if it's batch goods, I take the forklift along so that I can use it for distribution", says Nils Berggren.
The owner of Tväråns Transport AB, Gunnar Westerlund, who has driven "heavy, long and wide" trailers throughout Sweden, is fully satisfied with his investment.
"The forklift is just unbelievable. It is fast and moreover very handy since it can be driven sideways. Previously, we often had to transport roof trusses hanging in a strap on a tractor, with people walking alongside the load to guide it. Now we drive sideways all the way, swing the forklift around and the lift the trusses directly up on the house. In addition, it is super when delivering pellets in bulk sacks", he says.
And, it can be driven nearly everywhere.
"It got stuck once, but that time the entire road collapsed and there was a 1.5-ton garage element on the fork. But all we had to do was pull it up with the truck and drive on."