Goscor Lift Truck Company’s (GLTC) Crown pallet trucks are a common site in SPAR stores throughout the country. Soon the all-new Crown WT3000 pallet truck will join the army of Crown machines loading, unloading and picking goods in SPAR warehouses and loading bays.

GLTC MD Darryl Shafto says the WT3000 series has all the qualities a pallet truck requires to work day in and day out in demanding conditions. “This is an ultra-tough design with unique durability and outstanding ergonomics,” says Shafto.

With respect to Crown’s philosophy that a ‘comfortable operator is a productive operator’, the WT3000 may be the best Crown ever designed. It comes with Crown’s patented FlexRide™ system which reduces vibration by up to 80% while its floating suspension system reduces operator fatigue and prevents knee and back pain. “Perhaps best of all,” says Shafto, “the shock-absorbing suspension smoothes out uneven floors so operators no longer have to slow down when crossing ramps, boards and sills. The net result is faster loading and unloading and greater productivity all-round.”

The question is often asked: ‘How does Crown get it so right time and time again’? Well, to put it simply, they listen to customers! During the entire development process of the WT3000 the Crown team worked in close collaboration with customers carrying out intensive research on their premises enabling the Crown engineers to analyse working conditions in the warehouse and in loading areas. “Even during the final development phase, feedback from customers made a significant contribution, says Shafto.

This close liaison with end-users brought about groundbreaking improvements in technology. Take for example the Quick-Exit side restraints on the folding-platform model. This reduces the number of steps operators must take to walk around the truck. And on the fixed-platform models, Crown’s Entry Bar Safety Switch brings the vehicle to a full stop if the operator moves his foot outside the platform perimeter, while the rear-entry models are available with Crown’s unique, patented, weight adjustable FlexRide™ system, which, in this case, optimises driving comfort by tuning the vehicle’s suspension to the individual’s body weight!

The research also identified exactly which truck components are subjected to the highest stresses. The result is that the WT3000 series trucks heavy-duty side-restraints are attached to the vehicle by a super-rugged mounting. Also, shock that would otherwise cause the chassis and frame to judder and vibrate, are absorbed by guide casters mounted on lifetime torsion springs.

Of course the WT3000 is also equipped with Crown’s state-of-the-art Access 123® control and diagnostics system. Performance parameters can be programmed for operators with different skill sets or adjusted for specific working conditions.

“These are significant technological advances,” says Shafto, “and, all-in-all, major safety and productivity enhancements.”

Shafto says it has been a privilege working with SPAR over the years and that he looks forward to a continued mutually beneficial relationship in the future. “The WT3000 reflects the excellence of the Crown organisation and I hope the new series will help SPAR to continue giving its staff a good quality of work life and its customers the world class service they have come to expect from this outstanding company,” he concluded.