Introducing the Raymond 8910
The pallet truck is produced by the Raymond Corporation, which is owned by Toyota Industries Corporation. It is a leading global provider of best-in-class material handling products and intelligent intralogistics solutions – including pallet trucks, lift trucks and forklifts. With its new generation electric pallet truck, the US company offers a truck that has been completely redeveloped versus its predecessor (the 8900).
The 8910 is a finalist in the prestigious 2023 International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year competition (better known as the IFOY Award). The overall impression of the Raymond 8910 pallet truck undoubtedly makes it a worthy nominee for the IFOY Award, because it promises a pleasant increase in pallet handling output for the user.
The writer of this article represents South Africa on the jury and, as such, she had the opportunity to test and evaluate the truck (and all the other IFOY finalists) recently in Dortmund, Germany.
The 8910 is ideal for use within a number of industry sectors including food processing, speciality retail, durable wholesale goods, refrigerated warehousing, wholesale food distribution and warehousing/3PL.
The transportation of goods on pallets over longer distances still has an enormous share of the logistics market. This is why pallet trucks with stand-on platforms – such as 8910 – are highly relevant to the market.
The truck in a nutshell
Comfortable and extremely manoeuvrable, the Raymond 8910 features a roomy, operator compartment for enhanced comfort and security. This pallet truck features intuitive, easy-to-use controls, low-effort electric steering (more about that later) and electronic braking. Adaptable, scalable, and flexible, the Raymond 8910 can be tailored to specific facilities and applications with a variety of productivity-enhancing accessories and options. For instance, it comes with single, double, or triple fork length options.
Interior
In developing this new truck, Raymond paid particular attention to ergonomics. The cabin is 20 percent roomier than its predecessor. In addition, the workplace can be set up flexibly. The entire console can be moved to adapt to the operator's position. The console cannot yet be moved by the operator, which is a disadvantage when working multiple shifts. This is coming in the new versions of the lift truck, according to Raymond. For operators who require more space, Raymond offers a smaller steering concept with an additional more than three centimetres of extra space. The pallet trolley is equipped with a vibration-damping base plate. Furthermore, wrap-around padded lean points and vibration-absorbing floor pads maximize driver comfort.
The toolbar has been moved from the battery side behind the steering console. This makes it easier to read terminals and other peripherals, and they are no longer in view of the direction of driving. The controls are intuitive and known from the manufacturer's order picking portfolio. However, this is the first time that this control system has been used by Raymond on a lift truck.
Drivetrain
The 8910 is equipped with a conventional lead-acid 24V battery. On request, Raymond can also supply the 8910 with a Li battery. Because it hails from the US, all the specs are “Americanised”. It has a capacity of 6,000 or 8,000 lbs and it has a travel speed of 6.5 mph (6,000 lb.) and 6.2 mph (8,000 lb.) when loaded and 9 mph (when unloaded). It is super easy to drive the truck and it really IS effortless to steer; it requires no effort at all. You just need to get used to the fact that you’re not looking in the direction of travel (because you don’t face that direction). So, it’s a bit like driving a conventional truck while seated sideways and facing outside the side window. The truck is super responsive; there’s no dawdling when working.
According to Raymond, the energy consumption of the truck is 24 percent lower than that of its predecessor. This is mainly due to its electric steering system, which replaces the previous hydraulic steering. In addition, the new steering system enables a shorter turning radius and thus better manoeuvrability in tight spaces. Another advantage: thanks to the new steering system, the pallet truck is more silent.
Safety
Raymond has also introduced some innovations in the technical area – and some of these relate to safety. For example, sensors have been built into the chassis to constantly check that the operator is within the safe contours of the truck. If this is not the case, the truck's speed is greatly reduced and an acoustic warning signal sounds. Once both feet are back within the work area, the truck automatically returns to normal settings.
In addition, the 8910 features automatic steering centring when the truck is started ̶ another novelty for this type of truck. Other features, such as automatic speed reduction when cornering, increase safety even more. There is a dead man's switch integrated into the base plate, which (we are told) requires 61 percent less effort versus its predecessor. We did try it – and it stopped the truck immediately and effortlessly.
Verdict
The truck offers a spacious operator's cab for added comfort and is equipped with intuitive, user-friendly controls. We like it – a lot! Operators should like it too; the Raymond 8910 impresses with its robustness and good finish. Operators will immediately notice the increase in comfort on the platform and will expect the truck to be both robust and durable.
Unfortunately, Raymond doesn’t make pricing public and so we cannot comment on that. However, it certainly is a premium product that appears to be well thought out and designed. Plus, it comes with a five-year warranty for peace of mind. We will not be surprised to see many of these trucks sold in South Africa.
The winners of the 2023 IFOY Awards will be announced on June 22. It will be interesting to see how the 8910 fares!
