Daewoo forklifts: one potato, two potato, three potato….Daewoo

“There are thousands of growers in this country,” says Darryl Shafto MD Goscor Lift truck Company (GLTC), local distributors of Daewoo forklift trucks, “and with millions of tons of production each year, potatoes are big business.”

It should be no surprise in a country that devours ‘slap chips’ at a rate of knots that potatoes constitute a key industry, as well as a staple diet for many. It’s also a tough operation for forklift trucks – combining heavy loads, high-level storage and intensive seasonal work. Add in plenty of dust, temperature controlled environments and uneven terrain and you’ve got just about the perfect forklift durability test bed.

It’s precisely this kind of environment that has helped to show just how robust and capable the Daewoo forklift range has become, and how suitable it is to even the most demanding of operations.

For almost a decade, Daewoo forklifts have become an increasingly familiar sight across South Africa. Record sales have helped push GLTC to the forefront of the market and its growth has made a lot of people sit up and take notice.

“Increasing numbers of forklift operators are interested in what we have to say,” says Shafto “Not only are we extremely competitive, but the tough nature of some of the applications are helping to show just how tough the Daewoo truck really is.”

With this in mind, the company has begun carving out a niche in the agricultural sector: “Typically, this type of operation requires a particularly sturdy truck, with excellent residual capacity and lateral stability,” says Shafto, “and the D25S-3 range has exactly that.”

Of significant interest to the potato market has been the ability to lift over 2.6 tonnes to heights of 6 metres using the smaller 3 tonnes machine. A larger truck could also do the job, but would increase cost and decrease manoeuvrability. When handling loads of this type, a tough, flexible, truck is not just desirable, but essential.

Also proving popular is the “brakes for life” concept, which is unique to Daewoo. This is an oil-cooled disc brake system, which, being totally enclosed, eliminates all outside contamination of any humid, abrasive or corrosive dust particles. The system significantly reduces operating costs and Goscor offers on it a 60-month, unlimited hours guarantee.