Maintaining Clean Yard Conditions Passively Using a Rear Mounted Forklift Magnetic Sweepers

Summary

Some industrial processes generate metal debris continuously. The Midwest Gate and Fence Company in Iowa has trucks coming in daily with fences that have been taken down, leaving waste fence wire clippings all over the yard. Cleaning this material up is an ongoing job that can be accomplished by using a rear mounted forklift magnet. Mounting a magnet on the rear of the forklift lets the lift truck go about its normal duties without being impeded while also collecting metal and preventing damage to vehicles and personnel on site.

Double Function

Richard at the Midwest Gate and Fence Company operates the Manitou forklift daily and is responsible for its operation and the Forager XL magnetic sweeper on the back of it. Richard said that the company used to use a simple fork mounted magnet from a competitor that didn’t work well with the Manitou. The fork mounted magnet was weak and hard to see past the mast of the Manitou, so it got ran into the ground multiple times, causing the collected metal to get wiped off since it didn’t have wraparound function or enough magnetic power to hang on to the collected metal. Having to take the forklift off its main duties to clean up the yard with a fork mounted magnet slows productivity and impedes regular operation. Having a magnet mounted on the back of the forklift allows the forklift to perform its normal operations while also collecting metal from the yard. The Forager XL can collect more metal during a week than the fork mounted model since it is permanently attached to the forklift and is picking up metal all day while the forklift is working rather than just running around with a fork mounted magnet occasionally. The tires on the Manitou were previously getting regular flats from cut up fence wires, when this happened the rim on the forklift bent, causing a very costly repair bill and putting the forklift out of duty for 3 weeks until a new rim came in. The Forager XL was selected to help remedy this issue because of its magnetic power and offroad capabilities that complement the Manitou forklift that it is mounted on.

Perfect for Tougher Terrain

Putting a magnetic sweeper on a forklift will always lower the offroad capabilities of the forklift. The Manitou forklift at Midwest Gate and Fence Company was designed to work in tougher terrains, with that in mind the Forager XL was created to be able to collect metal debris while set at higher sweeping heights and has provisions to allow for travelling in tough terrains without damaging the magnet itself from bottoming out. Check out the following videos to see the Forager XL ‘s provisions for surviving bottom outs and hits. The Forager XL is perfect for running in yards that may have potholes or obstacles that require setting the magnet higher off the ground for the sake of ground clearance.

Owner’s Impressions

Jake at Midwest Gate and Fence Company gave Bluestreak’s designers direct input on the design for the Forager XL he gave us key measurements from the Manitou forklift to ensure that the magnet will fit on the forklift. After Running the Forager XL for over a month we got Jake to give his thoughts on the performance of the magnetic sweeper and how it has worked for preventing flat tires on their job site. The Forager XL has collected a ton of debris in the month it has been used, with noticeably less debris getting collected over time which indicates that the yard is becoming cleaner while the forager operates every day. The magnet used to need to be cleaned daily when they first started running it but now after running it for over a month the magnet only needs to be cleaned every 3-4 days.

Continuous Metal Debris Production needs Continuous Metal Debris Cleanup

The Forager XL is a great passive way to keep your work area clean, as forklifts travel through the top traffic areas of your jobsite and by attaching a magnet to the forklift you have a continuous cleaning operation going on. In an industry like fence manufacturing, metal debris is always being produced so having a continuous cleaning operation keeps the level of debris on the job site at a manageable level and prevents excessive flat tires. The photo below shows the amount of metal the Forager XL picked up in the span of two hours.