Marine Travelift Designs Lift for Growing Center Console Market

Marine Travelift has designed, built and delivered a new model of marina forklift specifically engineered for the growing center console market. The M4200H (42,000 lbs. capacity) center cab Hydro M_Drive forklift was recently delivered to Viking Yachts in Riviera Beach, Florida for use in hauling the Valhalla line of boats and more.   

Viking Yachts currently has a 150-ton Marine Travelift boat hoist at each of its North and South yards but was looking for a faster more efficient way of moving these smaller crafts around, as well as loading and unloading trailers. There are also future plans for a rack system at the yard to help with space constraints and the number of vessels moving through the yard.  A marina forklift was the best solution for current needs and future plans. 

While designing the M4200H, Marine Travelift put extra emphasis on serviceability, cycle speeds, and turning radius. All of the improvements made on this high-capacity forklift are also being applied to their M3600H (36,000 lbs. capacity) and M5200H (52,000 lbs. capacity) models. A shorter wheelbase, combined with a tighter turn radius, will allow marinas to upgrade without needing to make major infrastructure adjustments. The new M4200H marina forklift comes in either a 140” or 129” wheelbase and with Marine Travelift manufacturing their own steer axles it provides an unrivaled turning radius.  

Serviceability was key. Typically, service points are accessed from underneath the forklift but for ease of maintenance the access points on this unit are top side. These high-capacity units also come standard with solid tires as Marine Travelift realized most marinas don’t have the proper size compressors to inflate to 145 psi, which would be needed on the pneumatic tires. This eliminates any issues with flats and the need to call in an outside company to keep the tires properly inflated. 

A larger engine was chosen for the M4200H model as well to give it adequate drive speed and power necessary for efficient navigation of most any marina or service yard. An additional benefit is the power left over for increased mast, carriage, and fork speeds. This leads to faster cycle times, which means more boats launched and retrieved in the same amount of time. 

The standard center cab configuration on these high-capacity lifts also moves the operator as far forward as possible, achieved by setting the steering column forward of the front guard rails. The forward position and standard rear backup camera displayed on a 10” color screen, gives the operator maximum visibility of his or her surroundings. These features combined with the Moment Indicator System, which provides a green/yellow/red scale to indicate the limits of the machine, allows the operator to safely and efficiently move boats.