Crown builds its own LPG counterbalance engine

The engines are being built in a 165,500-square-foot facility in Ohio, which Crown purchased in 2012. The operation recently earned the International Organisation for Standardisation ISO 9001:2008 certification that specifies requirements for a quality management system.

In preparation for the launch of the Crown C-5 Series in 2009, Crown Equipment worked closely with John Deere Power Systems to jointly develop an engine built specifically for forklifts operating in the toughest environments. Initially, John Deere Power Systems supplied the engines and has since supported Crown throughout the transition of the engine production to the new Crown facility. Moving forward, Crown’s completed engines will be transported to its Greencastle, Ind., plant to be placed inside Crown C-5 Series forklifts for delivery to customers.

According to Jim Dicke III, president, Crown Equipment, the company’s integrated manufacturing model enables it to bring customers value in innovative ways, as seen in many of the features found on the Crown C-5 Series. Dicke noted that Crown’s integrated manufacturing practices "provide a level of control and consistency that brings unsurpassed quality and increased dependability and reliability to customers. It’s a forward-thinking culture that Crown embraces globally, and has resulted in competitive differentiation for the Crown lift trucks customer experience".

The Crown C-5 Series is built for indoor and outdoor environments requiring material handling equipment capable of performing in harsh conditions that traditionally have been too tough for sustained forklift performance.

New cabins for C-5

Crown has also unveiled new hard and soft cabins for the C-5 Series that contain a number of features to help operators gain comfort, greater visibility and improved performance while working in unpredictable environments.

The rugged design of the hard cabin, which is constructed from tubular steel, is available for the pneumatic tire model. Available as a factory-installed option, its textured, sound-absorbing surfaces reduce noise; long, bar-style door handles provide strength and leverage for easy closing; and, two-way sliding, locking windows improve an operator’s control of their working conditions. Filtered fresh air, heat and defrost controls are built into the door assembly so operators gain more floor space. This design also enables entry and exit on right side of the cabin.

The soft cabin, while available as a factory-installed option, also can be purchased as an aftermarket kit for user installation. It features an acrylic top and soft rear window and doors that can be rolled up or down as weather conditions change. The soft cabin can be ordered as a full cab, a partial cab without doors, or in modular components that can be used to create a custom solution.

Airgas Inc, one of the nation’s leading suppliers of industrial, medical and specialty gases and hard goods, such as welding equipment and related products, has an extensive fleet of Crown C-5 Series forklifts equipped with the new cabins.

"Our operators feel the new cabin increases visibility and creates a quieter, more comfortable environment due to the near automotive-quality fit and finish that was designed specifically for the forklift,” said Shaye Powers, director of fleet maintenance, Airgas, Inc. "The fact that the cabin was designed by Crown Equipment ensures that replacement parts availability and product support are at the same high level we’ve come to expect from the company.”

The design of the Crown C-5 Series cabins is focused around the operator and considers optimum visibility in all directions, which is important in outdoor and extreme applications where pedestrians and other operators may not see or hear well. Through the large windows operators can easily view the fork tips, load and surrounding environment. With both the hard and soft cabins, forward visibility is maintained via the safety glass windshield with wiper and washer. Large acrylic roof panels provide optimum overhead visibility, especially valuable when handling loads at height.