Choose the right transmission

There are currently two types of transmissions available on an IC counterbalance forklift truck, with around 70% of IC counterbalance forklift trucks sold in the UK fitted with a torque converter transmission.

Torque converter
Torque converter transmission offers a smooth overall driving experience by powerful acceleration and the possibility of coasting, easy direction change, single speed transmission, and no gearshift.

The key benefits are:
• Powerful acceleration
The drive system allows for powerful smooth acceleration when required. The high quality components and less moving parts ensure reliability.

• Great for longer travel runs
This transmission type allows the truck to ‘coast’ similar to a car. When you take your foot off the accelerator; this allows greater control and can reduce fuel consumption, if these long driving distances are common within an application.

• Car pedal layout
The inching pedal operated by the left foot provides greater control when load handling, disengaging the truck drive when accelerating.

• Smooth overall driving feeling
The combination of the industrial engine and torque converter drive train provides a quality combination which is suitable for the majority of handling applications.

The second type of transmission is the Hydrostatic (HST) transmission, which offers an alternative to the torque converter version by delivering powerful engine braking and acceleration with pre-set driving parameters, quick direction change, independent lift and drive functionality, an electrical parking brake and ‘stop-on-ramp’ functionality.

Hydrostatic
A hydrostatic transmission uses the engine to drive a variable displacement pump. This allows the transfer of the energy to hydraulic motors which drive the wheels.

The key benefits are:
• Great for quick change of direction
There are less pedal movements and controlled braking which decreases the chance of wheel spin and tyre wear.

• Provide precise controllability on short runs.
Again, there are less pedal operating movement required with this transmission which provides a high level of driver control when working intensively in short run applications.

• Running on uneven ground or extreme floor surface conditions
The transmission type keeps the drive wheels in traction mode even if one of them is off the ground. Also control is improved reducing the loss of traction.

• Complete stop-on-ramp
This feature can be essential if you need to load or handle goods on a ramp. The truck will stop completely when it is on the ramp, with the driver’s foot off the accelerator, this helps when loading a vehicle on an incline.

For an in-depth look at how each transmission interfaces with the engine, visit the Toyota Material Handling UK YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/toyotamhuk and watch Your Guide to Transmissions.

To help customers make the right choice, all Toyota sales representatives now have a simple purpose built consultative tool on their iPads to help support customers understand which transmission would be more suitable.