DEMAND for robust yet cost-effective equipment remains high. This is especially so in the agricultural sector where elevated input costs have placed pressure on local farmers. They continue to be the main market for Wuhlf’s Meerkat ATF 920 rough terrain forklift (RTF) which is claimed to retail at half the price of its closest competitors, while offering an array of features that have made it appealing to the agricultural sector for materials-handling applications. These include 4×4 drive, full hydraulic articulated frame with a steering angle of 35°, large tubeless tyres and 240mm-high ground clearance.
Wuhlf currently sells between 15 and 30 Meerkat ATF 920 off-road forklifts every year. Some of these machines are also exported to other African countries, including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, with the company having also recently secured a contract to supply units to the Ugandan government.
More recently, Wuhlf also started supplying these rough-terrain forklifts to brick producers for arduous materials-handling applications. The machines have a rated 2,5t lifting capacity that has been certified by the South African Bureau of Standards. The machines have a maximum lifting height of 3m and lifting speed of 600mm/second. Masts can tilt at angles of 12°/6° and a side-shift allows 200mm either side. This makes the Meerkats ideal for transporting heavy brick loads from the factory to the dispatch area and onto trucks that are destined to worksites and retail outlets.
