How do you unload a container and put away without double handling?
In short
Use a truck that works outside and inside. The SF-2000M articulated forklift has solid rubber tyres for yard and dock work and a mast that articulates through 210°, so it stacks in aisles from 1.9 m once it is indoors. One machine replaces the yard truck and the narrow-aisle truck, removing a whole handling step.
The standard flow is: yard truck unloads the container at the dock, puts the pallet down, a second truck picks it up and puts it away. Every transfer is labour, time, and a chance of damage — for no value added.
Dock areas are also congested. Levellers, ramps and containers themselves limit what a conventional counterbalance truck can do without blocking the yard.
Reviewed and updated by the iPack engineering team.
Yard to aisle on one set of tyres
An articulated truck unloads the container outside, then articulates its mast 210° and stacks inside the aisle — no second machine, no double handling.
The numbers that matter in this application
- Mast articulation
- 210°
- Minimum aisle width
- 1.9 m
- Max lift height
- 12.5 m
- Laden gradeability
- 13 %
How iPack solves it
Solid tyres, indoors and out
One truck crosses the yard, works the dock leveller and stacks inside the aisle without changing machines or tyres.
Articulation instead of a turning circle
The mast swings through 210°, so the truck stacks in aisles from 1.9 m and reaches 12.5 m — narrow-aisle capability without the guide rail a VNA truck needs.
Power for ramps and levellers
AC drive motors of 16.3 or 18.5 kW give 13 % laden gradeability, so ramps and dock levellers are not a constraint on load or speed.
Cold docks covered too
The SF-1400M-CS extends the same logic into freezer work, where the dock and the cold store are separated by a doorway rather than a fleet.
Machines specified for this application
Each model below is quoted with the configuration that suits this application — mast height, fork spread, film width or conveyor arrangement set at order.
From installations in this application
Outdoor unloading, indoor put-away
Solid tyres take the truck across the yard and dock; the 210° mast then articulates to stack indoors, so no pallet is handled twice.
A mixed fleet, one shipment
Different capacities, one container. Manuals, spares and the CE pack travel with the machines so commissioning does not wait for a second parcel.
Docks & containers — common questions
Is an articulated truck a replacement for a counterbalance truck?
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For most yard-to-rack flows, yes — with the added ability to work in aisles a counterbalance truck cannot enter. It is not intended for bulk earthmoving, attachment work or the heaviest outdoor duties above 2.5 t.
Does it need guide rails in the aisle?
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No. The articulated steering and swinging mast do the work that a guide rail does on a VNA truck, so an existing aisle can be used without floor or racking modification.
How does it handle different pallet sizes?
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Fork spread is adjustable, so a mix of pallet standards is handled without changing the fork carriage. The SF-2500M stacks in aisles from 1.7 m with an 800×1200 pallet.
Related applications
Send us the load, the aisle and the throughput
We reply with the model that fits, a budget price, the lead time and a layout drawing — usually within one working day.