Since 1959 St Clare Engineering Ltd has manufactured a range of Fork Truck Attachments under the Grab-O-Matic trade name.
The majority of the Fork Truck Attachments deal with the lifting, moving and tilting drums made of steel, plastic or fibre board and of varying diameters, sizes and weights. Exporting more than 35% of production all over the world, St Clare is considered one of the world leaders in mechanical drum handling with their Grab-O-Matic range of attachments.
Industries using the Grab-O-Matic range of drum and materials handling attachments include, Petroleum & Lubricants, Chemicals, Plastics, Paints, Transport , Warehousing, Docks, Logistics and Pharmaceutical with a vast customer list that includes Esso, Shell, BP, Bayer, ICI, Laport Industries, BASF, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd plus many more throughout the world.
The fork attachment product range has been extended to include Self Dumping Hoppers, Drum Cages, Safety Work Platforms, Lifting Jibs, Reel Booms and many more general materials handling fork attachments. In addition Pedestrian Stacker Trucks, Reel Turning Units, Drum Carriers and Pallet Trucks are available for difficult to access areas.
St Clare also specialise in bespoke items made specifically to suit customer requirements, including ATEX approved units for spark proof zones.
All items are robustly constructed and can be fitted to most Fork Trucks in seconds, without the need for Electrical or Hydraulic connections the Fork Trucks can be quickly utilised in other areas when the task is complete.
For areas which are difficult to access with a fork truck St Clare has a range of Pedestrian Drum Handlers, for removing drums from pallets or bunds and moving around a workshop. Drum Rotators, Reel Rotators and a whole range of attachments can be adapted for use with pedestrian stackers.
Grab-O-Matic Quick Attach/Release Drum Handler Increases Safety and Efficiency
St Clare Engineering Ltd is committed to continuous improvement for safety and efficiency and has developed a Quick Attach/Release drum handler fork attachment. The Grab-O-Matic QR-1-DLR or QR-2-DLR can be securely attached to the forks and released without the need for the truck driver to dismount from his cab.
How Does it Work?
A Carriage Hook Plate is bolted to the centre of the fork truck carriage, this then stays in place permanently as it does not interfere with the normal lifting and moving of pallets and is only 300mm wide.
The forks are inserted fully into the fork pockets and raised, a sprung loaded lever locks behind the Carriage Hook Plate and will only release when the unit is lowered to the ground, this reverses the action and the forks can be withdrawn from the unit.
This process eliminates the need for the fork truck driver to dismount from his cab to secure the drum grabs to the forks with either ‘T’ bolts or chains saving valuable time when switching attachments, the system is safer as it reduces the risk of accidents due to the ‘I can’t be bothered to get off and secure the unit to the forks syndrome’.
This unique system Increases Safety AND Saves Time!
The Quick Release frames are universal with all current Grab-O-Matic pillars and gripping heads, this is a safe, secure and efficient way to attach the Grab-O-Matics to any fork truck, the only information we require when ordering is the size and type of carriage your trucks have and the length, width and thickness of the forks.
All the Grab-O-Matic range of fork attachments can be manufactured using the Quick Release System, increasing safety and decreasing change over times for attachments.
The Grab-O-Matic Quick Attach/Release System has been named as a Finalist in the Fork Lift Truck Association Awards for Excellence 2020 in the Safety category, winners to be announced at the end of March 2020.
See the Grab-O-Matic in action here.
Safety
Safety issues are paramount when designing, manufacturing and using Fork Lift Truck Attachments, with this in mind all Grab-O-Matic attachments, carry the CE mark are issued with a Certificate of Conformity and Operating Instructions. To compound our policy on quality the attachments are manufactured entirely in the UK to ISO 9001:2015 and issued with Test Certificates to confirm Safe Working Loads.
Maintenance/Service
Due to the high degree of engineering and careful choice of materials and treatments used, Grab-O- Matic units are virtually maintenance free and only require occasional light oiling. A full after sales and back up service is available with all Grab-O-Matic products, spares are available off the shelf for immediate dispatch worldwide to minimise operational downtime.
For UK customers St Clare offer a full inspection, service, repair and testing programme with certification, this includes free of charge loan equipment (except transport cost) to minimise downtime for the end user. Preventative maintenance is key to keep fork truck attachments working as intended, especially if used primarily outdoors or in harsh environments. Find out more about St Clare’s products here.
