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APPENDIX B

CONTAINER-HANDLING EQUIPMENT

B-1. COMPLEMENTING CONTAINER EQUIPMENT. The unique quality of an ocean-freight container is its ability to travel over road, rail, and ocean without transferring its cargo at any point. Thus, it is commonly referred to as "intermodal". Accomplishing "intermodalism" requires complementary CHE.

The container trailer chassis is the most adaptable over-the-road unit capable of hauling empty or loaded containers. The chassis is suitable for carrying the different types of containers, and depending on its size, will accommodate 20-, 35-, 40-, or 45-foot containers. The chassis are designed and manufactured IAW the statutory requirements for over-the-road use. The container is secured to the chassis by twist locks, which are individually operated, and which lock into the lower container corner castings.

In the absence of a trailer chassis, a flat bed trailer may be used to carry a container over the road. When securing a container to a flat bed trailer, the container corner castings must be employed, as they are built into the container for this specific purpose. Other means of holding down a container may cause structural damage to the unit, in turn jeopardizing safe cargo delivery.

When a container travels by rail, it may be situated on a chassis (referred to as trailer on a flatcar or TOFC service). Or, it may be secured on the railroad flatcar without wheels (referred to as container on a flatcar or COFC service). In either case, the container must be secured correctly at all times to avoid any possible damage.

For loading or unloading 20-foot containers from chassis, flatcars, and flatbed trailers, large forklift trucks may be used if the container has built-in FLP. Loaded containers longer than 20 feet should not be lifted with forklift trucks. Other complementing container equipment such as cranes with specialized lifting devices or slings, straddle carriers, and heavy-duty lift trucks are also employed. Shipboard gear, as well as onshore cranes, are used for loading and unloading containers from the ocean carrier.

B-2. 50,000 POUND ROUGH TERRAIN CONTAINER HANDLER AND TOP HANDLER. The RTCH provides the capability of handling the 8-foot wide 20- and 40-foot long containers with gross weights of up to 50,000 pounds as shown in Figure B-1. It is a rough terrain vehicle designed for operating on soft soil conditions such as unprepared beaches. The RTCH has four-wheel drive and is capable of operating in up to 5 feet of sea water. Top-handlers, 20 or 40 feet long, are used in conjunction with the RTCH to handle ANSI/ISO containers. These top handlers are placed on the forks of the RTCH to allow for handling different lengths of ANSI/ISO containers. If needed, it could also handle longer containers fitted with ANSI/ISO fittings at 40-foot locations along the top of the container.

Figure B-1

B-3. INTERMODAL CONTAINER-HANDLING SPREADER BARS. Spreader bars (see Figure B-2) are connected by slings to the hook of a crane such as a RTCC or the 140-ton truck-mounted container-handling crane and are used to handle ANSI/ISO and other intermodal containers. The Army has two types of spreader bars; one for handling 20-foot long containers and the other for handling 40-foot long containers. The 40-foot spreader bars can also handle many longer containers since they usually have ANSI/ISO corner fittings at 40-foot spacing. Both spreader bar types conform to Military Specification MIL-S-52713 and are fixed frame designs with manually locking twist locks.

Figure B-2

B-4. ROUGH TERRAIN CONTAINER CRANE. The RTCC (see Figure B-3) is a wheel-mounted crane available through commercial sources. The RTCC is capable of lifting a 20-foot container weighing 44,800 pounds at a radius of 27 feet and a 35/40-foot container weighing 67,200 pounds at a radius of 22 feet. It can be operated on hard surfaces or on soft surfaces when using wooden platform sections to carry the weight. GS ammunition units, located in theater and corps ammunition storage areas, use the RTCC to load or transship 20-foot ANSI/ISO containers from one mode of transportation to another. Transportation units use the RTCC to augment the 50,000-pound rough terrain container handler in the transfer and handling of 20-, 35-, or 40-foot containers and other cargo between transportation modes and in storage areas.

Figure B-3

B-5. 140-TON, TRUCK-MOUNTED CONTAINER-HANDLING CRANE. The 140-ton crane (see Figure B-4) is a commercially designed crane used by the Army. It is truck-mounted, and has 140-ton maximum capacity at a reach of 12 feet. It has an 8- by 4-foot truck chassis and a 50-foot basic boom which can be extended in length up to 130 feet with the use of various lengths of lattice boom. The crane is used for loading and unloading containers from ships in a fixed port operation or watercraft/lighterage in a LOTS operation and for handling containers in marshaling areas and terminal sites. In a LOTS operation, the 140-ton crane may be used to lift cargoes of all types from the ocean-going ship to the lighterage/watercraft or on the beach to transfer these cargoes from lighterage to the beachhead. The 140-ton crane may be placed on an elevated causeway of a floating causeway to discharge cargoes from the watercraft. On the beach, wooden platform sections are used to prevent the crane from sinking into the sand. The crane must be partially disassembled for transport.

Figure B-4

B-6. 4,000-POUND ROUGH TERRAIN FORKLIFT. The 4K RTF is designed to stuff or unstuff cargo transported in 20- or 40-foot ANSI/ISO containers. It is found in Quartermaster, Transportation, Ordnance, Missile & Munitions, Medical, Aviation, and Engineer units. It is easily deployable in a 20-foot container.

B-7. 6,000-POUND VARIABLE REACH FORKLIFT. This forklift (see Figure B-5) is typically found in the COMMZ, corps, division, and brigade rear area ammunition storage areas. It has advantages over the 4K RTF in that it can load and unload cargo from trucks without the assistance of a ramp. When outfitted with special tool attachments it can extract MLRS pods from containers.

Figure B-5

B-8. ALL-TERRAIN LIFTER, ARMY SYSTEM. This is the newest MHE/CHE entering the Army system (see Figure B-6). Fielding should begin in late FY 97. This is a 10,000-pound variable reach, air transportable, rough terrain forklift. The ATLAS will be found in Aviation, Engineer, Medical, Ordnance, Transportation, and Quartermaster units. It can stuff and unstuff 20-foot containers.

Figure B-6

B-9. LOAD HANDLING SYSTEM CONTAINER HANDLING UNIT. The CHU attaches to the load handling system on the PLS. It allows the PLS to self load 20-foot containers without requiring the container to be loaded on a flatrack. The PLS truck can carry the CHU aboard the vehicle in addition to the standard flatrack hook. The PLS with a CHU is capable of lifting 20-foot ANSI/ISO containers weighing up to 36,250 pounds. Figure B-7 shows a PLS lifting a 20-foot container with a CHU attached to the lifting arm.

Figure B-7

B-10. 20/40-FOOT CONTAINER SIDELOADER. The diesel-powered container sideloader is a commercial item capable of transferring or self-loading and transporting 20- through 40-foot ANSI/ISO containers. Typically, the maximum lifting capability is 66,150 pounds. Units are available with a telescoping spreader bar for 20-, 35-, and 40-foot length containers and can also lift containers with slings. The sideloader can transport containers within maximum road height limitations. It also has an air ride suspension enabling it to transport ANSI/ISO containers containing delicate equipment. These are primarily found at commercial facilities and at Depots. The advantage sideloaders offer over RTCHs are the reduced amount of maneuver space required. Rough terrain container sideloaders are offered through commercial sources.