The journey to your ideal vehicle mover begins with four fundamental questions:
- What type of vehicles will you be moving?
- In what environment will you be moving them?
- How intensely will you need to use your vehicle mover?
- What are the main safety risks at your facility?
The answers will determine the base model, dimensions, and additional features which will make up your customised piece of equipment. According to Bengt Becker from Stringo’s Global Sales team, there are typically 60 to 80 different choices to make before your vehicle mover goes into production. This might seem a little overwhelming. But as Bengt emphasizes, you’re not left alone with all the options:
“We’ll guide you throughout the entire process, leaning on our extensive experience from having delivered machines to a wide range of clients over more than four decades.”
Laying the foundation: choosing your model
Getting the dimensions right
The most basic categorisation of vehicle movers at Stringo is based on the weight each model is built to handle, which in turn is decided by the power of the machine’s drive motor. This capacity is reflected in the names of our three main models:
- the S2 moves vehicles weighing up to two tonnes (2 000 kg)
- the S3 up to three tonnes (3 000 kg)
- and the S5 up to 5 tonnes (5 000 kg)
None of these are off-the-shelf products, however. Each Stringo is made to order and configured to fit the height, width, and wheel base of the types of vehicles you need to move, whether they’re SUVs, pickup trucks or sports models.
Specific requirements when moving EVs
With a regular Stringo, the car is gripped by one wheel pair only, while the other wheels rotate as the car is moved. In the past few years, there’s been an increased need to move cars with all wheels locked. This development is mainly driven by the electrification of the automotive industry, as the wheels of an EV are locked when the engine is turned off.
Is this a challenge affecting your business? Then you have two solutions to choose from:
- the designated Stringo 4WM, which is a powerful machine designed specifically for this purpose
- the DuoMover, offering the flexibility to temporarily turn any regular Stringo model to a four-wheel mover.
Our article Which four-wheel vehicle mover is right for you? guides you to the best choice for your needs.
To address thermal runaway and other hazards associated with EV testing, Stringo has also developed features such as remote controlled operation.
Factoring in the surroundings
Environmental factors are almost as crucial as the vehicle type. Experts from Stringo, or our world-wide network of distributors, often visit the premises of our customers to ensure we take all critical aspects into account.
“For example, thresholds or ramps affect how much ground clearance the machine will need to avoid getting stuck. This is particularly challenging when moving lower vehicle models, such as sport cars,” Bengt explains.
Learn more in our article about the growing demand for moving cars on slopes.
PLUS: the upgraded choice for high-intense usage
For some Stringo users, the vehicle mover is an integrated part of their daily operations. To others, it’s an indispensable tool for critical – but less frequent – tasks.
“An automotive museum, or a private car collector, typically uses their Stringo much less intensely than, say, a car manufacturer, a repair shop, or a storage facility,” says Bengt.
To accommodate the need for high-intense usage in more challenging environments, the Stringo S3 and S5 models are available in a PLUS version. These robust machines have the same weight capacity as our standard models, but are fitted with bogie wheels and a fortified front-section, enabling them to move cars across rougher surfaces and larger distances.
“There’s a trend in recent years to make larger and heavier cars, which has increased the demand for these tough machines. They’re especially popular in automotive factories based on shift work, with an almost round-the-clock production,” Bengt says.
Beyond the basics: fine-tuning the details
Your tolerable downtime determines your choice of battery
High-frequency usage doesn’t just affect your choice of machine. It also calls for stronger batteries and faster charging. There are several options within this area to meet the different needs:
“If you rely on your vehicle mover for your day-to-day operation, it’s worth opting for a more long-lasting battery and faster charging to avoid downtime”, Bengt explains.
Options that enhance your safety standards
For many Stringo customers, staff safety is the main motivator behind investing in a vehicle mover in the first place. And there are plenty of options on the menu within this category.
“Foot guards and rollover protection are our most common add-ons, increasing the safety of the operator, the vehicle, and the over all work environment”, says Bengt, adding that new features are being developed in close collaboration with customers:
“In some recent cases, we’ve added a ‘cage’ on the ride-on platform, which provides an extra safety barrier for the operator.”
Let there be light
In a hectic factory setting, different lighting options are also in high demand:
“Blue lights illuminating the floor in front of the machine make it more visible between aisles and around corners, warning people it’s approaching. We also offer red lights that mark out a safety zone to the sides of the machines, as well as blinking and rotating orange warning lights placed higher up, to be seen from further away.”
Some customers have also requested a floodlight to be mounted on the Stringo, functioning as a work light, letting employees see the area around the machine better in situations with insufficient light conditions.
Customisations leading to new and improved features
Even with the vast amount of options already available, some cases require further customisation. More than once, Stringo’s R&D team has tweaked an existing feature, or developed a completely new one, to solve a customer’s challenge. This continuous product development benefit others as well, according to Bengt:
“Solutions originally created as a special order for one client may very well get incorporated into the range of options we offer to others,” says Bengt. “The crash decking and winch for transporting severely damaged cars is a good example of that,” he concludes.
—
Your step-by-step guide to a customised vehicle mover
Would your business benefit from a highly customised vehicle mover? Learn more about how to evaluate your needs, involve the right stakeholders, and speed up the process with our step-by-step guide.
