When work environments shift from concrete to mud, grass, gravel roads, and even steep slopes, traditional wheeled forklifts immediately reveal their shortcomings: insufficient traction, susceptibility to slipping, and a tendency to get stuck, significantly reducing safety margins. To enable palletized transport in these challenging environments with poor road conditions, numerous inclines, and limited space, a type of "stand-on/follow-on tracked forklift" combining a tracked chassis and forklift system has quietly gained popularity. These forklifts function as a mixed-material handling platform, somewhere between construction machinery and industrial forklifts. Globally, while this niche market is currently small, several representative players have already emerged.
In the European market, one of the earliest companies to systematically deploy tracked pallet trucks and small tracked forklifts was the Italian company Antolini Mezzi Cingolati. This company, a subsidiary of Costruzioni Meccaniche F.lli Antolini, has focused on rubber-tracked chassis and tracked special-purpose vehicles for many years. Its 名媛直播 include tracked dump trucks, tracked transporters, and tracked forklifts, emphasizing the "track + fork" combination for stable traction and low ground pressure under various terrain conditions. Its ERCULES series is officially defined as "tracked forklifts/pallet trucks that combine the practicality of traditional forklifts with the maneuverability of tracks," achieving adjustable stability under different terrains and load conditions through two independent telescopic tracks and an extendable chassis.
The Italian company Antolini Mezzi Cingolati's ERCULES product family currently covers multiple tonnage classes. The Ercules 10 is the smallest model in this series, with a rated load of 1000 kg. It features walk/stand-on operation, and the chassis can be extended via a hydraulic system to balance narrow passage and lateral stability under heavy loads. Officially described as a "perfect balance between load capacity, stability, size, and energy consumption," it is suitable for construction sites, landscaping, and small material transport. The load capacity is increased to 1300 kg, with a standard lifting height of approximately 1.1–1.8 m, and two travel speeds: 1.7 km/h and 3.2 km/h. The 13S version features fixed tracks and a simplified configuration, offering better cost-effectiveness for small and medium-sized users. Further up the value chain are the Ercules 15 and Ercules 20 models, extending load capacity to 1500 kg and 2000 kg respectively, providing solutions for handling heavy materials and equipment in complex terrain.
Hinowa, also an Italian company like Antolini, is another important player in the "tracked pallet truck/tracked forklift" market. Hinowa has long been rooted in tracked aerial work platforms and small, multi-purpose tracked chassis, developing a series of tracked pallet trucks including the TP1600, TP1800, and TPX1800/TPX1800E. Official data states that the TPX1800 is an "ultra-compact, highly mobile tracked pallet truck/tracked forklift" capable of transporting palletized goods weighing up to 1.8 tons on sand, gravel, mud, grass, snow, and slopes, specifically designed to handle conditions where "ordinary pallet trucks or forklifts cannot reach, or wheeled equipment will sink."
A major technological highlight of the Hinowa TPX1800 is its "telescopic scissor fork" design. Compared to its predecessors, the TP1600/TP1800, the TPX1800 features telescopic forks with a scissor mechanism, enabling operators to complete loading and unloading operations on truck platforms faster and safer. When the forks are extended, pallets can be directly picked up and placed from the side of the truck; when retracted, the overall forward extension of the machine is reduced, improving stability. In terms of power, the TPX1800 is available in two versions: an internal combustion engine version and a lithium-ion battery version, the TPX1800E. The latter uses zero-emission electric drive while retaining the tracked chassis and telescopic fork structure, targeting industries with noise and emissions requirements but poor ground conditions, such as outdoor food cold chain, temporary warehousing, and landscaping and scenic area maintenance.
The French company Rabaud, on the other hand, has infused the "stand-on tracked pallet truck" with a French engineering perspective. Rabaud has long served the agriculture, forestry, landscaping, and public utilities sectors, and its TRACKPALL 1800 is defined as a "tracked all-terrain pallet stacker," specifically designed for hillside farms, horticultural bases, and industrial sites with complex terrain. According to official information, the TRACKPALL 1800 can carry loads up to 1200 kg and stack them up to 1.8 m high. Equipped with a 23 hp Vanguard gasoline engine, it boasts a top speed of approximately 4.1 km/h. The track system provides a climbing ability of up to 35°, while the low center of gravity ensures safety on slopes and irregular terrain.
In terms of handling, Rabaud France has specifically designed the TRACKPALL 1800's operating logic with a "mini excavator-style" handle layout. Steering and track control utilize a dual-handle system similar to a small excavator, allowing operators accustomed to construction machinery to quickly get started. With a track spacing of approximately 1.25 m, it can handle large pallets. The fork spacing is adjustable and supports pitch angle adjustment from -6° to +8°, ??giving operators more control when going uphill, downhill, crossing steps, or on uneven surfaces. For farms or utility departments typically facing soft, uneven ground and requiring frequent pallet handling, this design significantly reduces learning curves and operational risks.
Hook-up Solutions Ltd. in the UK also holds a place in the niche market of "stand-on tracked forklifts/tracked handling platforms." Based in the UK, the company's core product is the Hooka mini tracked crawler handler, officially positioned as an "all-terrain, limited-site mini tracked handling machine," specifically designed to solve the problem of traditional forklifts, mini excavators, or tracked dump trucks being unable to "enter" narrow construction sites, urban backyards, and backyard projects, despite being able to move the materials.
Structurally, the Hooka is closer to a tracked forklift with "forks made into metal frames or specialized tooling." Its core is a rubber tracked chassis only about 1 meter wide, on which various attachments are supported via columns and a gantry structure, including pallet forks, steel beam clamps, booms, and metal frame platforms for handling bulk materials or equipment. Official promotional materials repeatedly use the terms "tracked forklift mini handler / tracked forklift truck," emphasizing its ability to lift and move pallets, blocks, steel beams, and bulk bags weighing 1.0–1.5 tons like a forklift, and to move with extremely low ground pressure in narrow passages, yards, alleyways, and cast-in-place floors.
A key technological feature of Hooka is its proprietary "Load-Lock" system. When handling irregular loads such as pallets, bulk bags, or tree root balls, this system mechanically "locks" the goods firmly to the machine body, rather than simply relying on gravity pressing down on the forks or platform. This significantly reduces the risk of goods rolling off ramps, steps, and uneven surfaces. This point is repeatedly emphasized in its case studies: whether transporting bulk landscaping materials along canal banks for Canal & River Trust, or transporting blocks, precast slabs, and steel beams for construction companies in the backyards of universities, hospitals, and residences, Hooka relies on its load-locking system to ensure overall machine stability under extremely constrained conditions.
In terms of specific performance, the Hooka mini tracked crawler handler can safely handle palletized materials or steel beams weighing 1.0–1.5 tons. Typical operating conditions include: carrying bulk bags or palletized blocks 100–200 meters from the roadside, traversing narrow passages 1.0–1.1 meters wide, and then reaching the work site via temporary boardwalks or floors. The article and case studies describe how it has repeatedly replaced traditional telescopic forklifts and small tracked dump trucks in university campuses, hospital renovation projects, and ordinary residential expansion projects. It has been used to transport and position RSJ steel beams (weighing up to 1,200 kg), as well as to move large quantities of paving bricks, landscaping stones, and root ball trees.
In terms of operation, Hooka is designed as a typical stand-and-ride/follow-along machine: the operator stands behind or to the side of the vehicle and controls driving, steering, and lifting using a multi-function joystick and simple instruments. The rubber tracked chassis has "spot turning" capability, allowing it to work on lawns, paved surfaces, and gravel roads while minimizing ground damage, facilitating construction in residential gardens, campus green spaces, and around historical buildings. Leveraging this unique positioning, Hook-up Solutions has created a complete application scenario combination of "installing steel beams, handling bulk bags, laying precast floor slabs and landscaping materials," making Hooka effectively play a dual role as a "tracked stand-on forklift + mini tracked crane."
South Korea's SUNGBOO is also a noteworthy player in the stand-on tracked forklift/transport platform camp. Headquartered in Chilgok County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, SUNGBOO specializes in agricultural machinery and special-purpose vehicles. Its product line includes tracked aerial work platforms, tracked electric transport vehicles, multi-purpose work vehicles, as well as threshing machines and dam-building machinery, and it has long been deeply rooted in the domestic agricultural machinery market. The company emphasizes on its website that its "名媛直播, representing the Korean agricultural machinery market, are used safely and conveniently," and that it has obtained numerous patents and new technology certifications, especially possessing significant technological reserves in the field of agricultural aerial work platforms.
Structurally and functionally, many of SUNGBOO's devices are essentially tracked forklifts "with forks replaced by metal platforms." The SB-7500 and other "table-type motorized vehicles" utilize a rubber-tracked chassis, equipped with an electric drive system and a hydraulic lifting mechanism. The operator stands on the side of the machine or the platform, controlling movement and lifting via a dedicated joystick and touchscreen. While labeled an "Aerial Lift Truck," the SB-7500's layout is similar to a forklift: a tracked chassis at the bottom, a frame and lifting mechanism in the middle, and a retractable metal worktable on top for carrying agricultural materials, containers, or even the operator themselves, enabling three-dimensional operations with both personnel and materials on the same platform.
In terms of specifications, the SB-7500 measures approximately 2,890 × 1,460 × 2,005 mm, with a maximum working platform height of 4,515 mm and a basic platform height of approximately 865 mm. The platform can be extended in sections to a working length of 3,005 mm in the forward and backward directions, and has a maximum load capacity of 250 kg. The machine adopts an "Infinite Track Type" tracked walking structure, driven by two 48V, 2.0 kW motors, with a maximum travel speed of approximately 2.4 km/h. It is suitable for slow and stable movement on complex terrains such as fields, sloping orchards, and greenhouses in agricultural facilities. Through platform extension and lifting, operators can perform harvesting, pruning, spraying, or installation and maintenance over a span of up to 4.5 m. It can also transport materials loaded in metal frames or pallets, achieving a combined effect of "aerial work platform + tracked transport platform".
To adapt to slopes and uneven ground, SUNGBOO has equipped the SB-7500 series with an automatic platform leveling function. The platform can be leveled within a ±10° range in the front, left, and right directions. Combined with a low center of gravity design and an upgraded "anti-derailment" suspension structure, it maintains overall stability on slopes and uneven terrain. The accompanying "intelligent control system" integrates functions such as a touchscreen, automatic leveling, voice prompts, self-diagnosis, low battery warning, and distilled water replenishment reminders. Combined with an emergency stop device and anti-fall safety lock, it forms a comprehensive safety protection system for high-altitude and sloping operations. The power unit uses six 8V high-performance batteries, providing a long operating time, and a communication system monitors the controller status in real time, facilitating rapid troubleshooting by service personnel.
From a material handling perspective, although SUNGBOO's equipment is marketed as an "aerial work platform," its combination of a "tracked chassis + column lift + stand-up platform" blurs the line between it and a traditional "tracked forklift"-it simply replaces the forks with a large, extendable platform, making it more suitable for "mixed human and material operations" scenarios such as farms, greenhouses, and orchards. Therefore, when analyzing the global landscape of players in the platform-based tracked forklift and tracked transport platform market, South Korea's SUNGBOO can be considered a representative from the Asian sector: it combines the superior off-road capability of tracked vehicles, the flexibility of platform-based operation, and the versatility of a platform-based lifting system, providing a "tracked forklift variant" with both lifting and transporting capabilities for hilly areas and facility agriculture.
A comparison of their technological approaches reveals that Antolini, Hinowa, Rabaud, and SUNGBOO all share a common approach in their stand-on tracked forklifts: operator-on-rigidity operation, low-speed precision control, and adjustable track width or wider tracks for enhanced stability. The differences lie primarily in their target operating conditions and structural details:
Antolini leans towards the broader construction and material handling market, emphasizing track width adjustment and tonnage range coverage.
Hinowa introduces telescopic forks and electric versions in its tracked pallet trucks, highlighting loading/unloading capabilities and zero-emission operation.
Rabaud deeply integrates its 名媛直播 into agricultural, forestry, and horticultural scenarios, focusing on climbing ability and ground-friendly design.
SUNGBOO's combination of a tracked chassis, column lift, and stand-on platform emphasizes its "platform" selling point.
Hook-up Solutions is more like a supplier of engineering application solutions centered around Hooka, focusing on narrow construction sites and steel beam construction scenarios. Essentially, it's a project-based player combining tracked forklifts with specialized tooling systems.
It's important to emphasize that the "players" discussed here are limited to tracked forklifts or pallet stackers that explicitly employ stand-on/follow-on control. Globally, there are indeed some tracked pallet handling equipment 名媛直播 available as OEMs or for engineering projects, but they often only have scattered models, lacking a systematic product family and long-term technological evolution, and cannot be compared to the three companies mentioned above.
As palletized material handling gradually extends from traditional warehousing to outdoor applications, construction sites, farms, and other challenging environments, these stand-on tracked forklifts are gaining popularity for their "small yet powerful" capabilities. While they won't replace all wheeled forklifts, they offer an efficient and safe solution for scenarios with poor road conditions, limited space, and the necessity of pallets. For industry professionals focused on upgrading outdoor material handling, understanding these tracked forklift manufacturers from Italy and France undoubtedly helps to rethink what forklifts can look like in the complex working conditions of the future.
