When K2 Marine was searching for a device to rotate boat parts when they come off the mold at the company’s yard in Knoxville, Arkansas, it chose Caldwell’s Posi-Turner.
After seeing the Posi-Turner in action at another boat plant, Bill Kenner, co-founder, K2 Marine, which owns BlackJack Boats and Frontier Boats, ordered a 2MP-180 Minimum Profile Posi-Turner from Caldwell’s representative, Riptide Sales and Service in Mississippi.
Caldwell delivered the load rotator in just eight weeks. The complete process started with K2’s inquiry, and included evaluation, concept drawings, final design, and manufacture.
Companies worldwide use Caldwell’s patented Posi-Turner to lift, rotate, and position hard-to-handle objects that range from light to heavy.
“Several years ago, I saw a Caldwell Posi-Turner being used at another boat plant. It seemed to perfectly solve the issue of flipping the boat parts once they come off the mold,” said Kenner. “These pieces are not heavy but are cumbersome to turn over with manpower and normal hoists.”
K2 ordered an RLL-2MP-180SP Posi-Turner with twin bails, capacity 2,000 lbs., matched up with two CM 1-USt hoists. The order was part of a six-month overall plant expansion at K2 Marine.
“The main challenges regarding installation included proper measurements of the part that would be rotated and what length of straps would be required,” said Kenner. “Caldwell helped with this and when the first set proved to be too long, they came to the rescue and provided the proper length required.”
Use of the Posi-Turner has saved K2 time and reduced the number of people needed.
Sean Powers, Posi-Turner applications specialist, The Caldwell Group, said safety, efficiency, and damage-free products are what makes the technology popular.
“The Posi-Turner units are extremely robust,” Powers said. “We have customers still using units that were made before Caldwell acquired the line in 2000.”
Powers added that the marine-industry customers continually want bigger boats, so manufacturers need larger Posi-Turners to build them.
“Depending on the capacity, from 500 lbs. to 110,000 lbs. or more, ordering can take six to 16 weeks or more depending on the parts and materials available.”
Tyler Newton, Riptide Sales & Service, said that after discussions with K2 Marine, Riptide representatives travelled to Arkansas to meet with Bill Kenner and take a complete a walkthrough of the location where the Posi-Turner would be used.
Newton said that visiting K2’s site and discussing the boat maker’s needs, Riptide determined exactly equipment was needed.
Family-owned K2 Marine builds about 250 boats per year, and sells them through 20 independent dealerships from New Jersey to South Florida and along the Gulf Coast into Texas.
“Each boat requires one to two pieces to be turned over,” said Kenner. Those pieces weigh 500 lbs. to 1,000 lbs.
“The pieces are then assembled to build a complete boat,” Kenner added. “The hull is built similarly but does not need to be flipped over. A complete boat would weigh 1,800 lbs. to 3,000 lbs.”
Besides boat handling, Posi-Turners work well for handling auto frames, engines, truck chassis, heavy equipment, precast concrete, metal structures, and more.
They can be used on factory cranes, mobile cranes, and forklifts, according to a Caldwell representative.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
