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Gough Forklifts celebrate their 60th Birthday this year,
and will be publishing a history of the
Hyster brand in New Zealand, from the early post war
years to the present day. The story of Goughs and
Hyster is an example of a
successful long term partnership – one that started small, and grew
steadily into what is now one of the most successful forklift supply
companies in the country
From the early days, when Hyster manufactured only six models of
forklift truck, we’ll be looking at the people, the places, and the
machines that have contributed to the Goughs and Hyster story.
The Beginning –
1945-1964
When Gough Gough & Hamer gained the Hyster dealership in 1945, it
was almost by accident. An american company, Hyster had a close
relationship with one of its major customers, the Caterpillar
Tractor Company, to whom it supplied winches and logging arches, as
well as trailers, to
 suit
the Caterpillar D series range of tractors. Many Caterpillar
dealers also took on a Hyster dealership as well, a natural fit that
resulted in support for the tractor accessories, as well as access
to Hyster’s other major product, forklift trucks.
This
photo shows the interior of Gough’s Auckland branch, in about 1950.
In the left foreground is a Hyster Logging Winch to suit a
Caterpillar D4N Tractor.
 Hyster
Company had been founded in 1929, coincidentally the same year as
Gough Gough & Hamer. Hyster’s
original machines were steel and lumber carriers – a version of
straddle truck that continued in production, with upgrades of
course, up until the mid 1970’s.
The first actual forklift truck was built by
Hyster in 1935, based on a reversed
tractor chassis, and the range was broadened again with the first
“Karry Krane”, a unique-looking vehicle that enjoyed much popularity
with the American war machine during World War II.
By 1945, Hyster had set up an
overseas export department, and one of the first markets they
secured was in New Zealand, with Gough Gough & Hamer.
During 1945, Goughs had access to only six models, starting with the
QT20 1 tonner, the YT40 2 tonner, the VT75, RT150, the M2 Straddle
Truck and the KC Karry Krane. Records of the time are incomplete,
but the earliest recorded sale was of a 1946
Hyster M2 Straddle Truck – to
Auckland-based wood-products and plywood company Henderson &
Pollard. This truck is pictured here, with the photo taken some
time after delivery. This picture appeared in the November 1947
edition of “N.Z National Review” magazine.
 Henderson
& Pollard ordered at least four more Hyster
Straddles, and Goughs imported the last one in 1959, an M300E. We
know that Henderson & Pollard were still using the Hyster straddle
trucks in the late 70’s, but by the mid 80’s, the last of them had
gone. None are known to have survived (but if you know of any,
please contact the writer).The other popular truck of the day was
the YT40. These forklifts could lift almost 2000kg and were great
general purpose trucks. Most of the Gough branches around the
country had a YT40 as the “workshop hack”. This surviving picture
shows the 1954 Christmas party at Gough’s Auckland branch in Stanley
Street. Father Christmas arrives at the party being carried on a
YT40 “Sleigh”.
| There are still one or two
YT40’s in use around the country. Kaiapoi Vehicle Maintenance still
operate a 1947 YT40 on a daily basis. Mark Spencer, pictured
recently with the old Hyster, reports that it’s still on the
original engine, and requires no more than standard maintenance and
the odd set of new spark plugs. |
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Is this New Zealand’s
oldest Hyster?
If you know of any older ones, please contact Craig
Armstrong-Fray at Gough Forklifts, on 03 983 2433, or
Email:
craig.armstrong@ggh.co.nz.
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Gough Company Structure
In the early days, the management structure of Hyster basically fell
into the existing company structure. No dedicated Hyster Sales
Representatives, for instance, were appointed. Sales duties were
carried out by Gough Gough & Hamer Branch Managers, and they were
expected to sell Caterpillar, Hyster, and also the other brands that
Goughs represented, such as John Deere.
In the late forties, Goughs set up the General Industrial Division,
into which Hyster was placed. In 1950, the manager of this division
was Pat Davis. By 1957, the Manager was Bill Brittain, a
long-serving employee of Goughs who retired in 1993 after 43 years
of service. As well as Hyster, the industrial division supplied
Cedar Rapids crushing plants, Joy mining machinery, generator sets,
Skajit logging machinery, Northwest shovels and draglines, Athey
wagons and elevating graders.
The company’s branch network was extensive, even by today’s
standards. Gough Gough & Hamer had branches in places as diverse as
Taumaranui and Timaru, as well as the usual main centres. The
Auckland branch was located on Stanley Street, near what is now the
Tennis stadium. This picture from the 1958 Auckland Branch
Christmas party shows that, until recently, Stanley St hadn’t
changed much in over fifty years.
By 1958, Santa has
graduated to a Hyster ZA80. Pictured outside the Auckland branch of
Gough Gough & Hamer
Health and Safety
standards were noticeably more relaxed
in those days, as this
picture from the Auckland Show in 1956
 shows. Upon closer
inspection, however, these men aren’t in as much danger as they
look. A special clamp attachment is holding the timber pack to the
forks. This type of clamp was popular with timber merchants of the
day, as it allowed for higher density storage of the timber on
purpose-built racks. The machine is another Hyster ZA80.
Hyster People in New
Zealand
The first Hyster Salesmen were also Caterpillar and John Deere
salesmen. Almost invariably they also managed the local branch.
Around this era, Goughs employees such as Ferg Brinsden in Auckland,Wally Nicholson in Christchurch, Stan Hadcroft in Wellington, Harry
Richards in Palmerston North, Barney Barnes in Rotorua, George Smith
in Hamilton, and Charlie Richardson in Hastings handled any forklift
enquiries, as well as placing orders with the factory and managing
the servicing. With the growth that invariably happened, it wasn’t
long before product specialists began to appear, such as Stan Moyle
in Palmerston North.
Hyster-Ransomes
Beginning in 1947, Gough Gough & Hamer also started importing
Hyster-Ransomes Electric forklifts. Formed after Hyster took over
the British Ransomes company, Hyster-Ransomes became a popular
addition to Gough’s product lineup. When Hyster started designing
and manufacturing its own electric forklifts in 1964, the Ransomes
name disappeared. The first New Zealand Hyster-Ransomes customer
was Christchurch’s D.H. Brown, who operated a flourmill on Moorhouse
Ave. In 1947, they took delivery of a Hyster Ransome TE1H 1 Ton
Platform Truck.
Early Customers
In addition to Henderson & Pollard and D.H. Brown, Goughs supplied
forklifts to a diverse range of companies, most of whom are still
around today in some form or another. Henderson & Pollard ended up
being taken over by Carter Holt Harvey in 1987, and formed the
nucleus of what is now the Carters retail arm. The old D.H. Brown
flourmill on Moorhouse Ave is now operated by Goodman Fielder, still
on the original site.
Other Hyster customers were the Wellington Harbour Board, the
Ministry of Works, Odlins, Fletcher Kaiser, Senton Sawmills in
Hamilton, Williams and Kettle, A. Ellis and Co, to name just a few,
and New Zealand Forest Products, who by 1964 had an extensive range
of Hysters.
The Next Frontier
By 1964, Goughs had imported at least 396 Hyster forklifts, an
impressive feat for the fledgling company in less than 20 years, but
bigger challenges were around the corner. Gough Gough & Hamer
enjoyed an excellent relationship with the Hyster Company, and had
impressed the American Head Office to the extent that they were
about to offer a rare opportunity. New Zealand was about to become
only the tenth country in the world to have their own Hyster
manufacturing plant and Goughs were about to embark on a new
challenge – the manufacture of Hysters in-house, firstly at the
Sydenham factory in Christchurch, and later at Ensor’s Rd in
Woolston.
1964 till present day.
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By 1964, Goughs were enjoying strong
sales with the Hyster product, and held a large share of the
New Zealand market. Booming construction and forestry
industries during this time helped drive the growth in sales
numbers.
Hyster Manufacturing
With the introduction of government assistance for local
manufacturing in the post-war period, Goughs obtained a
manufacturing license from Hyster in order to start local
assembly. The Christchurch branch for Gough Gough & Hamer
was located at 300 Colombo Street in Sydenham, while the
Head Office was still a few kilometers away at 134 Oxford
Terrace. With the branch capacity strained, the decision was
made in about 1961 to purchase a piece of land in Ensors Rd,
Opawa, where a new branch would be built. This wasn't enough
to relieve the pressure on the growing company, which never
got round to exiting the Sydenham site. By the late sixties,
Goughs were operating the Head Office in the city, the
branch in Sydenham, and also the facility at Ensors Rd,
which had become the centre of the manufacturing effort. By
1971, a new purpose built facility was opened on the present
site in Hornby, eventually housing both the Head Office and
the Branch. It would be another 15 years, however, until the
manufacturing site at Ensors Rd would be forced into closure
by the building of the Brougham St extension, and the
opening of the new manufacturing premises at Hornby.
Throughout this time, the Ensors Rd site concentrated on the
manufacture of Hysters, as well as various Caterpillar and
Fieldchief products. (See photo 1) It should be pointed out
that Hysters weren't simply "assembled" in NZ, as was later
to happen with the introduction of the CKD (Completely
Knocked Down) concept. Only a very few components were
imported, such as engines, drive axles, and steering
components. Almost everything else, including transmissions,
chassis, and masts, were built in this country. The chassis'
were manufactured under contract to Goughs, by
Christchurch's Anderson Engineering, as were the massive
counterweight castings. (See photos 2-6) |
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1. Here is
the earliest known
photograph (although
undated) of Hyster
manufacture in NZ. An engine
and drive train is being
assembled for installation into
an H50F, a model built
between 1965 and 1972. |
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2. Here, the
counterweight for a
Hyster H80C is pictured during
the pouring process |
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3 & 4.
Containers of forklift
components arriving at Ensors
Rd are unpacked by an H50F |
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| 5. Gough's Russell Grant remembers
Ensors Rd as "A dark and dingy place,
known as the League of Nations for the
great variety of people working there". |
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Andrew Gallington has fond memories
of his days in Manufacturing. "The staff
were a mixture of personalities both
inspirational and just your average Kiwi,
all of whom were great to work with".
(See photo 7)
In 1986, the site on Ensors Rd was
demolished to make way for the
extension of Brougham St and the
manufacturing facility moved to Hornby.
This was also about the time that import
controls began to be removed in New
Zealand, with a corresponding decline
in the local manufacturing industry.
Between 1986 and 1991, the number of
Kiwi workers involved in the
manufacture of transport equipment fell
from 22,405 to 14,644.
The new site was still busy, although the
most marked difference was in the
product range. Instead of building the
smaller Hysters and importing the larger
ones, a reversal was seen. The new site
was used for the manufacture of bigger
trucks like the H4.00XL, H150F, H250H
and H275H, while the smaller 2 and 3
tonne trucks started to come from
Hyster's plants in Ireland and Japan.
(See photo 8)
The manufacturing process itself was
also beginning to change, with the
emphasis moving to CKD and assembly,
rather than full manufacture. The last
Hyster to be assembled by Goughs was
delivered in 1992. As this chapter closed
for Goughs, a new era was beginning for
the manufacturing division - a
transformation to Gough Engineering
wasn't far off, with a concentration on
core product lines of concrete mixer
bowls, forestry and mining attachments,
and specialist equipment for Caterpillar
machinery. |
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6. By 1981, the manufacturing division
employed over 30 people at Ensors Rd. |
| 7. Brian Ogg and Gregor Klaus pause
for a photo while building a new Hyster
H4.00XL for Winstone Wallboards. |
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8. A lineup of trucks inside the brand new site at Hornby includes a
couple
of H275H 12 tonners, as well as a fleet of 4 tonne "XL's". |
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Download this article in two
pdf files Part 1 Up to 1964 Click
Here (480k)
Part 2 Click
Here
(800K)
Thanks to
Gough Gough and Hammer for permission to reproduce the above
article.
www.ggh.co.nz
No Responsibility accepted for the accuracy of this article
(20/11/05)
Reproduced by Thomas Truck Training Ltd in the UK
www.3ttt.info |