Fantuzzi SF Side-Loader Lift Trucks — Technical Legacy Guide
General guidance only — always follow the operation and maintenance manual for your specific machine.
Summary
According to the manuals, SF is the designation of the Fantuzzi side-lift trucks, which carry materials such as timber, steel and pipe and cement products from the production line to the store and from the store to the means of transport, as recorded by the HIT SRL technical desk. The 2003 editions give eight U models, from the SF 30 U to the SF 65 U, rated from 3,000 to 6,500 kg with stabilisers, all diesel-powered with rear drive and a hydrostatic transmission. The 1998 SideLIFTS edition adds the SF 45, SF 50 and SF 60 with a Voith hydrodynamic transmission, older handbooks describe the earlier SF 30-40 E, SF 60 L, SF 60 and SF 80, and the 2003 maintenance manual also names heavier models up to the SF 150 and the SC 200. The present owner of the Fantuzzi Reggiane brand states that new Fantuzzi Reggiane machines are no longer sold and that it supports those still in operation.
Model identification
The SF manuals describe a machine with rear driving wheels, front steering wheels, a mast assembly with its hoist cylinder, the operator's cab, the hydraulic reservoir, the engine bonnet, the frame and the forks, the HIT SRL technical desk notes. The model number gives the capacity in hundreds of kilograms from the SF 30 U to the SF 65 U; the suffixes U, E and L are not explained in the documentation and are treated here as commercial designations.
SF U range, 2003-2004 editions
The operator's manual of February 2003 has one specification sheet for each model:
- SF 30 U, SF 35 U, SF 40 U, SF 45 U — 3,000, 3,500, 4,000 and 4,500 kg with stabilisers; 5,800 kg unladen for the first two and 6,000 kg for the others, with the nameplate as reference; length 4,200 mm, width 2,000 mm, pitch 2,450 mm, turning radii 1,300 mm inside and 4,200 mm outside; 27.10-12 tyres; 12 V, 120 Ah battery, as printed in the 2003 sheets.
- SF 50 U, SF 55 U, SF 60 U, SF 65 U — 5,000, 5,500, 6,000 and 6,500 kg with stabilisers; 7,800 kg unladen for the SF 50 U and SF 55 U and 8,200 kg for the SF 60 U and SF 65 U; length 4,450 mm, width 2,000 mm, pitch 2,600 mm, turning radii 1,500 and 4,400 mm; 8.25-15 tyres on the SF 50 U and SF 55 U and 300-15 on the SF 60 U and SF 65 U; 12 V, 150 Ah battery, as printed in the 2003 sheets.
The row printed as pitch is the wheelbase: another edition heads it as such, and the 1998 tables give the same 2,450 and 2,600 mm as wheelbase. All eight sheets give a noise level of 85 dB(A) outside and 78 dB(A) in the cab, and travel speeds of 22/24 km/h for the SF 30 U to SF 45 U and 26/28 km/h for the SF 50 U to SF 65 U.
The January 2004 revision of the same manual carries only one sheet, for an SF 45 U with 8,000 kg unladen weight, 28/26 km/h, a length of 4,350 mm, a 2,600 mm pitch, 8.25-15 tyres and a 12 V, 140 Ah battery, which differs from the 2003 SF 45 U sheet. Another edition of January 2004 has one sheet, for an SF 70 U with 6,000 kg maximum capacity, 10,950 kg unladen weight, a width of 2,200 mm and 300-15 tyres.
1998 SideLIFTS edition
The SideLIFTS operator and maintenance manual of the Fantuzzi Reggiane division, updated September 1998, gives data sheets for two lines: the SF 30 U, SF 40 U, SF 45 U, SF 50 U and SF 60 U, with a hydrostatic transmission, and the SF 45, SF 50 and SF 60, with a hydrodynamic transmission. The same edition gives capacities from 3,000 to 6,000 kg at a 600 mm load centre, with a standard lift of 4,000 mm and a free lift of 800 mm on the SF 30 U and SF 40 U and 1,000 mm on the others.
- SF 30 U, SF 40 U — 5,800 and 6,000 kg unladen, travel 22 km/h with load and 24 km/h without, 20% maximum gradient, 27.10-12 tyres at 10 bar, as printed in the 1998 tables.
- SF 45 U, SF 50 U, SF 60 U — 7,500, 7,800 and 8,200 kg unladen, 26/28 km/h with and without load, 22% maximum gradient laden, tyres at 10 bar, as printed in the 1998 tables.
- SF 45, SF 50, SF 60 — 7,400, 7,800 and 8,800 kg unladen, 28/30, 26/28 and 24/26 km/h with and without load, maximum gradients of 24, 22 and 20%, as printed in the 1998 tables.
A lifting-height table of the same edition gives for each model a figure equal to the rated capacity at 4,000 and 4,500 mm of lift, which falls as the lift grows to 6,000 mm: from 3,000 to 1,500 on the SF 30 U and from 6,000 to 4,500 on the SF 60 and SF 60 U. The same table gives duplex masts from 4,000 to 6,000 mm of lift and triplex masts at 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 mm.
Older models
An O.M.F. Officine Meccaniche Fantuzzi handbook describes the SF 30-40 E, and its tyre table also names the SF 40, SF 50 and SF 60 L. A handbook of the SF 60 L, SF 60 and SF 80, marked as a draft, gives 6,000, 6,000 and 8,000 kg nominal capacity, 4,000 mm lift with 600 mm free lift, 23, 23 and 25 km/h laden road speed and 8,000, 9,400 and 10,500 kg unladen weight; its parts list is dated February 1986.
The hoist chapter of the 2003 maintenance manual also covers the E versions SF 30 E, SF 40 E, SF 50 E and SF 60 E and the SF 80, SF 90, SF 100, SF 120, SF 150 and SC 200. An O.M.F. brochure presents an S series of 10, 12 and 15 tonnes built without stabilisers, and spare-parts lists of the axle maker Kessler name the SF 90/100, the SF 200 and the S150/SF150.
Industrial history and parts supply
The SF manuals carry three company names: O.M.F. Officine Meccaniche Fantuzzi on the older handbook of the SF 30-40 E and on the S-series brochure, the Fantuzzi Reggiane division on the 1998 SideLIFTS manual, and Fantuzzi-Reggiane S.p.A. on the editions of 2003 and 2004. According to a local newspaper, Fantuzzi took over the former Officine Meccaniche Reggiane works in 1994, and one published source gives 1992; HIT SRL service technicians report 1994 as the correct year. The same newspaper states that the Fantuzzi business began with lift trucks.
According to published sources, Terex agreed to buy the port equipment business of Fantuzzi Industries in August 2008, terminated that agreement in December 2008, reached a new agreement at the end of the first quarter of 2009 and completed the acquisition, together with Noell Crane, in July 2009; its announcement included lift trucks in the Fantuzzi range.
Published sources state that Konecranes agreed on 16 May 2016 to acquire Terex Material Handling & Port Solutions and completed the acquisition on 4 January 2017. Konecranes states that it has owned the Fantuzzi Reggiane brand since then, that new Fantuzzi Reggiane machines are no longer available and that it is the official provider of support and genuine spare parts for them. According to the spare-parts lists of the axle maker Kessler, Fantuzzi was the customer for the axles of the SF 200, the S150/SF150 and the SF 90/100.
Driveline as installed
Engines
The 2003 sheets refer all engine data to the engine maker's manual. The 1998 SideLIFTS tables give a Perkins 504.2T (43 kW at 3,000 rpm, four cylinders, 2,000 cm³) for the SF 30 U, a Perkins 704-3 (50 kW at 2,500 rpm, four cylinders, 3,000 cm³) for the SF 40 U and a Perkins 1004-4 (65.5 kW at 2,500 rpm, four cylinders) for the SF 45, SF 50 and SF 60 and their U versions. According to the SF 60 / SF 80 draft, the SF 60 L and SF 60 take a Perkins 4.236 (75 HP at 2,400 rpm) or a FIAT 8041-I (76 HP at 2,500 rpm), and the SF 80 a Perkins T4.236 (101 HP at 2,500 rpm) or a FIAT 8051-I (97 HP at 2,500 rpm). According to the O.M.F. handbook, the FIAT engine has an oil-bath air cleaner and the Perkins a dry air cleaner, with a blocked-filter warning light.
According to the 2003 operator's manual, a turbocharged engine is run at about 1,000 rpm with reduced load for 2-3 minutes before it is stopped, to let the turbocharger cool down. The engine oil in the 2003 filling table is printed as SAE 15W-10 API CG-4/SG, while the 1998 lubrication chart gives SAE 15W-40 API CG-4/SG for the same use; the quantity is given in the engine manual.
Transmission
The 2003 sheets give the transmission of every SF U model as hydrostatic. The 1998 tables name a Rexroth hydrostatic transmission with automatic clutch and a working pressure of 160 bar for the SF 30 U to SF 60 U, and a Voith C845 hydrodynamic transmission with automatic clutch for the SF 45, SF 50 and SF 60. The SF 60 / SF 80 draft gives a Voith 845C for the SF 60 L and a Voith 843K for the SF 60 and SF 80, and the O.M.F. handbook refers gearbox faults to the manual of the Voith 845 transmission.
The transmission section of the 2003 maintenance manual describes a transmission with a torque converter and asks for a daily level check at FULL; the planned-maintenance table of the same manual gives 250 h for the oil filter and 500 h for the oil change, with a fluid analysis at 1,500 h. The operator's manual checks the level at 82-93 °C with the engine at low revs, the maintenance section at 82-85 °C. According to the operator's manual, the transmission oil gauge reads 50-140 °C, with 82-93 °C as the normal range, and full power should wait until the oil reaches 82 °C.
The direction lever has forward, neutral and reverse positions; the 2003 manual states that manual gear shifting is not possible, and the engine starts only with the lever in neutral. Transmission oil in the 2003 filling table is SAE 80W API GL-4, 3.5 litres on the SF 30 U to SF 45 U and 4.5 litres on the SF 50 U to SF 65 U.
Axles, brakes and wheels
The drive axle section of the 2003 maintenance manual describes a differential axle with epicyclic wheel hubs, service brakes inside each hub and a parking brake on the axle made of a disc and an electro-hydraulic caliper, while the specification sheets give the parking brake as a mechanical wet disc. HIT SRL service technicians report that both versions of the parking brake exist, the mechanical oil-bath disc and the disc with electro-hydraulic caliper. On the 2003 sheets the SF 30 U to SF 45 U have servo-assisted rear drum brakes and no front service brake, and the SF 50 U to SF 65 U front dry discs and rear wet discs; the 1998 tables give drum brakes on the SF 30 U and SF 40 U and dry and wet discs, with a wet-disc parking brake, on the larger models.
Drive axle oil is SAE 90 API GL-5 to MIL-L-2105D: 9.2 litres with 1,200 mm forks and 11.5 litres with 1,400 mm forks, plus 1 litre in each hub; the 2003 table gives these quantities only for the SF 50 U to SF 65 U. The axle section asks for a daily check for leaks and a level check every 100 h, and the planned-maintenance table changes the oil every 1,500 h.
According to the operator's manual, an optional differential lock shares the driving force equally between the wheels and is meant only for skidding on sand, mud, snow or ice; used on firm ground it makes steering harder and can break the machine. The older SF handbooks describe a drive transfer gear with a chain whose tension is set by cams at the bottom of the case, and the 2003 table keeps a chain-drive line for machines that have one. According to the SF 60 / SF 80 draft, the SF 60 L has disc brakes with pads and the SF 60 and SF 80 brake shoes, both with a 3 mm minimum lining.
Hydraulic system as installed
Hydraulic fluid in the 2003 filling table is SAE 80W API GL-4: 158 litres on the SF 30 U to SF 40 U and 160 litres on the SF 45 U to SF 65 U, with the wheel assemblies on the same fluid and counted in the same quantity, as recorded at HIT SRL. The operator's manual places the reservoir on the chassis behind the driver's seat, with the level checked engine off at the top notch; the return filters on top of the sump have an electrical blockage indicator that shows on the monitor in the cab. According to the 2003 maintenance manual, fluid for topping up is pre-filtered at 10 microns and added through the quick coupling on the filter covers.
The 1998 tables give a working pressure of 160 bar for both the hydrostatic and the hydrodynamic models. The pressure control diagram of the O.M.F. handbook shows test gauges at 175 bar on the three-section control valve and at 140, 85 and 30 bar on other circuits.
According to the older SF handbooks, the hydraulic oil is changed with the forks on the ground and the traverse cylinders retracted: the tank valve is closed and the suction pipes disconnected, the oil is drained and the mesh filter cleaned, the tank is refilled and the lift cylinder bled through its vent screw with the engine idling and the lift lever in the raise position; the forks are then raised fully and the mast tilted fully forward before the level is checked above MIN.
After a component failure the 2003 maintenance manual has the filters and the sump checked for debris; a contaminated system is cleaned before it runs again and the filter cartridges are replaced, together with the fluid in small systems. According to the same manual, accumulator gas precharge is checked with the system not under pressure, and the accumulator shell is never welded, brazed or drilled.
Structure, mast and forks
Mast and stabilisers
According to the hoist section of the 2003 maintenance manual, the mast assembly is made up of a fixed mast, a telescopic mast, lifting cylinders, hoist cylinders with chains and the fork carrier plate, as HIT SRL's technical desk reads it. According to the operator's manual, from the joystick the operator raises and lowers the forks, extends the mast to pick up or set down a load, retracts it to rest the load on the frame, which improves stability and narrows the machine for travel, and with a button tilts the forks. The 1998 SideLIFTS manual explains that tilting the machine works the stabiliser cylinders: raising them lowers the forks and lowering them lifts the forks, to help the forks under the load and to steady the machine in travel and lifting. According to the O.M.F. handbook, there are separate levers for lift, mast traverse and deck or fork tilt.
The sheets give the rated capacities with stabilisers, and the 2003 operator's manual has the operator make sure before work that the stabilisers are fully extended and resting on solid ground. According to the older handbooks, the axle stabiliser bars are reset whenever steering parts have been worked on, to a tolerance of plus or minus 1 mm.
Thrust shoes and chains
Eight thrust shoes, two at the top of the fixed mast, two at the foot of the telescopic mast and four on the carrier plate, protect the slide rollers and limit side swing; they are changed when the gap to the opposing section exceeds 1.5 mm. According to the 2003 maintenance manual, the lifting chains are BL-type leaf chains anchored at the top of the mast and at the carrier plate, and only the plate end can be adjusted.
According to the older handbooks, a chain stretched by 3% or more over ten pitches is replaced, together with its anchor pins and sprockets, and grease on chains is forbidden. A worn chain may give no warning before it breaks, both chains are replaced if one is worn, and chains are not lubricated while the machine is moving. According to the 2003 maintenance manual, chains are cleaned with a brush and non-flammable solvent, a degreaser or a high-pressure cleaner at 90° or more, and lubricated by brush with the load off the chain.
Forks
According to the 2003 maintenance manual, forks are withdrawn when a measured thickness falls below 90% of the original, the inclination exceeds 3°, the height difference between the two forks exceeds 3% of the blade length or the straightness error exceeds 0.5% of the length; crack checks use penetrant liquid, magnetic particles or ultrasound. In the SF 60 / SF 80 draft the forks are 1,200 mm long on the SF 60 L, 1,200 to 1,400 mm on the SF 60 and 1,400 to 1,600 mm on the SF 80, with sections of 200 x 55 mm and, on the SF 80, 200 x 65 mm. These limits are compared with those of the FDC fork trucks in the Forks and fork-truck equipment section of the Fantuzzi Reggiane attachments guide.
Frame and mast fitting
To fit the mast, the 2003 manual has it positioned in the frame opening by crane, the opening widened by about 5-10 mm with a hydraulic jack, the mast inserted and the hydraulic traverse cylinders fastened. According to the 2003 maintenance manual, the first inspection of the frame is due after the first year of work, when the interval to the next is set, never longer than one year, with a yearly sample check of bolt torques on the high-strength joints. In the same manual, cracks or flaking paint near welds call for a penetrant test, and load-bearing structures damaged by impact or overload are not repaired without the manufacturer's opinion.
Electrical and control
The 2003 sheets give a 12 V battery of 120 Ah on the SF 30 U to SF 45 U and of 150 Ah on the SF 50 U to SF 65 U; the 2004 SF 45 U and SF 70 U sheets give 140 Ah, as set out in the HIT SRL technical cards. The dashboard of the 2003 manual has a parking brake light, transmission oil and coolant thermometers, low brake oil and low engine oil pressure lights, a fuel gauge and battery charge, glow plug and blocked air filter lights; the parking brake light must be out before driving off, and the low brake oil light calls for topping up the tank under the seat. The 1998 manual adds that the SF 30 U and SF 40 U have a hydraulic oil indicator showing level and temperature.
According to the 2003 operator's manual, coolant should run at 80-90 °C, with no full power below 50 °C; the warm-up procedure recommends 60-70 °C for the coolant and 80-90 °C for the transmission oil before work, and the fuel tank holds about 24 hours of operation. Glow plugs are preheated for at most 5 seconds in the 2003 manual, while the key switch of the O.M.F. machines is held in the preheat position for about 25-30 seconds. According to the same manual, the starter is run for no longer than 15 seconds, with 10 seconds between attempts; the engine is not started by towing or pushing, and with booster batteries the negative cable goes to a frame earth away from the battery and is removed first.
According to the same manual, the parking brake is applied with a lighted button beside the control levers; driving with it applied can make the brakes fail, and it is always applied, with the engine stopped, before the operator leaves the machine. According to the 2003 maintenance manual, limit switches and electrical controls are safety devices: the operator checks them every day, their fastening is checked every 250 h, and switches and boards are checked and cleaned at 1,500 h by skilled staff. According to the 2003 manuals, electrical, mechanical and hydraulic safety devices are never disconnected or bypassed, and a machine with a faulty one is not operated.
Recurring failure points — field reports
Published field reports specific to the SF side loaders are scarce, as logged by the HIT SRL technical desk.
What the documentation says to check: stiff steering points to low oil pressure, a faulty hydraulic pump or a faulty power-steering valve, and poor steering response to an internal leak in the steering cylinder. In the troubleshooting tables, a load that creeps down with the lever in neutral points to an internal leak in the lift cylinder or a faulty control valve, and a load that changes the tilt angle to a leaking tilt cylinder or a faulty tilt cylinder lock valve; low lifting power points to a worn pump or a relief valve set too low. According to the O.M.F. troubleshooting guide, a high transmission oil temperature on the older SF points to a low gearbox oil level or a dirty heat exchanger.
Maintenance interval summary
The 2003 SF maintenance manual sets standard preventive maintenance at 250, 500 and 1,500 hours and preventive special maintenance at about 3,000, 6,000, 12,000 and 24,000 hours, to be adapted to the machine and to how hard the conditions are; a machine used irregularly also needs a maximum calendar period. In the 2003 maintenance table, intervals are in operating hours; (1) = at least once a year; (2) = skilled staff; (3) = chain inspection every three months, recorded in a book kept for safety inspections; chain and fork checks are safety inspections.
| System | Job | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| Main structure | Welded and bolted joints, bolt tightness, structural integrity (1) | 1,500 h |
| Pins | Stop plates, greasing, pin and plate condition | 250 h |
| Engine | Leaks, oil level, air-filter blockage | 10 h |
| Engine | Fuel pre-filter cleaning; oil, oil filter and fuel filter change; air filter cleaning; belt tension | 250 h |
| Engine | Turbocharger fastening, where fitted | 500 h |
| Engine | Air filter change and injection pump fastening; injection timing, injectors, valves, compressor where fitted and alternator (2) | 1,500 h |
| Engine | Engine oil analysis | 3,000 h |
| Radiator | Sight check and coolant level / cleaning / coolant change (1) | 10 h / 500 h / 1,500 h |
| Exhaust | Sight check | 100 h |
| Fuel system | Sight check / tank filter change and water draining / tank cleaning (1) | 10 h / 500 h / 1,500 h |
| Transmission | Oil level / oil filter / oil change / fluid analysis | 10 h / 250 h / 500 h / 1,500 h |
| Drive axle | Sight check / hub and differential oil level / oil change | 10 h / 100 h / 1,500 h |
| Cardan shaft, where fitted | Sight check / joint and sliding-area lubrication, tightness | 100 h / 500 h |
| Chain drive, where fitted | Oil level / stop plates / play adjustment / oil change | 10 h / 250 h / 500 h / 1,500 h |
| Steering axle | Sight check and surface cleaning / greasing / bearing and rod play | 100 h / 250 h / 1,500 h |
| Wheels | Sight check / wheel fastening / tyre pressure (2) / steering levers and wheel alignment | 10 h / 100 h / 250 h / 500 h |
| Lifting assembly | Slide rollers, mast exit and carrier plate greasing, mast exit and carrier play / chain cleaning, lubrication and adjustment, fork dimensional check / chain inspection (3) / fork penetrant test | 100 h / 500 h / 1,500 h / 3,000 h |
| Hydraulic tank | Fluid level / pipes and brackets / oil filter, pump suction filters (1) and air filter / fluid analysis and oil change (1) | 50 h / 250 h / 1,500 h / 3,000 h |
| Pumps and motors | Sight, noise and leak check / pump filter cartridge / relief valve setting, flow and pressure (2) | 250 h / 500 h / 1,500 h |
| Hydraulic cylinders | Sight check and rod cleaning / ball joints and pins | 50 h / 250 h |
| Accumulators | Gas precharge (2) | 1,500 h |
| Oil cooler | Sight check / water-side and oil-side cleaning | 250 h / 1,500 h |
| Control valves and joystick | Checks | 250 h |
| Brake-cooling oil tank, where fitted | Oil level / pipes and brackets / oil filter / oil change and fluid analysis | 50 h / 250 h / 500 h / 1,500 h |
| Electrical system | Limit switches, relays and controls operation / fastening, batteries and paint touch-up / switches and boards (2) | 10 h / 250 h / 1,500 h |
| Safety devices | Emergency devices, brakes, lights, cleaning of oil and grease traces | 50 h |
The hoist section has the mast and chain rollers, mast retention pins and cylinders greased every 100 h and the chains every 500 h, and the steering axle section the hub brake discs checked every 200 h. According to the 2003 manuals, wheels and tyres are serviced at least once a year, the wheel is checked at each tyre change and at least every 12 months, and the fire extinguisher is refilled every 36 months.
Older editions use other steps: the 1998 SideLIFTS schedule works at 10, 250, 500 and 1,500 h, and the O.M.F. handbook at 10, 200, 400 and 1,000 h, with the differential and epicyclic oils first changed after 100 h and a running-in period of 200 h.
Key specification table
| Quantity | SF 40 U (2003) | SF 60 U (2003) | SF 60 (1998) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 4,000 kg with stabilisers | 6,000 kg with stabilisers | 6,000 kg at 600 mm load centre |
| Unladen weight | 6,000 kg (nameplate as reference) | 8,200 kg | 8,800 kg |
| Travel speed | 22/24 km/h (heading printed as without / with load) | 26/28 km/h (heading printed as without / with load) | 24 km/h with load, 26 km/h without |
| Length, width, wheelbase | 4,200 / 2,000 / 2,450 mm | 4,450 / 2,000 / 2,600 mm | 4,350 / 2,000 / 2,600 mm |
| Tyres | 27.10-12 | 300-15 | 300-15 |
| Engine | In the engine maker's manual | In the engine maker's manual | Perkins 1004-4, 65.5 kW |
| Transmission | Hydrostatic | Hydrostatic | Voith C845, hydrodynamic |
| Service brakes | Rear drums, no front brake | Front dry discs, rear wet discs | Dry and wet discs |
| Hydraulic oil | 158 l | 160 l | Not in the 1998 lubrication chart |
| Battery | 12 V, 120 Ah | 12 V, 150 Ah | 12 V, 150 Ah |
Spare parts
HIT SRL supplies genuine, OEM and aftermarket spare parts for Fantuzzi port equipment, including the SF side-loader lift trucks, as an independent distributor that is not an official representative, affiliate or agent of the manufacturer. For availability, see the Fantuzzi spare parts page or send the machine model and serial number through the contact page.
Technical cards by system
HIT SRL technical cards, one fact per card, each with its source, HIT ref and fingerprint stated in the text:
- Identification (21 cards)
- Engine (11 cards)
- Transmission and driveline (21 cards)
- Hydraulics (8 cards)
- Mast and forks (14 cards)
- Electrical and control (8 cards)
- Maintenance intervals (24 cards)
- Safety and interlocks (16 cards)
- Troubleshooting (8 cards)