INRS and BGHW have assessed the efficiency of several stability gain systems (SGS) mounted on some forklift trucks on the market.

Within the frame of a jointly cooperation agreement, INRS and BGHW teamed to define and carry out tests for assessing the performance of Stability Gain Systems (SGS) which equip some commercial forklift trucks. In accordance with EN 16203:2014 standard, forklift trucks less than 5 tons of load capacity were tested to verify if their stability meets the threshold defined in the standard. However this protocol does not supply specific data regarding the vehicle's stability limit, nor allow assessing the performance or effectiveness of SGS.
SGS developed by the five main European manufacturers were evaluated. Thus among the 11 tested trucks, 8 electric trucks and 1 internal combustion (IC) truck were equipped with speed control system when cornering, two IC-trucks were equipped with a locking device of the oscillating rear axle. Among these trucks, two electric trucks with 4 wheels combined both technical solutions.
The results show that forklift trucks equipped with SGS have an insufficient stability compared to the standard requirement. The most stable vehicles are electric 3 wheel trucks having a speed limited to 17 km/h and a speed control (deceleration) whose importance depends on turn severity. The most stable 4 wheel forklift trucks are those which combine a curve speed control and a locking device of the oscillating rear axle pivot.