Patent ID: 8632296

Claim:
A method of loading a first a palletized stack of cartons of a first height and a second palletized stack of cartons of a second height from an initial rest position in a first area onto a vessel with a hold and a lifting crane, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a rotating lift truck, the lift truck having a rotator and an elevator both of which being operably connected to the lift truck, the rotator having first and second sets of fork tines, the first set of fork tines having left and right fork tines, the second set of fork tines having left and right fork tines, the left fork tine from the first set of fork tines and the left fork tine from the second set of fork tines being opposed and capable of clamping onto said first palletized stack of cartons having said first height, the right fork tine from the first set of fork tines and the right fork tine from the second set of fork tines being opposed and capable of clamping onto said second palletized stack of cartons having a second height that is taller than said first height, wherein clamping can occur even where the second height is taller than in an initial position from the first height; (b) using the elevator of the rotating lift truck to elevate first and second palletized stacks of cartons of frozen animal products from said initial position and located in a first area, the first and second palletized stacks of cartons each having a pallet supporting a plurality of layers of cartons, each layer having a plurality of cartons; (c) using the rotating lift truck to simultaneously move the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons from the said initial position in the first area to a loading area for loading on a vessel lifting platform; (d) using the rotator of the rotating lift truck to rotate the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons by at least about 180 degrees in a first direction; (e) during at least part of step “d” the rotating lift truck moving the elevated first and second palletized stacks of cartons towards to the vessel lifting platform, the vessel lifting platform being operably connected to the crane; and (f) the rotating lift truck loading the first and second stacks of cartons onto the vessel lifting platform.