The Clark CGP 20 is a forklift truck from Clark, the American material handling manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas. Clark’s history goes back to the first truck with a hydraulic lifting mechanism in 1924, and the company now covers all five forklift classes.
Clark CGP 20 at a glance
| Maker | Clark Material Handling Company (CLARK), Dallas, Texas |
|---|---|
| Product | forklift trucks |
| First Clark forklift | 1924, a modified Duat tow tractor with a hydraulic lifting mechanism |
| Product range | all five forklift classes, from hand pallet jacks to 18,000 lb sit-down trucks |
| Trucks in service | over 350,000, according to the company |
| Genesis line | introduced in 1994 |
| Millionth forklift | built in 1997 |
| Owner since 2003 | Young An Hat Company, Seoul, South Korea |
| Factories | South Korea, China, Vietnam and Lexington, Kentucky |
| Earlier machines | Tructractor shop buggy (1917) and tow tractors |
The available source covers Clark’s forklift business and its model lines rather than the CGP 20 in detail, so this page gives no CGP 20 dimensions or capacities.
History of the Clark CGP 20
The first Clark forklift
The company began as the George R. Rich Manufacturing Company, a maker of steel products purchased by Illinois Steel in 1897. In 1904 Eugene Clark was tasked with improving the product, the facility and the business, and under his leadership the company was renamed Celfor Tool in 1907 after its Celfor Drill. In 1916 it became Clark Equipment Company, named after Clark. In 1917 Clark Equipment invented the Tructractor, described as the world’s first internal combustion shop buggy, and split into two branches: Clark Equipment and Clark Tructractor Company. Today’s Clark Material Handling Company is a direct descendant of the Tructractor division, which introduced tow tractors and, in 1924, the first forklift: a modified Duat tow tractor with a hydraulic lifting mechanism that became the forerunner of modern forklift trucks.
Clark Material Handling today
In 1994 Clark introduced the Genesis line of four-wheel internal combustion cushion and pneumatic-tyre forklifts, with a rubber-isolated operator cell intended to improve comfort. The company built its one millionth forklift in 1997 and opened an aftermarket parts depot in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1999. In 2003 Clark Material Handling Company was acquired by the Young An Hat Company of Seoul, which owns it to this day. Production of stand-up electric forklifts moved to the Lexington, Kentucky, facility in 2006. In 2019 Clark opened a factory in Vietnam and introduced the OSQ 24-volt working platform vehicle and the HWXE/PWXE; in 2021 came the WPL40 lithium-ion walkie pallet stacker with a 4,000-pound capacity and the SE15-25T. Clark is based in Dallas, Texas, with factories in South Korea, China, Vietnam and Lexington, and its range covers all five forklift classes, from hand pallet jacks to 18,000-pound sit-down trucks.
Design and features
- Hydraulic lifting heritage: Clark’s 1924 forklift, a modified Duat tow tractor, was the forerunner of modern forklift trucks.
- Full class coverage: the range covers all five forklift classes, from hand pallet jacks to 18,000 lb sit-down trucks.
- Operator comfort: the 1994 Genesis line used a rubber-isolated operator cell.
- Electric and lithium-ion models: the 2021 WPL40 walkie pallet stacker offers a 4,000 lb capacity and opportunity charging.
Clark CGP 20 versions
- Genesis (1994): four-wheel internal combustion cushion and pneumatic-tyre forklifts with a rubber-isolated operator cell.
- OSQ (2019): a 24-volt working platform vehicle.
- HWXE and PWXE (2019): models introduced alongside the Vietnam factory.
- WPL40 (2021): lithium-ion walkie pallet stacker with a 4,000 lb capacity.
- SE15-25T (2021): a model added to the range in 2021.
Clark’s other machines are described in the Clark Cortez motorhome article and the Clark Michigan earthmoving division article. More Clark machines are in the Clark collection.
Sources
- Clark Material Handling Company, English Wikipedia: company history, model lines and factories
