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Tug / Tow Vehicle automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are the most productive form of automated guided vehicle (AGV) for tugging and towing because they haul more loads per trip than other AGV types. These tug vehicle style AGVs are sometimes referred to as "Tuggers",becuase they are designed to pull wheeled carts (typically 3) which can be loaded and unloaded with material automatically or manually. A forked AGV can be used to automatically load the carts. Many tuggers do not operate in reverse and instead operate in either a loop or they have turnaround loops at any end points of the AGV road system.
These tuggers can be equipped with several different hitch types including ball, pin, or automatic hitch. Ball or pin type hitches are used when the carts rarely need to be decoupled from the tow vehicle AGV. Automatic hitches maximize utilization of the AGV when the material on the carts requires further processing or handling upon delivery. Other examples requiring automatic hitching include applications where carts are only moved on a one way trip or when full carts are delivered and empty carts are removed. Automatic hitches disengage to decouple a set of carts from the AGV after it has made the required delivery. They can also engage to couple a set of carts to allow those carts to be automatically delivered by the Tuggers.
Tow vehicle AGVs are available in several different towing capacities and can even be equipped with an operator station for cases where customers may desire occasional man-aboard operation. Click on our Case Studies link to learn more about successful installations of Tuggers & Tow vehicle type AGVs.
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