A moulding plant has dozens of machines, each needing resin, masterbatch, packaging boxes and labels at its own rhythm while constantly pushing out finished boxes. If every pallet travels by its own forklift trip, the aisles between machines fill with trucks. A tow tractor in a plastics plant solves this with a tugger train: one trip on a fixed route, delivering to many points and collecting finished goods on the way back.
When should plastics and rubber plants use tugger trains?
Tugger trains work best where there are many small, repeated consumption points along a route. Typical signs:
- Long rows of moulding machines, each using a little material at a time but needing regular top-ups.
- Forklifts often run empty: deliver one pallet, return without a load.
- Raw material store, production and finished-goods store are in separate buildings linked by internal roads.
- Rubber plants have semi-finished flows from mixers to calenders and extruders, then to curing presses, each in its own area.
Tugger trains cut the number of trips and in-plant traffic, and fit lean production. Forklifts are still needed at each end of the route, but fewer of them.
STILL models by route size
STILL LTX 20: narrow aisles inside the hall
The LTX 20 is only 600 mm wide, tows up to 2,000 kg and manoeuvres in the narrowest aisles. STILL describes it as ideal for tugger train solutions in lean production. In a small moulding shop or plastic product assembly area, the LTX 20 pulls a few carts of packaging, labels and insert parts between machines without widening aisles.
STILL LTX 50: the main supply route
The LTX 50 tows trailers with a total weight of up to 5,000 kg at up to 14 km/h, with the STILL Easy Drive steering wheel and integrated display. Pedestrian mode lets the driver walk beside the tractor on short stretches instead of climbing on and off, ideal when stopping at each machine to drop resin and pick up finished boxes. Curve Speed Control reduces speed by steering angle on winding routes, and Blue-Q saves energy.
STILL LTX 70: linking buildings, indoors and outdoors
The LTX 70 pulls up to eight tonnes, indoors and outdoors. The automatic parking brake engages as soon as the tractor stops, and the STILL Ramp Indicator shows the current gradient, useful where the route crosses a ramp between raw material store and hall.
STILL LXW 20-30: towing and carrying on the platform
The LXW both tows and carries goods on its platform, with up to 3,000 kg load and a towing capacity of up to 6000 kg in the data sheet. Descent Speed Regulation adjusts speed to gradient and load, suiting plants that move moulds, spare parts or maintenance supplies between areas.
| Step | Type / model | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging, labels and inserts in narrow halls | STILL LTX 20 | 600 mm wide, tows up to 2,000 kg |
| Resin supply and finished-goods collection along moulding lines | STILL LTX 50 | Tows up to 5,000 kg, pedestrian mode |
| Linking raw material store, hall and finished goods | STILL LTX 70 | Pulls up to eight tonnes, indoors and outdoors |
| Moulds, spare parts, maintenance supplies | STILL LXW 20-30 | Tows and carries, DSR on descents |
Designing a tugger route in a plastics plant
- Establish each machine’s consumption rate to set the route cycle; thin-wall jobs use resin faster than thick parts.
- Trailers and carts should match the containers: lidded resin bins, finished-goods boxes, film rolls.
- Mark stopping points at each machine so pedestrians do not have to cross the route.
- Read more in electric tow tractors and tugger trains.
See the full STILL tow tractor range, or return to the plastics & rubber solutions overview to compare other truck types.
Frequently asked questions
Can a tugger train fully replace forklifts in a moulding hall?
No. The tugger train handles route transport; storing pallets, lifting bulk bags onto hoppers or unloading containers still needs forklifts or stackers.
LTX 50 or LTX 70?
The LTX 50 suits routes inside the hall, towing up to 5,000 kg. For long routes linking several buildings, outdoors and over ramps with heavier loads, the LTX 70 pulling up to eight tonnes is the better fit.
Can the tugger route be automated?
STILL’s data sheet lists an LTX 50 iGo systems version. The right level of automation depends on a survey of the actual route and process.
Send your hall layout and list of stops via our quote page or call 0902 63 79 70 for a tugger route design.