Mitsubishi's Methuselah

The hunt is over. Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has announced the winner of its "Keeps on Running" contest, a competition to find the oldest working Mitsubishi truck in the United States and Canada.

The winner is a 1982 FGC25 forklift owned by Prescher Willette Seeds, a soybean farming company in Delavan, Minn. The family-run business dates back to 1933, and the company works its equipment hard: Prescher Willette cleans, packs, and ships more than 100,000 bags of soybeans on its 3,500-acre farm each year. For winning the contest, the company received a brand-new model FGC25N forklift truck.

Prescher Willette clearly respects age and experience. According to a report in the Faribault County Register, the forklift runs every day and is driven by the same three operators who have used the truck since the day it was purchased. In fact, the business operates two Mitsubishi forklift trucks that are more than 20 years old, said Plant Manager Mike Hughes. He sees no need to replace the vintage equipment, even with the brand-new truck on hand, and plans to keep the older vehicles running for several years to come.

The "Keeps on Running" contest was open to companies that own and operate small internal combustion (IC), cushion-tire Mitsubishi forklifts with a capacity range between 2,000 and 6,500 pounds. To see a photo of the winning truck, go to www.faribaultcountyregister. com and search for "Mitsubishi forklift."