Apparatus for transport and delivery of articles

A vehicle for transport and delivery of an article comprising:

• a vehicle body having a front, rear, first and second lateral sides, and a vehicle axis generally defining a direction of vehicle movement;
• a transfer device having a transfer device axis approximately perpendicular to said vehicle axis, said transfer device having at least one substantially open end extending in a plane and a fixed longitudinal opening having a longitudinal axis intersecting the plane of the substantially open end, said fixed longitudinal opening being substantially arranged along said transfer device axis and having a width less than at least one dimension of the article;
• a lift mast assembly coupled to the vehicle body and cooperatively associated with the transfer device to move the transfer device substantially vertically;
• and
• a side translating assembly coupled to the vehicle body and cooperatively associated with the transfer device to move the transfer device substantially horizontally between at least one of the first and second lateral sides of the vehicle and a center of the vehicle.