Forklift Trucks

A forklift is a vehicle is truck with industrial lifting capabilities, and is used extensively in warehouse and manufacturing environments. The name ‘forklift’ comes from the fact that the majority have pallet ‘forks’ on the front; two flat and rigid strips of metal that jut horizontally from the front. These ‘forks’ are mounted on a mechanism that allows them to be raised and lowered vertically. A forklift can thus hoist large pallets and crates with speed and efficiency.

Forklift trucks

Forklift trucks generally feature rear-wheel steering, as this increases how easily manoeuvrable the vehicle is, and forklift trucks are often working in compact spaces. Because forklift trucks are required to travel with a load, sometimes a raised load, stability is always of paramount importance. Because of the loads, the centre of gravity for a forklift is fluid, and centrifugal force must be taken into account when navigating corners with a raised load.

Forklifts

Forklifts are generally able to accommodate a wide range of attachments, in order to render them as multifunctional as possible. Some of the most commonly used attachments are: a sideshifter, which allows, via hydraulics, the forks to be manipulated laterally, as well as vertically; a fork-positioner, another hydraulic attachment which allows the forks to be brought closer together and further apart, in order to quickly accommodate different sized containers, and a drum-handler, which is a spring-loaded clamp which can be fitted onto the forks in order to grip drums.