Forklift Attachments Eugene - Forklift attachments make a variety of jobs possible. Forklift attachments make many jobs safer, easier and quicker to complete. In addition to general forklift training, operators must be properly training for each attachment they intent to use.
Forklift attachments come in a wide variety of hydraulic and non-hydraulic attachments. The benefits of utilizing a forklift attachment include decreasing:
1. Employee accidents;
2. Damage to stock;
3. Manpower;
4. Time; and
5. Fuel consumption.
Equipment Considerations
Forklift attachments can be switched out to replace existing attachments or may be used on machines that don’t currently have one. Several equipment-related factors must be considered before any forklift attachment is replaced or added. These considerations include:
1. The forklift type;
2. The forklift’s capacity;
3. The carriage type; and
4. The number of hydraulic functions.
Not considering these issues will drastically increase the safety risks associated with operating the machine and its attachments. This can increase risks relating to operator safety, forklift damage, stock damage and more. There are further safety issues to take into consideration which can be discussed in more detail below.
Forklift Rating and Re-Rating
These machines are provided with lift capacity ratings from the manufacturer that need adjusting when changing or adding any forklift attachments. Manufacturers of forklift attachments usually offer calculators available online to estimate the safe lifting capacity when using a particular attachment. Accurate lifting capacities are only available from the forklift manufacturers.
Prior to installing any attachment, it is important to contact the local authorized dealer of the forklift brand being used and request that they re-rate the forklift in accordance with the attachment being considered for use. There will be a new specification plate that is factory authorized once the forklift manufacturer has re-rated the machine. The upgraded specification plate replaces the original plate and needs to be installed with the new forklift rating showing.
Equipment Upgrades
When dealing with forklift attachments it is important to note that a forklift’s hydraulic function is made up of a valve on the forklift with a lever located close to the operator which provides two passages of pressurized hydraulic oil to power the attachment features. Note that not every attachment is hydraulic; however, the hydraulic attachments provide more features compared to the number of valves the forklift offers. In this circumstance, it is common to add one or more valves as needed. There are several methods of adding a valve. There are many ways to add a forklift valve.Equipment manufacturers make forklift accessories for hose routing and valve placement. Due to the cost of labor and parts required, this process may not be practical. Alternative methods include adding a solenoid valve in conjunction with a hose or cable reel that diverts oil flow from an existing function. The main issue is that the cable reels and hose may block the view of the operator and these items can be damaged. Special hoses and a solenoid valve kit an be used to create an electrical conduit out of the reinforced braid. These hoses are designed to replace existing ones and stay free from being damaged. The operator can enjoy a clear view with this option.
Safety Considerations
Prior to fitting any type of forklift attachment, proper training must be obtained. An operator must be competent in the fitting, operating and removal of the attachment.
Before using any forklift attachment, two safety issues need consideration.
Firstly, it is important to note that any kind of forklift attachment will reduce the machine’s nominal load rating. The nominal load rating is determined with forks and a stock fork carriage. It is important to note that the real load rating may be significantly lower.
Using any type of forklift attachment will affect the center of gravity on the machine. Obviously, the stability of the forklift is reduced. Because the weight of the attachment will be placed in front of the forklift’s fulcrum point, it is necessary to drive the forklift as though it is partially loaded, even prior to picking up a load. It is essential that operators travel slowly and make gentle turns when using any kind of forklift attachment. As noted above, each attachment should be listed on the data plate of the forklift’s capacity.
Certain safety checks need to be done before using any kind of attachment. The forklift attachment must be permitted on the forklift’s data plate, locked properly, correctly attached, appropriate for the particular load and appropriate for the type of forklift being used.
List of Common Forklift Attachments
Discover a list of common forklift attachments and how they are utilized below. There are many more attachments available than are listed here but this will cover the most widely-used. Forklift attachments are designed to increase job efficiency for many applications.
SIDESHIFTER:
The sideshifter enables the forklift to move laterally for easier load placement without having to reposition the entire machine.
FORK POSITIONERS:
Fork positioners allow the forks to travel apart or together with each other to adjust for different load sizes.
DIMENSIONING DEVICES:
Dimensioning devices offer cargo dimensions to create more warehouse efficiency and better truck and trailer space. This is commonly used with billing systems that record volume.
ROTATOR:
Assists in righting skids that have tilted, handling custom load requirements and quick unloading. There is a rotator feature on numerous attachments.
ROLL AND BARREL CLAMP:
The roll and barrel clamp allows the forklift to grasp rounded loads including barrels. It is outfitted with different pressure settings to facilitate fragile options and often has a rotate function to simplify horizontal and vertical positioning.
CARTON AND MULTIPURPOSE CLAMP:
The carton and multipurpose clamp is for grasping loads with a squared shape. It also features pressure settings to handle bales, boxes and cartons.
POLE ATTACHMENTS:
Long, metal pole used in place of forks to lift rolled items such as carpet or linoleum.
SLIP SHEETER OR PUSH-PULL:
The slip sheeter or push-pull allows the operator to move sheets by clamping onto slip sheets. This is an option instead of relying on pallets. The slip sheet can be moved onto thin and wide metal forks to simplify loading or unloading by pushing the slip sheet. The “Save” variation allows the slip sheet to be taken off for reuse later. The “Standard,” attachment variation is another option.
DRUM HANDLER:
Allows for grasping drums, either with a spring-loaded jaw to grip the top lip of a drum, or with arms that encircle the drum, for transport.
DRUM AND STORAGE BIN TIPPER:
The drum and storage bin tipper is designed for easier transport of liquid items or loose materials into bigger containers.
MAN BASKET:
The lift platform known as a man basket is designed to transport workers vertically. It is outfitted with brackets and railings to anchor safety harnesses.
TELESCOPIC FORKS:
Allows operation in a warehouse using two pallet stacking where one shelf is placed directly behind another with no aisle between the two.
SCALES:
Scales are helpful for allowing operators to transport pallets while weighing them. This stops the need for interrupting work with regular travel to the scales. It can be used in legal-for-trade weights for operations that bill by how much items weigh.
SINGLE-DOUBLE FORKS:
Single-double forks facilitate movement of a single platform or pallet or two side-by-side pallets. This is useful for transporting specialty items with the right attachments employed. It can be used with normal lifting tasks and stops the need for owning two separate machines. This greatly reduces the cost of maintenance and operation that is used with multiple forklifts.
SNOW PLOW:
Snow plows are used to remove snow and redistribute it; however, this attachment can be used with other loose kinds of material.
SKIPS:
Skips enable quick and safe waste removal to a skip or waste compactor. They may feature a bottom-emptying design or be a roll-forward model.
BOOMS AND JIBS:
Booms and jibs allow forklifts extended reach. They are available to transport deep or highly stacked loads, suspended loads and more. These attachments can be low profile, precision lifting or reach over models to facilitate extended lengths.
Forklift Attachment PDF
