Forklift Components in More Detail
A forklift is made of thousands of parts. The major components which make up a forklift truck are the truck frame, the engine components, the overhead guard, the wheels and the tilt cylinders. Additionally, a lift truck consists of different types of attachments. All the parts making up a forklift are all essential since they work together to make the machine's operation possible. The subsequent paragraphs describe some of the forklift parts in detail.
The Overhead Guard - this guard forms the lift truck's metal roof. It sits above the cab area and protects the machinery operator while he or she is sitting and driving. The overhead guard ensures that nothing falling from above onto the truck will hurt the driver or damage the controls inside the cab. The overhead guard is essential to the frame assembly on several units.
The Mast - Mounted either to the front axle or the forklift frame, the mast is the vertical forklift part made of interlocking rails. The mast enables the forks to move up and downwards whilst providing lateral stability. The interlocking rails could either have bushings or bushings as guides. There are two ways the mast can be operated: hydraulically by one or more hydraulic cylinders or chain operated with motive power provided by a hydraulic motor.
Forklift Carriage - the forks and other attachments are mounted to the carriage. The carriage is connected to the mast directly to the hydraulic cylinder or it is connected by chains. To be able to allow the forks to be lowered and raised, the carriage may have either rollers or bushings to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - When the carriage is raised to full height, there is a back rest made of metal which keeps a load from falling backwards. The back rest is either welded or bolted on to the carriage.
Lift Truck Attachments - a range of attachments could be fixed to the front of the forklift truck. The most common attachment is forks. What's more, there are rotators, rollers, L-shaped members, pole handlers, roll clamps and and all that. These various attachments are really useful for moving different kinds of loads.