Industrial Fork Extensions Increase Forklift Versatility
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The forklift is one of the most important pieces of industrial-use equipment ever developed. The lifting and transporting of materials, especially heavy loads, would be considerably more difficult and certainly more time consuming if the forklift were not around. Because of this, more than 150,000 forklifts are sold each year, and millions are currently in use all over the world. Virtually any large warehouse or distribution center that doesn’t have one or several forklifts in use is not operating at maximum efficiency, even if all other aspects of the facility’s operation are tip-top. It’s as simple as that – especially for operations that use pallets, which forklifts lift and transport excellently. Several important products exist that can enable forklifts to operate even more efficiently for certain types of jobs. Please take a moment to read the following succinct article concerning
fork extensions, one such important forklift accessory.
The forklift
fork extension is one of those pieces of industrial equipment that’s beautiful in its simplicity.
Fork extensions do exactly what their name suggests: they extend the length of forks. And, even to untrained eyes, when a pair of
fork extensions is observed being placed on a forklift’s tines, it’s easy to deduce what they’re designed to accomplish, i.e., enabling the safe and stable handling of loads that the vehicle’s tines are too short to efficiently deal with. These
fork truck attachments are
material handling equipment used to provide added support for forklifts when they are being used to lift long or large items. They are especially useful for moving pallets that are larger than the standard size.
The obviousness of fork extensions’ function, however, doesn’t mean they should be used without careful consideration. The fact that the item to be moved is within the forklift’s capacity range is not nearly enough to ensure fork extensions’ safe use. The key word pertaining to
fork extension use is “stability.”
Fork extension use changes the load’s center of gravity on the forklift. This reduces the forklift’s capacity, which can cause instability during the lifting and transporting of loads. Consequently, OSHA guidelines dictate that extensions must not exceed the length of the forks by more than 50 percent. In addition, the use of fork extensions requires written approval from the forklift’s manufacturer. For further safety, fork extensions should have a restraining apparatus (often a steel retaining strap) that prevents the extensions from sliding off the forks while in use.
These extensions are excellent forklift accessories for the simple reason that they increase a forklift’s versatility. Considering that new forklifts can cost $10,000 and up, it makes strong business sense to enable a recently bought forklift to become as versatile as possible. Additionally, if a business manager observes that the company’s fork extension use is becoming more frequent, then purchasing fork extension storage racks should be considered. Apart from storing fork extensions efficiently and safely, these storage racks also enable the forklift operator to add and remove the extensions without dismounting the vehicle, thus saving time and worker effort. It is the customer’s responsibility to verify correctness of fit for applications.
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