Lift Truck Components in More Detail
There are hundreds of parts which make up a lift truck. The forklifts major parts comprise the truck frame, the engine components, the overhead guard, the tilt cylinders and the wheels. Furthermore, a forklift has different types of attachments. All the components which make up a forklift are of equal importance because they work together to make the equipment's functions possible. The following paragraphs describe a few of the forklift components in detail.
The Overhead Guard - this guard forms the forklift truck's metal roof. It sits above the cab area and protects the equipment operator while she or he is sitting and driving. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck will hurt the driver or damage the controls in the cab. The overhead guard is essential to the frame assembly on various units.
The Mast - Mounted either to the forklift frame or the front axle, the mast is the vertical lift truck component made of interlocking rails. The mast enables the forks to move up and down whilst providing lateral stability. The interlocking rails could either have rollers or bushings as guides. There are a couple of ways the mast can be operated: chain operated with motive power provided by a hydraulic motor or hydraulically by one or more hydraulic cylinders.
Forklift Carriage - the forks and different other attachments are mounted to the carriage. The carriage is attached 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 can have either rollers or bushings to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - When the carriage is lifted to full height, there is a back rest made of metal which prevents a load from falling backwards. The back rest is either bolted or welded on to the carriage.
Forklift Attachments - a variety of attachments can be fixed to the front of the forklift truck. The most common kind of attachment is forks. What's more, there are rotators, rollers, L-shaped members, roll clamps, pole handlers and so on. These various attachments are very useful for moving different kinds of loads.