Forklift Components in More Detail
A forklift is made of thousands of parts. The main components that make up a lift truck are the truck frame, the engine parts, the overhead guard, the tilt cylinders and the wheels. What's more, a forklift consists of different kinds of attachments. All the parts that make up a lift truck are of equal importance as they work together to make the equipment's operation possible. The next paragraphs describe some of the lift truck components in detail.
The Overhead Guard - The overhead guard is actually the forklifts metal roof, which sits atop the operator cab. It's job is to protect the operator while they are utilizing the equipment. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck will harm the operator or damage the controls in the cab. The overhead guard is vital to the frame assembly on some models.
The Mast - Mounted either to the forklift frame or the front axle, the mast is the vertical forklift part made of interlocking rails. The mast allows the forks to move up and down whilst providing lateral stability. The interlocking rails can 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 carriage is the part which the forks and different other kinds of attachments are mounted to. The carriage is in fact directly attached to the hydraulic cylinder and is attached by chains. To enable the forks to be raised and lowered, the carriage may have either bushings or rollers 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 welded or bolted on to the carriage.
Forklift Attachments - a variety of attachments can be fixed to the front of the forklift truck. The most common type of attachment is forks. Also, there are L-shaped members, rollers, rotators, pole handlers, roll clamps and and all that. These various attachments are handy for moving various types of loads.