Forklift Components in More Detail
A forklift is made of thousands of components. The main parts that make up a forklift truck are the truck frame, the engine components, the overhead guard, the wheels and the tilt cylinders. Moreover, a lift truck consists of various types of attachments. All the components making up a forklift are all essential because they work together to make the equipment's functions possible. The following paragraphs describe several of the forklift components in detail.
The Overhead Guard - this guard forms the forklift truck's metal roof. It sits on top of the cab area and protects the machinery operator while he or she is sitting and driving. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck will damage the controls inside the cab or injure the driver. The overhead guard is vital to the frame assembly on several models.
The Mast - the mast is a vertical assembly made of interlocking rails and mounted either to the front axle or the forklift frame. The mast provides lateral stability and allows the forks to move up and down. The interlocking rails could either have bushings or bushings as guides. There are a couple of ways the mast can be operated: hydraulically by one or more hydraulic cylinders or chain operated with motive power provided by a hydraulic motor.
Lift Truck 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 attached by chains. To be able to enable the forks to be lowered and raised, the carriage could have either rollers or bushings to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - a back rest is a metal rack which prevents a load from falling backwards while the carriage is lifted to its full height. The back rest is either welded or bolted on to the carriage.
Lift Truck Attachments - There are various types of attachments which can be fixed directly to the forklifts carriage. Forks are the most common attachment. Also, there are L-shaped members, rollers, rotators, pole handlers, roll clamps and and all that. These various types of attachments are useful for transporting various types of loads.