Raw Materials
The body, cab, frame and boom of a telescoping boom rough terrain forklift are generally manufactured by a lift truck manufacturer. The most common material utilized for these subassemblies is steel, because of its tremendous strength. Sometimes aluminum or steel forgings are utilized too. It is common for non-metallic materials such as nylon plastic blocks to be utilized as guides in the boom assembly. The other components are typically bought as finished products and the forklift manufacturer installs them.
Some of the pre-assembled purchased products comprise the transmission, seat, axles, engine, hoses, tires and wheels, backup-alarm, lights, gauges and hydraulic cylinders. Most often, certain materials like the hydraulic fluid and fuel and lubricants are bought in bulk. These liquids are added as required once the equipment is assembled and has passed the meticulous testing sessions.
Design
The common design which is most standard of telescoping boom rough terrain forklifts is a narrow and long design which has a set of wheels at the front of the model and another set located towards the rear of the equipment. The boom part of the model is mounted at the rear of the forklift off of a pivot feature that is elevated a few feet above the frame's level. Generally, the cab is mounted on the left-hand side of the frame structure. Typically, the cab's bottom half is low and located between the tires. The hydraulic fuel tank and the fuel tank are mounted on the right-hand side, opposite the cab. Along the vehicle's center-line, the transmission and the engine are mounted inside the frame.
Various manufacturers have contributed their own unique designs beyond this basic configuration. Now, there are many different options existing on the market. Certain models of forklifts utilize a single hydraulic cylinder to be able to elevate the boom, and other models make use of 2 cylinders. Some models make use of a side-to-side hydraulic frame leveling capability. This particular feature enables the frame to tilt up to 10 degrees relative to the axles in order to enable the machinery to compensate for extreme axle articulation. For example, this is used when the tires on one side of the lift truck are located down in a rut and the tires on the other side of the machinery are up, located on a mound of dirt.
One more popular design feature includes fork attachments that are capable of swinging up to 45 degrees both right and left, in order to enable precise load positioning.