Forklifts are pieces of special equipment used in various industries for many purposes, from lifting and carrying to pushing, dispensing, and rotating materials. Workers can attach a variety of accessories to their forklifts to handle different tasks.
Forklifts allow you to lift more weight, reach areas you couldn’t reach on your own, and do it all safely and with minimal effort. Overall, forklifts are an essential aspect of the transportation of materials. Dockyards, recycling facilities, construction sites, and warehouses are just a few of the many places where you’ll find a forklift in action.
Many times you need more than just a typical pallet fork. First, you need to determine the weight of your load and the height you need in order to lift it. From there, you can figure out how you can effectively move it. That’s when these forklift accessories come in handy.
Although there are countless options when it comes to forklift accessories, here are seven of the most commonly used attachments and what they’re used for:
Forklift Clamps
This particular tool grabs an item from the sides with two arms instead of lifting them from the bottom. There are many different types of clamps designed to transport loads that might be unstable when placed on a pallet fork.
A few examples of forklift clamps include drum clamps for handling heavy circular loads, bale clamps for lifting baled products such as textiles, hay, newspapers, etc., recycling clamps, and multi-purpose clamps that offer versatile uses.
Forklift Baskets
You can easily create an elevated work platform with your forklift by attaching a forklift basket. These baskets are typically used to raise and lower workers at a job site in order to fix an issue or transport materials up high. They can come in a variety of sizes, depending on how many people it will be accommodating.
Forklift baskets are usually made of welded steel and include a non-slip surface for optimal safety. They are often utilized by warehouse employees or maintenance workers to transport items or collect them off high shelves or other high spaces.
Fork Mounted Jibs
These common forklift attachments slide directly onto the forklift blades for easy lifting and transportation. They usually come with a hook at the end that can attach to the load.
These jibs increase lifting capacity and improve the stability of the load, and are often required for larger loads. Using these extensions, workers can manage different load sizes and shapes with ease and load and unload more materials at one time.
Fork mounted jibs are used when you can’t lift and move an object or objects with just the blades. Some of the most popular types include fixed forklift jibs (used for repetitive tasks), extendable forklift jibs (can be lengthened), and adjustable forklift jibs (adjusts to different angles).
Forklift Rotators
The forklift rotator attachment can rotate 360-degrees either clockwise or counterclockwise, allowing the operator to alter the position of a pallet if it’s unbalanced.
A forklift rotator can also be used to transport materials to different containers, as it gives the operator the ability to dump the contents and pick up more.
At Angus Lift Trucks we find that the following types of accessories are used frequently in manufacturing facilities, construction worksites, food processing plants, and agriculture.
Side Shifters
Side shifters are probably the most used forklift attachment, as they let the operator move both forks from side to side. This tool reduces handling time and improves load maneuverability by offering more precision during transport.
Side shifters are especially helpful when workers are moving loads in tight spaces. With the help of this device, you can reposition large loads without having to move the entire vehicle.
Forklift Scoops
If you’re looking for a mobile shovel, you’ll definitely want to get a forklift scoop. These attachments are commonly used on construction sites when workers need to pick up and move large quantities of material such as sand, gravel, dirt, coal, etc.
The bucket-like scoop allows the operator to scoop up and dump out material as necessary and can handle heavy weights as well.
Forklift Brush
This tool is convenient for when you need to clean up a building or job site. Whether it’s debris, snow, ice, mud, or scrap material, a forklift brush can sweep it away quickly and easily.
It slides onto the blades to transform your forklift from a moving and loading device into an effective cleaning machine.
Final Thoughts
Forklifts are designed to lift, move, and store heavy loads efficiently. They play a significant role in productivity for a variety of industries, but they wouldn’t be as beneficial without the many accessories that can be used with them.
Now that you understand the most common types of forklift attachments, you can see which would be the best fit for you and your specific needs. Whether you need a forklift to train on, buy, rent or just specific parts do get in touch with our team of experienced engineers!
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