As a warehouse owner or manager, you likely depend on forklifts (aka lift trucks) as essential to your operation. Between loading and unloading pallets, stocking shelves and transporting other items, they make a huge difference in your overall productivity and efficiency.
However, you many not be as familiar with the different types of “front-end” and other forklift attachments available to you to make your forklifts even more useful. With the right accessories, you will maximize your equipment’s potential and enjoy many other operational benefits.
Common Lift Truck Attachments and Accessories
Depending on your needs, utilizing specialty forks, fork positioners, sideshifters, special masts, clamps, or other attachments will enable you and your team to perform more tasks more safely and efficiently. Some of common forklift attachments include:
Specialty Forks
Many unique forks exist beyond the standard type. Arguably the most popular kind of specialty fork is the fork extender (aka fork extensions), which slide over the existing forks to enable the operator to lift and move larger, longer items. Special care must be taken to not extend the overall load center too far, or you will risk tip-over. Ask one of our team members for assistance in calculating acceptable extensions and loads. Additionally, you might be interested in:
- Weigh forks: These forks allow operators to lift and move objects while weighing them. In some cases, weigh forks can be equipped with technology to make gathering and tracking weight data easier.
- Folding forks: Unlike typical forks, folding forks fold up to help operators navigate tight or awkward spaces in the warehouse, like corners, freight elevators or entryways.
- Inverted forks: Also called upside-down forks, inverted forks can help lift objects to greater heights and secure them during movement by placing the forks on top.
Side Shifter (aka Sideshifter)
Sideshifters were once a option but are now one of the most common attachment found on a forklift. This device allows the forklift operator to hydraulically move (or shift) both load forks at the same time, 4” to the left or 4” to the right. This greatly assists pallet entry.
Carpet Poles and Rams
If your warehouse stocks carpets or other similar objects, carpet poles or rams may be beneficial. These long poles are available in different sizes and mounted either directly to the lift truck’s carriage or slide on over the forks. The pole is then inserted into the opening of a rolled-up carpet, coil, or other cylindrical material, to transport it.
Drum Handlers
Many warehouses store and transport drums containing different liquids. These items often require precise handling to ensure operators don’t spill their contents. To make moving, lifting, and turning drum containers easier, there are a variety of types and capacities of drum handling attachments available. Ask your Eastern Lift Truck Co. Territory Sales Manager for assistance.
Specialty Masts
Does your warehouse have areas with low ceilings or doors? You may benefit from a lift truck with a lower than normal mast. Or perhaps, your challenge is the opposite – you need more lift height than your regular forklift provides. You may benefit from a special quad mast to reach taller heights. Other special masts provide additional free lift or tilt for stacking and maneuvering in tight areas.
Clamps and Rotators
Clamps are some of the most popular forklift attachments. Many different types are available for a wide range of applications. Pallet fork clamps can easily lift barrels. A 360 degree rotating clamps may be the right fit if you need to move and dump one or two oil drums. Bale clamps handle all types of material, and are found in recycling operations. Paper mills have long relied on paper roll clamps. push-pull clamps use hydraulics to hold slip sheet loads against a faceplate.
As the name implies, rotator attachments are used to rotate bins, boxes, and containers. Rotators are often added to forklifts in use at in chemical plants, recycling and waste disposal operations, metal-related industries, and food processing operations.
Carton clamps or appliance clamps are used to move household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and many other non-palletized products that do not have outer packaging.
Push Pulls
Push pull attachments are designed to handle goods with slipsheets instead of wooden pallets. They are found in many different types of applications such as food, beverage, building products, paper, glassware, agricultural, and chemical plants. Ask a member of our sales team about the The Bolzoni Mark 55 Push Pull attachment.
Fork Positioners
Like a side shifter, a fork positioner allows lift truck operators to hydraulically reposition load forks. However, a key difference is that a fork positioner can also move the left and right fork in opposite directions to spread them apart or bring them together. Some fork positioners, often found on high-capacity lift truck, have individual fork movement. These additional movements provide the operator with higher flexibility in handing products.
Multiple Pallet Handlers
When one set of forks doesn’t meet your needs, a multi pallet handler may be the solution. Beverage operations and brick and block plants use these attachements to handle two, three, or even four pallets at a time. Multiple pallet handlers can dramatically reduce handling time and costs, while increasing safety and productivity.
How Accessories Improve Forklift Capabilities
With so many forklift attachment options available, you can significantly enhance the capabilities of your lift trucks throughout your warehouse. The top benefits of forklift attachments and accessories include:
1. Greater Versatility
While a high-quality forklift can accomplish a lot on its own, equipping different accessories can make it a truly versatile piece of equipment. With the proper attachment, one lift truck can tackle a range of jobs, from raising steel drums to moving rolls of carpet to transporting multiple pallets at once. This level of versatility means your warehouse can stock multiple kinds of products without lifting or hauling issues.
2. Improved Efficiency
Every team can perform more efficiently when they have access to the right tools. Thanks to forklift accessories, your warehouse crew can use the most effective methods for each job and save time throughout the day. Streamlining tasks is much easier when operators can cut out manual labor. If the attachment can complete some of the work for them, such as weighing the pallet, the process is all the more efficient.
3. Increased Productivity
Since lift truck accessories can make lifting and moving materials more efficient, they also enable your team to be more productive throughout the day — operators can accomplish more tasks in the same amount of time. Plus, many attachments come with quick-attach systems that make changing out accessories even simpler. When you’re done with one job and need a new attachment, you can easily make the switch and move on to the next task.
In addition to making forklifts even more capable and functional, accessories can positively impact your operations overall. These accessories improve worker safety by stabilizing loads, optimizing space throughout the warehouse with better stacking and racking, and decreasing costs due to a lower need for other equipment.
OSHA Forklift Attachment Requirements
Following OSHA standards for forklifts and accessories is essential for compliance. Since OSHA says attachments change the performance of a forklift, namely its capacity and stability, operators must be trained to use them properly. A forklift with an accessory will operate differently than one without that add-on, and the operator should understand how to navigate that difference.
After you decide which accessories to invest in for your warehouse, be sure your operators have the right attachment training, which includes operation, adaptation and use limits. Any time you add a new accessory to your fleet, retrain operators as necessary. This way, you can meet compliance and avoid issues such as overloading, falling objects and tip-overs.
Choose Eastern Lift Truck Co. for Your Forklift Needs
Make the most of your existing forklift fleet by investing in useful attachments and accessories. Eastern Lift Truck Co. is your go-to supplier of new forklifts, used material handling equipment and rental lift trucks, and we can also help you find the best add-ons for your needs. With decades of experience in the industry, we understand what it takes to run a successful warehouse and material handling business, and the right tools can make all the difference.
Ready to get started with effective warehouse machinery and solutions, including forklift attachments and accessories? We’re here to help! Find a location near you or contact us today.
