Forklift trucks are essential for material handling. Their benefits depend on the type of work and industry. Forklift attachments play a considerable role in material handling; without them, it would be nearly impossible to handle certain loads. However, most material handling warehouses overlook the importance of these pieces, which can lead to inefficient operations, damaged goods, or personal injury. With numerous forklift attachments coming in different types, it’s always crucial to choose the perfect fit for your application. This can lead to improved productivity and reduced damage. Here are some common forklift accessories you can consider and their applications.

Fork Positioner

Material handling demands keep growing and are becoming more complex. Having fork positioners allows for the forklift forks to position hydraulically tmarines.com. They receive oil from the forklift’s hydraulic system to allow for smooth movement. 

Fork positioners are essential in a forklift when handling a change in the width of the load. It allows the operator or driver to align the forks with the pallets to be carried, creating more efficiency during handling. In addition, these attachments help increase profitability and flexibility, increasing your forklift truck’s handling capacity. This attachment is standard in warehousing, distribution, and food manufacturing industries.

Paper Roll Clamp

These large forklift clamp attachments help secure and move huge rolls of paper without any damage. Their capacity can handle up to eight rolls of paper at a time of various weights and sizes. These specialised attachments make it easy for paper manufacturers and printers to handle paper rolls without damaging the material.

Push Pull Clamp

This forklift attachment is essential for handling loads without using pallets. Instead, it replaces them with a slip sheet that slides onto the push-pull clamp, usually of plastic or cardboard. As a result, it offers the most cost-effective means of shipping that helps increase the shipping volume and speed. This attachment usually connects to the conventional forklift truck, and it’s easy to disconnect when you need to return to handling pallets. Its operation system is hydraulic, and its solid construction enables the self-supporting scissor system that, in turn, provides the best visibility through the attachment. It is commonly used in the food and beverage production industries.

Fork Rotators

This is one of the most helpful forklift accessories. It allows a 360-degree hydraulic rotation of the forks to dampen materials into other containers. The process is safe and efficient and helps improve productivity in warehouses, reducing downtime. Once the rotators invert the loads, they turn the forks back upright, and the process continues. They are perfect for tipping horizontal loads or emptying containers on pallets. They are most common in waste & recycling, food processing, and agriculture industries.

Bale Clamps

As the name suggests, bale clamps allow for easy handling of baled products that can’t use pallets, such as cotton, hay, or wool. These forklift clamp attachments are standard in manufacturing environments and the agriculture industry.

Cotton Clamp

Like bale clamps, cotton clamps allow the forklift to easily pick up materials or pallet-free containers like large appliances, cartons, and cases. Their application is common in the beverage, electronic, and appliance industries. However, they are also ideal for fragile goods, especially when used with automatic pressure-sensing systems. Their standard configurations are horizontal and vertical, depending on the load requirement. Additionally, these attachments help increase storage space, reduce weight, limit pallet use, and reduce the cost of shipping, purchase, and repairs.

Side Shifters

Side shifters are the most common forklift attachments used in most warehouses today. Several forklifts come with this attachment when you buy them. However, you can always buy it separately if you don’t have it. These attachments allow for the shift of the forks from side to side, allowing room for small adjustments. This, in turn, allows for alignment with the pallets without moving the entire forklift truck.

Fork Appliance Clamps

The appliance clamp attachment is a common application when moving loads like refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, or driers. The appliance clamp can come in a rigid or flexible version, making it easy to handle these appliances safely and without worrying about breakages. They are most common in appliance manufacturing industries and the food processing industry.

Attachments help make forklifts more versatile and convenient to use. However, understanding how these attachments work can sometimes be challenging if you aren’t familiar with them. So, you must know and understand the safety measures you should take for each. Moreover, renting one is always the best option if you only need a forklift or the attachment for a shorter period. This will save you money as pieces for rent are much more friendly than buying a new one.

Read More Article.