Forklift Accessories Transform the Common Forklift 0

Forklifts are among the most useful pieces of equipment you could ever have in the workplace. When you combine the ordinary forklift with specialty forklift accessories, you transform the ordinary forklift into something else.

It goes without saying that the forklift gets its name from the two forks that are attached to the front of the lift. The concept is simple enough: slip these forks under a pallet and hydraulically lift the pallet off the ground or pallet rack and move it someplace else. As useful as it is for this purpose alone, with the right forklift accessories, it can go far beyond just moving pallets.

What if a product is not on a flat pallet? What if it is a roll of carpeting, for instance. The carpet pole is a specially made accessory that replaces the normal tines. Instead of lifting from beneath, it is inserted into the middle of the roll and then carries it to wherever it is meant to go.

The disadvantage to the normal forks on a forklift is the fact that with normal tines attached, there is no way you can rotate goods except manually. Thankfully, there are forklift accessories that, when attached, allow the operator to rotate goods between 180 and 360 degrees. These are perfect in situations when it is periodically necessary to rotate stock upside down or empty into bins.

One such forklift accessory is the drum handler. Instead of just being able to move heavy drums of liquid materials, the drum handler turns the forklift into a machine that not only carries drums, but rotates them and even pours their contents.

Other forklift accessories that either are attached to or replace the normal forks include a number of specialty forks. The standard forks on most forklifts can only be manually moved closer together or farther apart and there are limits to how wide they can be spread. You can get an attachment that allows the operator to spread the forks from his seat. These are versatile enough to be spread apart or shifted from side to side as required.

Yet another replacement for standard forks are telescopic forks. These allow the operator to extend the reach of the forks without having to use fork extensions. Telescoping forks are usually used in situations where they are needed frequently – when one load may require longer forks than the next and slipping extensions on and off would not be practical.

Aside from replacement or alternative forks, there are dozens of other forklift accessories that greatly increase the versatility of the machine. Perhaps someone should change their name from “forklift” to “lift-all” or something more descriptive. Truly, with the right forklift accessories, there is almost nothing you can’t do.