Thursday, March 24, 2011

Indispensable Forklift Accessories

By Justin Nielsen


Every foreman will agree that the forklift is the most necessary piece of equipment in the factory or warehouse. It is responsible for the revolution in materials handling that makes the modern warehouse operate so smoothly. Everything in the warehouse is set up for the smooth operation of the forklift. Forklift accessories just add even more to their usefulness.

When a forklift operator needs to move extra-wide or long loads safely or be able to reach past obstacles, he turns to forklift extensions. These come in two lengths 60 or 72 and can often make the difference between being able to move a pallet or load and not being able to. It is important to be sure that your forklift can safely lift with these extensions before using them.

As with forklift extensions, polyurethane fork covers simply slide onto the forks. In this case, they are designed to protect loads that might be damaged by steel tines. The poly load protector is especially useful for moving goods that are softer than steel and are not protected by a pallet.

The various types of forklift accessories all serve special functions that increase the efficiency and usefulness of the forklift. For instance, there is another slide-on cover that is round instead of flat on top. When you are cradling goods between the forks, this carries them more securely and also prevents damage that might be caused by square edged forks.

The four foot broom fork attachment is among the more clever and efficient forklift accessories. Using this, the forklift operator can sweep the floor clean in minutes, saving a great deal of manual labor. Special magnetized forklift accessories attached to the front of the broom can pick up even the smallest metal filings, nails and other metal debris.

In many industrial and warehouse situations, magnetic lifters attached to forklift forks are used to move steel quickly, safely and efficiently around the floor. They can lift as much as 4000 pounds of flat steel or several hundreds of lbs of rounded steel goods.

There are dozens of other forklift accessories that are designed for specific purposes or general use when nothing else will do. These include things like a number of special straps, tongs, hooks and other devices that are inexpensive, yet are worth their weight in gold in the workplace.

Self dumping hoppers must rank as the most useful forklift accessories in the workplace. They are obviously in great demand, as the number of sizes, styles and load capacities they come in proves. You can purchase light duty hoppers that have a small load capacity or big extra-heavy duty hoppers that hold up to several tons of materials in their large capacity containers. They are made from several different gauges of steel, depending on their use or even come in heavy-duty polyethylene. For waste removal and moving loose materials of all kinds, there is nothing better than the self dumping hopper.




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