Forklift Components in More Detail
A lift truck is made of numerous parts. The major parts which make up a forklift truck are the frame of the truck, the engine parts, the overhead guard, the tilt cylinders and the wheels. Additionally, a forklift consists of a range of attachments. All the parts making up a forklift are all essential since they work together to make the equipment's operation possible. The subsequent paragraphs describe in detail several of the lift truck components.
The Overhead Guard - The overhead guard is really the forklifts metal roof, which sits atop the operator cab. It's job is to protect the operator whilst they are using the machine. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck would hurt the driver or damage the controls inside the cab. The overhead guard is integral to the frame assembly on some units.
The Mast - Mounted either to the forklift frame or the front axle, the mast is the vertical lift truck part made of interlocking rails. The mast enables the forks to move upwards and down whilst providing lateral stability. The interlocking rails can either have rollers or bushings as guides. There are two ways the mast can be operated: hydraulically by one or more hydraulic cylinders or chain operated with motive power provided by a hydraulic motor.
Forklift Carriage - the forks and other types of attachments are mounted to the carriage. The carriage is connected to the mast directly to the hydraulic cylinder or it is connected by chains. To allow the forks to be lowered and raised, the carriage could have either rollers or bushings to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - While the carriage is raised to full height, there is a back rest made of metal that keeps a load from falling backwards. The back rest is either bolted or welded on to the carriage.
Lift Truck Attachments - There are various types of attachments that could be fixed directly to the forklifts carriage. Forks are the most common kind of attachment. In addition, there are L-shaped members, rotators, rollers, pole handlers, roll clamps and and all that. These different attachments are really useful for transporting various kinds of loads.