HOW FORKLIFT ATTACHMENTS KEEP THE WORLD MOVING.

While a forklift is certainly all about the forks, there are a variety of forklift attachments that can easily transform your forklift into a multi-purpose material mover. In fact, there is a forklift attachment available for safely lifting, moving and unloading almost any warehouse item you can think of, like appliances, drums, carpet rolls, crates, pipes and much more. For some of these items, forks alone just can't get the job done. Let's look at what attachments are out there and what they do.

Not to diminish the forks themselves, which still take the brunt of the work, let's start with the forklift attachments that quickly enhance the forks by increasing their reach. Fork extensions are used to extend the length of a fork blade when you need to create more fork support under longer loads. Standard extensions are readily available to fit 4 inches to 7 inches wide forks, and can provide lengths up to 96 inches long. Specialty forks include forklift attachments that will weigh its load, or telescope out to allow one-sided trailer loading and unloading, and some even use a retractable roller mechanism to make the loading/unloading process quicker.

Clamp It

Now hang on, because there is a wide range of clamp attachments for your forklift that are designed to hang on to your material from every direction: paper roll clamps allow for easy clamping onto the sides of large rolls of paper, or other non-pallet transportable items, without damaging or crushing it. Flat surface, carton and bulk box clamps are most commonly used in the appliance industry to transport appliances such as washers, dryers, and refrigerators. Drum clamps are used heavily in the chemical industries to safely lift and transport 55-gallon drums. Some are able to accommodate up to 4 drums at a time

Turn It

When does a load need to be shifted or re-positioned on its forks, or even rotated? Almost always. Luckily, side-shifter forklift attachments work to shift the forks to the left and right without the operator having to leave their seat. They can pick up loads that might not be perfectly aligned with the forklift which, in turn, saves wear and tear on the forklift. Fork positioners are attachments that allow the operator to adjust the distance between the forks quickly to accommodate different pallet sizes, while seated on the forklift. Rotators have forks attached to a rotating platform that can turn between 180 degrees and 360 degrees. These convenient forklift attachments are most often used where bins or containers are stored, transported or require being dumped into another container.

Move It

Push-Pulls, Load Stabilizers, Multiple Load Handlers, Layer Pickers, Booms with Chains, and still more options are available to make your forklift more productive in the warehouse, at the job site and on the dock. Selecting and using the right forklift attachment for your material moving needs can result in less damage to the load, less stress on the forklift, and added convenience for the forklift operator. And all of that adds up to higher productivity!