Lift Truck Components in More Detail
A lift truck is constructed from many parts. The major components that make up a forklift truck are the frame of the truck, the engine components, the overhead guard, the wheels and the tilt cylinders. Also, a forklift has a range of attachments. All the components making up a forklift are all essential because they work together to make the operation of the equipment possible. The subsequent paragraphs describe some of the forklift components in detail.
The Overhead Guard - this guard forms the lift truck's metal roof. It sits over the cab area and protects the machine operator whilst he or she is sitting and driving. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck will harm the driver or damage the controls in the cab. The overhead guard is essential to the frame assembly on various units.
The Mast - Mounted either to the forklift frame or the front axle, the mast is the vertical forklift part made of interlocking rails. The mast enables the forks to move upwards and down whilst providing lateral stability. The interlocking rails could either have bushings or bushings as guides. There are a couple of ways the mast could be operated: chain operated with motive power provided by a hydraulic motor or hydraulically by one or more hydraulic cylinders.
Forklift Carriage - The carriage is the component that the forks and various other attachments are mounted to. The carriage is in fact directly connected to the hydraulic cylinder and is connected by chains. To enable the forks to be raised and lowered, the carriage can have either bushings or rollers to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - When the carriage is raised to full height, there is a back rest made of metal which prevents a load from falling backwards. The back rest is either bolted or welded on to the carriage.
Forklift Attachments - a range of attachments can be fixed to the front of the lift truck. The most common type of attachment is forks. Also, there are rollers, rotators, L-shaped members, roll clamps, pole handlers and so forth. These various kinds of attachments are helpful for moving various types of loads.