Wait... Forklifts have Forks???

When most of us refer to forks we’re talking about the kitchen utensil. However, there are a select few of us who are referring to forklift forks. In the industry, you’re always hearing about the potential dangers of forks, or about some of the hysteria they’ve caused. What people don’t talk about enough is how forklift forks vary in size, shape, capacity, and the fact that they need to be maintained. Although this isn’t as fun as talking about someone spearing open a huge drum of bacon, or a water pipe, it is important and needs to be touched upon.

 

How Much Do You Know?

1.     Palleted and non-palleted items require different kinds of forks.

a.     True

b.     False

2.     The best way to ensure you are changing your forklift’s forks properly is by referring to…

a.     Wikipedia

b.     The manual

c.     By watching someone else do it

3.     When parking a forklift, it is always a good idea to make sure the forks are…

a.     Close to the ground and pointed in a downward direction

b.     Lifted a couple feet off the ground, but pointed downward

c.     Close to the ground and pointed upwards

4.     When a forklift’s fork is damaged it is important to check the fork mount for damage as well.

a.     True

b.     False

Get This…

There are three main mount types for forklift forks.

Standard Hook: Top and Bottom locking mechanism.

Pin: Rod, shaft, or pin that fits into the “eye” of the fork. 

Non-Standard Hook: Combination of the standard hook and pin mounts. 

Can You Answer This Question???

All forklift forks are created to lift the same weight capacity?

a.     True

b.     False

If you chose A then you better do a little more research! Not all forks are created equal. Different types of forklifts require different types of forks; all of which perform different tasks, and have different weight limits associated with them. Often times the types of forks and the weight limit of your forklift’s forks are listed in the truck’s manual. 

Get The Facts!

Having bent or damaged forks on your forklift can cause a lot of issues. First of all using forks that are not in good shape can create a major safety issue. Bent and damaged forks can also cause the operator to puncture packaging, and can make it harder for them to lift materials. There are many people who are not comfortable or qualified to change their truck’s forks, but for a better understanding here is a quick overview!

Step 1: It might seem fairly basic, but is arguably the most important part of this process… check out the manual! This ensures that you know exactly what kind of forklift you have, what type of mount you are working with, and the types of forks you need.

Step 2: Make sure you have plenty of space!

Step 3: Turn off your forklift, unless otherwise noted in the manual.

Step 4: Study the forks and the mount. It isn’t a bad idea to make a sketch of the placement of your mount, forks, and screws to aide in putting them back together.

Step 5: Now it’s time to release the forks. Some newer forklifts have quick change forks, while older models do not. For older forklifts you will first have to release the top mechanism, once the forks are rested on the ground, the bottom mechanism can be released. For forklifts with a pin lock release the mount, and remove the pin from the “eye” of the fork. MAKE SURE OLD FORKS ARE LABELLED AND DISPOSED OF PROPERLY!

Step 6: Place your new forks in front of the forklift, reverse your actions from the previous step, and make sure that everything is secured tightly!

Watch this video for another look at changing forks!

…So Call

If you’re one of those people who isn’t quite sure about changing forks on your own feel free to shoot us an E-mail at omega.rockett@yahoo.com, or give us a call at (513) 842-2012.