Forklift Parts in More Detail
There are hundreds of components which make up a lift truck. The forklifts key components comprise the frame of the truck, the engine components, the overhead guard, the tilt cylinders and the wheels. Also, a lift truck has a variety of attachments. All the components making up a lift truck are all essential since they work together to make the machine's operation possible. The following paragraphs describe some of the lift truck parts in detail.
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 while they are utilizing the equipment. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck would hurt the driver or damage the controls in the cab. The overhead guard is essential to the frame assembly on several models.
The Mast - the mast is a vertical assembly made of interlocking rails and mounted either to the forklift frame or the front axle. The mast provides lateral stability and allows the forks to move up and down. The interlocking rails can either have rollers or bushings as guides. There are two ways the mast can be operated: chain operated with motive power provided by a hydraulic motor or hydraulically by one or more hydraulic cylinders.
Lift Truck Carriage - the forks and other types of attachments are mounted to the carriage. The carriage is attached to the mast directly to the hydraulic cylinder or it is connected by chains. To be able to enable the forks to be raised and lowered, the carriage could have either bushings or rollers to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - a back rest is a metal rack which prevents a load from falling backwards when the carriage is raised to its full height. The back rest is either welded or bolted on to the carriage.
Forklift Attachments - a variety of attachments can be fixed to the front of the lift truck. The most common attachment is forks. Additionally, there are L-shaped members, rotators, rollers, pole handlers, roll clamps and and all that. These various types of attachments are really handy for moving various kinds of loads.