Forklift Components in More Detail
A lift truck is made of thousands of parts. The main parts which make up a forklift truck are the truck frame, the engine components, the overhead guard, the wheels and the tilt cylinders. Additionally, a lift truck consists of a range of attachments. All the parts that make up a forklift are all essential as they work together to make the machine's functions possible. The next paragraphs describe in detail several of the forklift components.
The Overhead Guard - The overhead guard is really the lift truck's metal roof, which sits atop the operator cab. It's job is to protect the operator whilst they are utilizing the machinery. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck would damage the controls inside the cab or hurt the driver. The overhead guard is vital to the frame assembly on several units.
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 enables the forks to move upwards and downwards. The interlocking rails may either have rollers or bushings as guides. There are a couple of ways the mast may 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 attached to the mast directly to the hydraulic cylinder or it is connected by chains. To allow 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 - While the carriage is raised to full height, there is a back rest made of metal which keeps a load from falling backwards. The back rest is either welded or bolted on to the carriage.
Lift Truck Attachments - There are many types of attachments which can be fixed directly to the forklifts carriage. Forks are the most common attachment. In addition, there are L-shaped members, rollers, rotators, pole handlers, roll clamps and and all that. These various kinds of attachments are really handy for moving different types of loads.