Lift Truck Parts in More Detail
There are hundreds of components that make up a forklift. The lift truck's main parts comprise the frame of the truck, the engine parts, the overhead guard, the tilt cylinders and the wheels. What's more, a forklift consists of a range of attachments. All the parts making up a forklift are of equal importance because they work together to make the equipment's operation possible. The next paragraphs describe in detail some of the forklift parts.
The Overhead Guard - this guard forms the lift truck's metal roof. It sits over the cab area and protects the machine operator while she or he is sitting and driving. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck would harm the driver or damage the controls inside the cab. The overhead guard is vital to the frame assembly on some 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 enables the forks to move up and down. The interlocking rails could either have bushings or bushings as guides. There are a couple of ways the mast can 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 various other attachments are mounted to the carriage. The carriage is connected to the mast directly to the hydraulic cylinder or it is attached by chains. In order to allow the forks to be raised and lowered, the carriage may have either rollers or bushings to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - a back rest is a metal rack that prevents a load from falling backwards while the carriage is lifted to its full height. The back rest is either bolted or welded on to the carriage.
Lift Truck Attachments - a variety 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, pole handlers, roll clamps and and all that. These different kinds of attachments are useful for transporting various kinds of loads.