020 8880 3322The Most Effective Forklift Accessories- Make the Most of Your Forklift Trucks
For something designed with a single function in mind, the forklift truck is a surprisingly versatile machine. Aside from different forms of design – from narrow aisle trucks to double-loaders – you can even invest in a whole host of forklift accessories.
Here are some of the best:
1. Fork Extension Sleeves
Extension sleeves are easy and quick to fit to almost any existing forklift truck. They were designed with the intention of extending the length of the forklift truck’s existing forks, which will allow you to handle longer loads, or loads that are out of reach to the existing forks you have. Shaped and tapered tips reduce the risk of damage to goods, even at a distance.
2. Side Shift
Of all the attachments available for the forklift, the side shift is perhaps the most useful for the day-to-day running of a business. When properly installed and tested, the side shift allows the forklift operator to move an existing load to the left or to the right (within a certain span). In effect, you are moving the fork carriage independent of the rest of the forklift, with allows for greater efficiency in the workplace, especially when loading and unloading in narrow aisles.
3. Rotator Clamp
Rotator clamps are designed to help with the moving of white goods. Attached to the forks of the truck with clamping screws, the rotator attachment allows you to move an item through 360 degrees, an essential trait for certain white goods, which need to be positioned in a certain manner.
4. Brush Attachment
A brush attachment is exactly what it sounds like: a large brush, often as wide as two metres across, that attaches to the forks of the truck, effectively converting it into a mobile sweeper for your warehouse. Brush attachments for forklift trucks are easily mounted onto the vehicle, and just as easily removed, and are effective for clearing up such things as light snow, moss, mud, straw, grain, grit, slurry, and a whole range of other debris, both inside the warehouse, and out.
5. Snow Plough Attachments
These days there is no need to purchase a snow plough to handle the inclement weather Mother Nature throws at us. It is just as easy to add a snow plough attachment to one of the existing forklift trucks. It takes no time at all to affix the attachment, as they are designed to slide directly onto the fork, much like the forklift extension sleeves mentioned earlier in this list. You, or one of your team, can be out of the warehouse almost immediately, clearing up snow, or using the plough as a scraper for clearing the back yard during drier conditions.
5.1 LED Lighting
Nearly 40% of all accidents involving a forklift truck also involve a pedestrian. LED area warning lights can help to prevent these by casting a bright red line onto the floor immediately surrounding them. This warns any pedestrian in the vicinity that they are in an area that has been deemed unsafe, ensuring a safer working environment for forklift operators, other staff and customers. You will require a strip of lights for each side of the vehicle you wish to illuminate in this way, potentially meaning the entire truck can be made safe on all sides.
Fancy a bit of further reading? Take a look at our range of forklift accessories and how they can benefit your business.