Using the right attachment for the right application will increase productivity and make the world of difference for your business. With so many different configurations and designs on the market, it can be difficult choosing the right attachments for your forklifts.
To help you make the right choice, we have broken them down into some of the most common attachments and their benefits.
1. SIDE SHIFTS
Side Shifts are one of the most common attachments used today (most forklifts come with this attachment as standard). Sideshifts allow you to shift the forks from side to side, this allows for small adjustments to be made by the operator without the need to manoeuvre the entire truck. With a shideshift, both forks will move as one unit from side to side and not separately.
Sideshift Benefits:
-Reduced pallet damage.
-Reduced fuel and truck wear.
-The operator does not need to manoeuvre the forklift for accurate positioning.
-Quicker loading and unloading pallet times.
2. FORK POSITIONERS
Fork Positioners are fairly common attachments. The attachment allows the forklifts forks to be moved closer or further away from each other hydraulically. This allows for faster and more effective handling of different sized pallets and odd size objects as the forks are able to move independently from one another. This attachment requires an extra hydraulic valve compared to a Sideshift.
Fork Positioner Benefits:
-Improved load handling times.
-Reduced fuel and truck wear.
-Reduced pallet damage.
-Allows accurate fork positioning without the operator having to manoeuvre the truck.
3. SINGLE-DOUBLE PALLET HANDLERS
This attachment gives you the flexibility to lift one or two pallets at the same time, depending on your requirement. This is done using four forks, which are either paired together to lift one pallet or spread apart mimicking two sets of forks, allowing two pallets to be lifted and transported at once side by side.
Bringing the four forks together converts them into two forks for single pallet handling. Forks are hydraulically positioned, which means that an additional valve is required as with the fork positioner. Industries that make use of these pallet handlers include high turnover production and warehousing facilities, such as canning and bottling plants. In general, these industries would use this attachment on a 3.5 Ton forklift to lift and transport two 1 ton pallets.
Single-Double Pallet Handler Benefits:
-Allows for the handling of both single and double pallets.
-Improved efficiencies and production due to double palletising.
-Reduces loading & unloading times.
-The handling capacity of pallets doubles.
-Reduces the number of manoeuvres to load and unload.
4. PAPER ROLL CLAMPS
For businesses handling paper industry products {newspaper printing, paper manufacturing or tissue manufacturing}. paper roll clamps can handle many different sized paper rolls. Depending on the paper that you are handling, many types of gripping pads are also available. Automatic pressure controls can also be used to allow for the correct amounts of pressure without damage to the paper rolls.
Paper Roll Clamp Benefits:
-Designed specifically for the paper industry.
-Large selections of clamp pads.
-Paper handling 360° rotation.
-Reduced paper damage with automatic clamp pressure – huge cost saving.
5. APPLIANCE CLAMPS
Appliance clamps are used to handle large square or rectangular shaped objects that don’t need a pallet. Commonly used for appliance, beverage, electronic applications and the handling of other fragile goods.
Appliance Clamp Benefits:
-No pallets – increase storage space.
-Reduction in breakages and improvements in efficiencies.
-No pallet purchase costs and repairs.
-No pallets – lighter weights and lower shipping costs.
-No need for pallets when handling square and rectangular objects.
-Handling times of white goods, electronics and boxes are reduced.
6. PUSH/PULL or SLIP SHEETERS
These are used instead of pallets for the handling of loads that have slip sheets by pushing to unload and pulling to load. Used commonly in industries with bagged cement, packaged food, dairy products, corrugated box and fruit handling, as well as bagged seed and grain. This attachment uses inexpensive slip sheets that decrease storage areas and maintenance costs with some attachments even allowing for slip sheets to be saved and reused.
Push / Pull Attachment Benefits:
-Quick removal and installation with no need to remove forks.
-Easy handling of goods with Slip Sheets.
Slip Sheet Benefits:
-No need for pallet exchange.
-Lower cost to replace and reuse when compared to pallets
-Reduce packaging weight – lower shipping costs.
-Increase storage space – lower shipping costs.
To conclude:
Now that you have some insight into some of the most common forklift attachments and their uses, you will be able to make informed decisions when choosing your attachments for your exact operational needs. It is important to keep in mind that the majority of forklift attachments require an additional Hydraulic Valve to be fitted, which comes at an additional cost. It is also important to note that attachments require their own maintenance, which also comes at an additional cost. When it comes to this sort of detailed application, it is advised to get an industry professional to do an application survey to ensure you get the right attachment for your specific application.
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