Lift Truck Parts in More Detail
A forklift is made of many parts. The major components which make up a lift truck are the truck frame, the engine parts, the overhead guard, the wheels and the tilt cylinders. In addition, a lift truck has different kinds of attachments. All the components which make up a lift truck are all essential as they work together to make the functions of the machine possible. The next paragraphs describe several of the lift truck components in detail.
The Overhead Guard - The overhead guard is actually the lift truck's metal roof, that sits atop the operator cab. It's job is to protect the operator while they are using the machinery. The overhead guard ensures that nothing falling from above onto the truck will harm 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 upwards and downwards. The interlocking rails may 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 different other 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 enable the forks to be raised and lowered, the carriage can 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 while the carriage is raised to its full height. The back rest is either welded or bolted on to the carriage.
Lift Truck Attachments - a range of attachments could be fixed to the front of the lift truck. The most common attachment is forks. Moreover, there are L-shaped members, rotators, rollers, roll clamps, pole handlers and and all that. These various types of attachments are very handy for moving different types of loads.