Forklift Controls
Inside any warehouse environment, among the most common equipments is a lift truck or forklift. These all-around equipment consist of a vehicle with two pronged forks at the front which can haul and lift heavy items.
Forklifts are able to maneuver in small spaces and can lift items into up high, hard to reach places. Forklifts are still really dangerous machines and have to be operated in a safe manner all the time, after proper training and certification has taken place.
When new to a lift truck, take time to read the owner's manual and familiarize yourself with the controls. Be sure to take note of the location of every specific control and what specific feature it functions. Nearly all lift trucks have two levers which control the forks. The first lever controls the fork height. In order to make the forks go down, you push the lever forward. To move the forks upwards, you just pull back on the lever.
There is a second lever that controls the forks tilt. This tilting capability enables for better distribution of weight. This tilting action helps to keep objects stable and won't allow items to fall off when driving. Moreover, it helps objects slide off in a more balanced way when unloading.
By pulling the second lever back, the forks would tilt back, while pushing the lever forward will tilt the forks forward. Various types of forklifts are equipped with a third lever which controls the fork width. Every one of these levers is located just to the right of the operator's seat.
Before using the forklift, sit inside of it and go over what the controls do with a trained colleague. Be sure to do this when the forklift is turned off and not in use. Ask the trained professional if you have any questions regarding how something functions.
Observation is often the best way to learn new forklift skills. So make time to observe a coworker showing the function of every control. On hydrostatic forklifts, notice that in order to make the machine go, you use the gas. And if you want to make it stop, you simply release the gas pedal. There is no brake on these kinds of forklifts. There are some kinds of hydrostatic forklifts that are complete with battery powered engines that turn off when the gas pedal is released. They start up once the gas pedal is pushed again.