A forklift is a powered truck that is designed to carry/ lift /stack materials. It’s a heavy duty vehicle equipped with forks at the front. It reduces workers pain, performing work fast and consuming less time. These trucks must only be operated by someone who has a license; that is, someone who is trained to control this equipment.
ForkLift in Construction Sites
Industrial Forklifts serve as very useful equipment at the construction sites, as it can be used to carry heavy building materials over long distances, across the rough terrain. It merges and balances the functions of a lifting tool and a vehicle. Forklifts can unload pallets of bricks, construction materials and steel joists from the delivery truck and transport them to the job site. Most of the shipping firms now carry truck-mounted forklifts with them to easily off-load the construction products.
ForkLift in Warehouses
Forklifts are most often used in the warehouses. Forklifts are mainly used for loading and unloading trucks and for carrying goods. There are extensive ranges of forklifts available which include pedestrian operated machines to heavy duty driver operated trucks. Forklifts vary in size, ranging from one ton capacity for general warehouse related work to 50 ton capacity for shipping container work. A plate on the forklift determines the highest weight it can lift. Forklift operators can lift up and lower the forks, use side shifters to move loads and tilt the mast so the load doesn’t slide off the forks. Pallet trucks are used for unloading and stuffing goods that are delivered on the pallet such as cartons and tinned goods.
ForkLift in Recycling Operations
Forklifts are also used in recycling operations for unloading the recycling trucks or containers and transporting their contents to the sorting bays. Forklift trucks can efficiently load and unload straight trucks, tractor trailers, elevators and railway cars. Cage attachments can be used for transporting materials such as tires, which may slide off the forks. Before initiating the loading/unloading operation, the work area must be well-prepared. The vehicle’s brake should be set up. Fixed Jacks that supports semi-trailer which is not coupled to a tractor, must be installed to avoid overturning of the forklift. The forks should be kept pointed down when traveling without a load and kept pointed up while traveling with a load.
Dockyards
Forklift trucks have been used in stacking and unloading of ships and barges during world wars when the need arises for a quick and efficient way to load arms and supplies. Nowadays, heavy duty forklifts are being used to transport bulky containers from delivery trucks to dockside storage regions and then to ships. It is used for transporting shipments of wood and steel, once they are off-loaded.
