Lift Truck Parts in More Detail
There are hundreds of parts which make up a lift truck. The lift truck's key parts consist of the truck frame, the engine parts, the tilt cylinders, the overhead guard and the wheels. Also, a lift truck has different types of attachments. All the parts that make up a lift truck are all important since they work together to make the machine's operation possible. The next paragraphs describe in detail some of the forklift components.
The Overhead Guard - The overhead guard is actually the lift truck's metal roof, which sits atop the operator cab. It's job is to protect the operator while they are using the machine. The overhead guard makes sure that nothing falling from above onto the truck would hurt the driver or damage the controls in the cab. The overhead guard is essential to the frame assembly on several units.
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 enables the forks to move upwards and downwards. The interlocking rails can either have rollers or bushings as guides. There are a couple of ways the mast could be operated: hydraulically by one or more hydraulic cylinders or chain operated with motive power provided by a hydraulic motor.
Lift Truck Carriage - the forks and other types of attachments are mounted to the carriage. The carriage is attached to the mast directly to the hydraulic cylinder or it is attached by chains. In order to allow the forks to be lowered and raised, the carriage could have either rollers or bushings to guide it in the interlocking mast rails.
Load Back Rest - a back rest is a metal rack that keeps a load from falling backwards when the carriage is raised to its full height. The back rest is either welded or bolted on to the carriage.
Forklift Attachments - a range of attachments may be fixed to the front of the lift truck. The most common type of attachment is forks. In addition, there are L-shaped members, rotators, rollers, pole handlers, roll clamps and so forth. These various attachments are very handy for transporting different kinds of loads.