For forklifts nowadays, there are numerous attachment options offered. The majority of attachments are made to be utilized on regular forklifts and are designed to be utilized on reach trucks and VNA. It is very essential to note that OSHA needs approval for any type of attachment that must be approved for use by the particular lift truck manufacturer.
The most important common attachment is the sideshift and is considered to be standard equipment. The sideshift apparatus allows the fork carriage to slide left and right as well as allow for more accurate load positioning. The sideshift allows the operator to be more versatile with the machine.
Fork positioners are an attachment option which enables the operator to adjust the forks' distance from the cab of the truck. This particular attachment is mainly utilized in high volume operations where there is a wide array of pallet and crate sizes handled.
Fork pivots makes it possible for the forks and carriage to pivot and rotate. These attachments can be specifically designed for dumping and transporting hoppers. These attachments are really useful for many industrial applications.
The slip sheet attachment is used to slip sheets of plastic, or paperboard or a sheet of cardboard which is used rather than pallets. The slip sheet attachments use a push and pull mechanism which clamps onto the slip sheet and pulls the load onto a thin platform. Afterwards, the load is pushed off the platform when the truck reaches the destination.
Drum attachments are available in numerous sizes and shapes, with some models able to handle 55 gallon drums. There are some smaller versions of a paper roll clamps that go around the roll and also can rotate a full 360 degrees. There are other drum attachments which are able to pick up various drums all at once.
Another option is tilt control, that allows the operator to preset the fork tilt angles. For extensions slide over the forks to help lift and transport longer loads. The Carton clamp operates like a paper roll clamp except rather than being round, the clamping surface is flat.