Forklift Controls
Inside any warehouse setting, among the most common machinery is a lift truck or forklift. These versatile machines consist of a vehicle together with two pronged forks at the front that are capable of moving and lifting bulky things.
The regular forklift is designed to work and move in small spaces and could lift items to and from high up places. Forklifts are still extremely dangerous machines and need to be used safely at all times, after correct training and certification has taken place.
Make the time to read the owners instruction manual after acquiring a new forklift to help you familiarize yourself with the controls. The manual would feature the particular location of each and every control and the functions it has. Most lift trucks have two levers that control the forks. The first lever controls the height of the fork. In order to make the forks go down, the lever should be pushed forward. To be able to move the forks upwards, you just pull back on the lever.
There is another lever which controls the tilt of the forks. This tilting capability enables for better distribution of weight. This tilting action helps to keep things stable and won't allow items to fall off while driving. Furthermore, it helps items slide off in a more balanced way while unloading.
To be able to tilt the forks back, you pull the lever back and in order to tilt the forks forward, you simply push the lever forward. Various forklift models are equipped with a third lever that controls the width of the forks. 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 while the forklift is off and not being used. Ask the trained professional if you have any questions about how something functions.
Observation is often the best method to learn new forklift skills. So make time to observe a coworker demonstrating the function of each control. On hydrostatic lift trucks, notice that to be able to make the machinery go, you utilize the gas. And if you want to make it stop, you just release the gas pedal. There is no brake on these kinds of lift trucks. There are some kinds of hydrostatic forklifts that are equipped with battery powered engines which shut off when the gas pedal is released. They start up once the gas pedal is pushed again.