Raw Materials
The body, cab, boom and frame of a telescoping boom rough terrain forklift are usually manufactured by a lift truck manufacturer. The most popular material used for these subassemblies is steel, due to its incredible strength. Sometimes steel forgings or aluminum are utilized as well. It is common for non-metallic materials such as nylon plastic blocks to be utilized as guides in the boom assembly. The other parts are usually purchased as finished products and the lift truck maker installs them.
Some of the pre-assembled bought products consist of the seat, transmission, engine, axles, hoses, tires and wheels, lights, back-up alarms, hydraulic cylinders and gauges. Normally, certain materials such as the hydraulic fluid and fuel and lubricants are bought in bulk. These liquids are added as required when the machinery is assembled and has passed the meticulous testing sessions.
Design
The long and narrow design of the telescoping boom rough terrain forklift is most common, with a set of wheels at the front of the model and another set situated towards the rear of the machinery. The boom portion of the unit is mounted at the forklift's rear off of a pivot feature that is elevated a few feet above the frame's level. Generally, the cab is mounted on the left-hand side of the frame structure. Typically, the cab's bottom half is low and located between the tires. The hydraulic fuel tank and the fuel tank are mounted opposite the cab on the right-hand side. Along the center-line of the vehicle, the transmission and the engine are mounted in the frame.
Various manufacturers have contributed their own unique designs beyond this basic configuration. Nowadays, there are many different options available on the market. Certain units of forklifts make use of a single hydraulic cylinder to be able to raise the boom, and other units use 2 cylinders. Several units use a side-to-side hydraulic frame leveling capability. This particular feature enables the frame to tilt up to 10 degrees relative to the axles so as to allow the equipment to compensate for extreme axle articulation. Like for instance, this is used when the tires on one side of the forklift are situated down in a rut and the tires on the other side of the machine are up, located on a mound of dirt.
Fork attachments are one more common design feature capable of swinging both left and right up to forty five degrees, which increases the accurate load positioning.