Choosing a forklift

Many serious forklift accidents occur because the wrong truck is being used for the job. Whether you are thinking of buying a new or used truck, there are several factors to consider in selecting the best truck for the job:

* Indoor operation – Only electric and specially designed LP or diesel trucks are suitable for indoor use.
* Load rating – Survey the loads the truck will handle before selecting a truck; each truck is load rated at different mast extension heights and you should never acquire a truck that cannot handle the heaviest load without exceeding 80 percent of load rating.
* Load handling equipment – Truck should be acquired with the proper fork
lengths, load backrest extensions and any special attachments needed for its
assigned work.
4. Tires/work surface design - Be sure you select a truck designed to
operate on the surfaces that it will be run on. Most hard tired forklifts are
designed to operate on level concrete and are dangerous on loose gravel, snow,
or ice.
5. Incline and clearance - Each type of truck has a maximum ramp slope; use of trucks on ramps that are too steep, or pavement with changes in slope too abrupt for their design is very dangerous.
6. Floor loading - Care should be taken to ensure that the truck is not too heavy
for the floors, ramps, hatches, truck trailers etc. on which it is to operate. An
engineer should determine the safe “wheel load” for floors and ramps.
7. Auxiliary equipment - All trucks will have a basic lighting system, horn, backup alarm, and warning light.