Properly determining the capacity of forklifts is important. This is because that a failure to get it right can lead to a myriad of problems. Included among these are injuries to employees that can be serious. It can also result in major financial problems. Included among these are any benefits that have to be paid to workers who are injured, along with delays in delivery of services. There is also the consideration of fines resulting from unfavorable ergonomic conditions. One of the things you have to consider when it comes to load size is forklift attachments.
How? The answer is that we have created a Web portal where you can determine load capacities based on forklift attachments, which includes all the important details that you need to know and a tutorial. Visit www.lifttruckcapacitycalculator.com, and its relevance will be obvious to you.
Figuring truck configuration for forklift attachments is easy with the Lift Truck Capacity website. You simply start with an attachment you think you need and when you execute the calculation. The program will then let you know how much excess attachment capacity you have or whether the attachment is limiting your available truck capacity. Then you simply go back and change the attachment model and recalculate to optimize the configuration.
Trusting the lift truck capacity calculator for information about forklift attachments is logical, because it was developed by engineers with many years of hands-on experience in providing forklift capacity ratings for some of the world's largest forklift manufacturers. These are professionals who know what they are doing and they have shared their knowledge in developing the calculator.
Do you also know that it's the world's first professional forklift capacity rating system for information about forklift attachments available to all manufacturers, dealers, brokers or customers that addresses the need for fast and accurate capacity information necessary to properly and safely specify a forklift configuration for a material handling application? What else should you know? Consider this information:
1. The calculator that is used to determine capacity based on forklift attachments was designed with the average individual in mind. The reason for this is simple and this is because the addition of attachments to a forklift carriage brings on a whole new dynamic to the stability of the lift and will change the carrying capacity. There is actually a very complex interrelationship going on with a multitude of forklift parameters which is much too complicated for the average person to understand
2. Determining capacity as it relates to forklift attachments is important because there are many factors that can affect residual capacity. Included among these are forklift model, tires, mast, carriage, sideshift distance, rotational torque, horizontal load center, vertical load center, attachment specifications, fork specifications, many others, which the calculator takes into consideration
3. Utilizing the capacity calculator to determine capacity based on forklift attachments is easy. All that is necessary to build a truck configuration with up to three attachments to the front is using drop down menus, followed by going to the summary page to check the configuration you have selected, selecting a load center, hitting the "Calculate Capacity" button, and then waiting for the software to handle all the calculations for you
4. Regardless of your situation, you can be confident that our calculator can help with forklift attachments by providing you with instant access to critical information that is necessary to specify a forklift and attachment configuration for your application. Visit www.lifttruckcapacitycalculator.com to learn more, or pick up the telephone and call us at 843-532-6469
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There are a multitude of factors that affect the lifting capacity of a forklift and these parameters, which are indicated on the capacity data plate, include:
- Make or Manufacturer
- Model
- Power Source
- Battery Weight (for electrics)
- Tire Type
- Tire Size
- Mast Lift Height
- Mast Carriage Type
- Attachment(s) Type
- Attachment(s) model
- Load Center of Gravity (CG or LC)
If any of these parameters are changed, particularly the attachments on the forklift carriage or the load center, the capacity plate should be checked for accuracy to ensure safe load handling.
Forklift attachments include anything that is attached to the front carriage of a forklift or is attached to an attachment on the forklift. A typical forklift attachment configuration might include a hang-on side shifter and two forks. In this case, if the forks are removed and longer forks are added, the capacity of the machine could be drastically reduced. Or if the forklift is used to pick up a fork mounted attachment, such as a drum handler or fork extensions, then a capacity data plate must be changed or added to reflect the new configuration. OSHA forklift safety regulations state that a forklift must have a legible capacity plate to reflect any attachment used on the lift.
Lift height or maximum fork height (MFH) has a significant effect on a forklift’s load carrying capacity, and forklifts with high masts will have a greater carrying capacity at lower lift heights than at the maximum lift height. For this reason forklifts with very high masts may have a dual capacity rating on the data plate; a maximum capacity up to a mid level lift height, and a lower capacity rating at the maximum lift height. This allows the forklift operator to work with heavier loads at low heights, i.e. loading and unloading trucks, cross-docking, etc., while using the same forklift to put away lighter loads to high storage locations.
Because a forklift is using leverage to lift a load, any condition that adds weight to the front of the forklift and causes the load center (LC or CG) of the load to be moved further away from the forklift will contribute to a reduction in the residual carrying capacity of the machine. Forklift attachments can cause these reductions, as well as the dimensions of the load and the load handling conditions. Load center typically refers to the horizontal distance to the load CG and is typically half the length of the load for symmetrical objects. To illustrate how attachments and load CG’s can affect residual carrying capacity, consider for example that a particular forklift with only forks on the carriage is rated at 5,000 lb capacity @ 24” load center on the data plate. This forklift will only be rated at 1,270 lb when equipped with a particular 8 foot long fork mounted jib boom because the boom adds weight and moves the load center out to 96 inches. In this case the forklift may employ a dual load center capacity rating on the capacity plate indicating a greater lifting capacity (2,750 lb) at a 4 foot load center and a lower capacity (1,270 lb) at the 8 foot load center.
Small changes in load center can also greatly affect the carrying capacity. Consider the capacity of the same 5,000 lb forklift with 48” forks and rated at a 24” load center, drops to 3,660 lbs when 72” fork extensions are employed to lift a 6 foot long load.
The main thing to consider is that every forklift has a legible capacity plate that accurately reflects the attachment configuration being used at the correct load center for the load being lifted and contact Professional Forklift Engineering Services at www.LiftTruckCapacityCalculator.com to check your lift capacity and get a professional engineering (PE) certified capacity rating plate on your forklift today.
"Employers who are cited for repeat violations demonstrate a lack of commitment to workplace safety and health standards. Deficient forklifts and improperly handled chemicals can lead to serious injuries or death,"said Diane Turek, director of OSHA's Chicago North office in Des Plaines. "All employers must take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace."
Four repeat violations with proposed penalties of $132,000 have been cited,including exposing workers to hazards by allowing them to operate forklifts that remained in service even after deficiencies were noted; exposing workers' eyes, faces and hands to corrosive chemicals without providing suitable eyewash facilities; and failing to develop an emergency response plan and conduct fire extinguisher training. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. The company was cited for the same violations at numerous facilities between 2006 and 2011.
Central Transport also has been cited for eight serious violations with proposed penalties of $30,800, including failing to train and evaluate forklift drivers, maintain forklift name plates in legible condition, label hazardous material containers, maintain the mechanic shop maintenance area in a dry condition, provide workers with training on hazardous chemicals and provide material data safety sheets for workers' reference. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Finally, the company has been cited for five other-than-serious violations with $2,000 in proposed penalties for failing to maintain the OSHA 300 injury and illness log, maintain fire extinguishers, illuminate exit signs and unlock a fire exit door. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.
The citations can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/CentralTransport_77120_1205_11.pdf*.
Central Transport, a national freight company based in Warren, Mich., has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's Chicago North area director in Des Plaines or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Chicago North office at 847-803-4800.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
