Forklift equipment can keep your fork lift truck operating at peak efficiency and breathe new life into their high-low routine. Fork lift trucks typically handle your materials transport and storage needs in warehouses, ship yards, assembly lines and construction sites. Forklifts help you make the most of storage, speed up your production and transport of goods to market and reduce your labor costs by avoiding backbreaking manual tear-down of larger pallets into smaller loads.

Think about your fork lift truck purchase as an investment rather than a large expense. As a small, easy to operate, highly maneuverable tractor with hydraulic attachments, fork lift trucks present work options to assist you in other areas of your business. To maintain and grow the fork truck's capacity, consider three aspects of forklift equipment for its work life:

1. Keep the fork truck on the go with replacement parts.

2. Develop the capabilities of your fork trucks with attachments.

3. Move beyond high-low lifting with forklift equipment specialty accessories.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Extend your fork lift truck's life span with replacement parts from a forklift equipment provider

Your investment requires regular care and maintenance, just like any other heavy-duty, heavy-use machinery. Keep it in good running order with OEM parts and service.

I recommend: Kansas Forklift stocks tires, forks, seats, batteries and chargers, hydraulics and safety equipment. Wisconsin Lift Truck backs the parts they carry with a six-month warranty.

Extend your fork lift truck capacity with forklift equipment like material handling attachments

Add unique attachments to your forklift equipment list such as drum handlers, hoists and cranes to handle specialized loads.

I recommend: C&H Distributors delivers a line of accessories from boom attachments to sweepers and drum handlers. SJF advertises the nation’s largest inventory of material handling equipment, offering carpet poles, pallet pullers and hoisting hooks.

Find forklift equipment accessories that extend your fork lift truck capabilities

Stretch your investment dollar further by adding to your fork lift truck's repertoire. Rather than just raising and lowering pallets, use the truck as a tractor, loading and unloading bulk or aggregate materials like gravel or even sweeping or squeegee-ing the floor.

I recommend: Braun Brush markets forklift brooms and accessories from debris collectors to heavy duty magnet kits. Vestil Manufacturing supplies booms, personnel work platforms and snow plow blades.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Carefully review forklift equipment information supplied by the fork lift OEMs as well as specialty manufacturers to ensure the forklift equipment you procure for your truck truly mates to your truck and meets your materials handling needs, but does not void OEM warranties (particularly if you purchase new trucks). Also, train your employees on the added equipment before putting it in the field. Knowing how the forklift feels under normal load, even if it's internally counterbalanced, doesn't guarantee it will steer the same way with some of these specialty attachments.