Raw Materials
The body, cab, boom and frame of a telescoping boom rough terrain forklift are generally made by a lift truck manufacturer. The most popular material utilized for these subassemblies is steel, because of its incredible strength. Sometimes aluminum or steel forgings are utilized too. It is common for non-metallic materials like nylon plastic blocks to be used as guides within the boom assembly. The other components are usually purchased as finished products and the forklift manufacturer installs them.
Several of the pre-assembled purchased products comprise the seat, transmission, axles, engine, tires, wheels and hoses, backup-alarm, lights, gauges and hydraulic cylinders. Most often, some materials such as the hydraulic fluid and fuel and lubricants are purchased 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 unit and another set located towards the back of the machinery. The model's boom is mounted at the rear of the forklift off of a pivot feature that is raised a few feet above the frame's level. Usually, the cab is mounted on the frame structure's left-hand side. Usually, the bottom half of the cab is low and located between the tires. The fuel tank and the hydraulic fuel tank are mounted on the right-hand side, opposite the cab. Along the vehicle's center-line, the transmission and the engine are mounted in the frame.
Beyond this basic configuration, various manufacturers have contributed to their own unique design. On the market today, there are numerous options available. Some units of forklifts use a single hydraulic cylinder to be able to raise the boom, and other units use 2 cylinders. Several units make use of a side-to-side hydraulic frame leveling capability. This feature allows the frame to tilt up to 10 degrees relative to the axles so as to enable the equipment to compensate for extreme axle articulation. This is utilized for example, 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 another common design feature capable of swinging both right and left up to forty five degrees, which improves the precise load positioning.