Raw Materials
The cab, body, frame and boom of a telescoping boom rough terrain forklift are generally manufactured by a lift truck manufacturer. The most popular material for these subassemblies is steel, because of its tremendous strength. At times aluminum or steel forgings are utilized too. It is common for non-metallic materials like nylon plastic blocks to be utilized as guides in the boom assembly. The other parts are usually bought as finished products and the lift truck manufacturer installs them.
Some of the pre-assembled bought products comprise the transmission, seat, engine, axles, hoses, tires and wheels, lights, back-up alarms, gauges and hydraulic cylinders. Usually, some materials like for example the lubricants and hydraulic fluid and fuel are bought in bulk. These liquids are added as needed once the machinery is assembled and has passed the meticulous testing sessions.
Design
The common design which is most typical of telescoping boom rough terrain forklifts is a long and narrow design that has a set of wheels at the front of the unit and another set located towards the rear of the equipment. The boom part of the model is mounted at the back of the forklift off of a pivot feature which is raised several feet above the level of the frame. Usually, the cab is mounted on the left-hand side of the frame structure. Usually, the bottom half of the cab 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 vehicle's center-line, the engine and the transmission are mounted inside the frame.
Different manufacturers have contributed their own unique designs beyond this basic configuration. Nowadays, there are numerous options existing on the market. Certain models of forklifts use a single hydraulic cylinder to be able to raise the boom, and other units utilize 2 cylinders. Some models 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 in order to enable the machine 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 machinery are up, located on a mound of dirt.
Fork attachments are another popular design feature capable of swinging both left and right up to 45 degrees, which increases the accurate load positioning.