Raw Materials
The cab, body, boom and frame of a telescoping boom rough terrain forklift are usually made by a lift truck manufacturer. The most popular material for these subassemblies is steel, due to its tremendous strength. Sometimes aluminum or steel forgings are utilized also. It is common for non-metallic materials such as nylon plastic blocks to be utilized as guides in the boom assembly. The other components are usually bought as finished products and the forklift manufacturer installs them.
Several of the pre-assembled bought products include the seat, transmission, engine, axles, wheels, hoses and tires, lights, back-up alarms, hydraulic cylinders and gauges. Usually, certain materials like for instance the fuel and lubricants and hydraulic fluids are purchased in bulk. These liquids are added as required when the equipment 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 machine. The boom part of the unit is mounted at the rear of the forklift off of a pivot feature that is elevated several feet above the frame's level. Generally, the cab is mounted on the left-hand side of the frame structure. Normally, the cab's bottom half 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 engine and the transmission are mounted inside the frame.
Different manufacturers have contributed their own unique designs beyond this basic configuration. Nowadays, there are many different options available on the market. Certain models of forklifts use a single hydraulic cylinder to be able to raise the boom, and other models make use of 2 cylinders. Some units make use of a side-to-side hydraulic frame leveling capability. This particular feature allows the frame to tilt up to 10 degrees relative to the axles in order to enable the machinery to compensate for extreme axle articulation. This is used 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.
One more popular design feature includes fork attachments which are capable of swinging up to 45 degrees both right and left, in order to enable accurate load positioning.