If there is a part of your forklift that is most taken for granted, it may be the fork. It’s the first word in FORKLIFT, it’s the part of the vehicle that always… ALWAYS… comes in contact with what you are moving and it gets the least amount of attention when it comes to maintenance.
They are simple if you look at it. One piece of hearty metal, bent into an “L” shape, maybe the simplest part of the entire forklift, but like any other part of the machine, they need some attention, too.
Start with adding the forks to your daily routine start-of-shift inspection. Look for damage (forks are tough, but they do get damaged.) Look for any signs of compromise in the structure of the fork.
Look for surface cracks. Pay attention to the heel of the fork- the part where the front (the blade) bends into the vertical part (the shank). Make sure both blade and shank are straight.
Is the blade bent either upwards or down? If your fork is bent more than three degrees (use a Fork Gauge to determine this) it must be taken out of service. For the record, you have to work pretty hard to bend a fork.
In this same vein, make sure your fork tips are level to each other. Use the three percent deviation to determine if one of the blades needs to be taken out of service.
Forks can also wear out prematurely if the fork chains are not adjusted properly or misaligned. Make this part of your daily pre-shift routine as well.
If you do need to replace a fork or two, we have plenty in stock and they can be swapped out in minutes.
When you are selecting your forks, make sure you choose the right forks for the size and expectations of your lift. Standard forks are 4” wide x 42” long x 1.5” thick. This is a 5,000 capacity fork. Lifting and moving heavier objects? You’ll need a sturdier fork.
Take care of your forks, they’ll last a good long time. Put as much care and effort into maintaining them as you do the other parts of your lift.
Questions? Our experts can talk for hours about forks. Drop is a line and we’ll point you in the right direction.