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Find A DealerMust-Have Efficiency Boosting Forklift Attachments
Published on January 24, 2024
Nothing affects your bottom line as profoundly as increased efficiency. Installing side shifters and fork positioners on your forklift will undoubtedly increase productivity allowing your forklift operators to make fewer movements when moving heavy loads.
The benefits don’t stop there, which creates a snowball of savings. With increased productivity, forklift operators complete work in less time. Now that loads are being moved more quickly, fuel consumption is decreased as well.
Forklift operators will be pleased with this attachment as it will make their work more comfortable and productive.
Side Shifters
The function of the side shifters is to allow the forklift operator to move his left or right directly from his seat without needing to move the entire forklift. Therefore, saving time. Other benefits include:
- Shifting loads is easier in confined spaces
- Moving heavy loads with more precision
- Quick and easy positioning of cargo when loading/unloading
Fork Positioners
As with the side shifter, the operator can control the movement of the fork positioners directly from the seat. The space in between the forks can be adjusted in and out to accommodate loads with different widths. Other benefits include:
- More easily distributing the load equally between the two forks
- Minimizing pallet/product damage by properly adjusting forks to the pallet’s width
- When operating in narrow aisles, zero closing units and extra wide opening units that extend beyond the width of the truck
Installation
So now that you know the benefits and uses, how do you get these attachments installed on your forklift? If in the purchasing stage, “integral installation” can be done directly by the manufacturer. This means that the attachment is added when the truck is being produced, and the rated forklift capacity will not be compromised. However, if you have already purchased your forklift, don’t worry, you can still take advantage of this cost-saving attachment.
In this case, authorized Bobcat Material Handling dealers can do an “aftermarket installation.” Since both the side shifter and fork positioners are mounted onto the carriage assembly and powered by hydraulic cylinders attached to the fork uprights, we recommend installing both at the same time. This ensures the least maximum amount of capacity being retained.
