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 for these subassemblies is steel, because of its incredible strength. At times aluminum or steel forgings are used also. It is common for non-metallic materials such as nylon plastic blocks to be utilized as guides within the boom assembly. The other components are usually bought as finished products and the lift truck maker installs them.
Pre-assembled purchased products could include some of the following: seat, transmission, engine, axles, wheels, hoses and tires, backup-alarm, lights, hydraulic cylinders and gauges. Usually, some materials like the hydraulic fluid and fuel and lubricants are purchased in bulk. These liquids are added as required once the machine is assembled and has passed the meticulous testing sessions.
Design
The common design that is most standard 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 machine. The boom portion of the model is mounted at the forklift's back off of a pivot feature that is elevated a few feet above the frame's level. Normally, the cab is mounted on the left-hand side of the frame structure. Normally, the cab's bottom half is low and situated 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 within the frame.
Beyond this basic configuration, different manufacturers have contributed to their own unique design. On the market nowadays, there are numerous options offered. Certain units of forklifts make use of a single hydraulic cylinder to be able to raise the boom, and other units use 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 so as to allow the machine to compensate for extreme axle articulation. This is used for example, when the tires on one side of the lift truck are situated down in a rut and the tires on the other side of the equipment 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 precise load placement.