How it works
The parts of a forklift, shown on one sit-down counterbalance truck: from the front left, and from the operator's seat. The two views carry 27 parts, from the forks and mast to the pedals and the nameplate.
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Forklift parts in three groups
The mast and forks lift the load. The truck body and wheels carry and balance it. The operator's controls run from the parking brake to the accelerator pedal.
How the parts work together
A counterbalance forklift is a lever, and the front drive wheels are the fulcrum. The load on the forks presses down ahead of them. The truck's weight, with the cast counterweight at the back, holds down the other side. So the nameplate gives capacity at a load center, often 24 inches. The farther out the load sits, the less the truck can carry. Lift cylinders supply the power, and lift chains raise the carriage and forks. A tilt cylinder on each side leans the mast back to settle the load.
- Drive wheels are the large fixed pair in front. Steer wheels are the smaller rear pair, so the back swings out in a turn.
- Two kinds of cylinder are ringed: the long upright one inside the mast lifts, and the short one between truck and mast tilts.
- The pedals here run inching, brake, accelerator from left to right. Some trucks combine the first two in one wide pedal.
Questions and answers
What are the main parts of a forklift?
The mast, carriage, forks and load backrest at the front do the lifting. Behind them are the drive wheels, the overhead guard, the operator's seat and controls, the counterweight and the steer wheels. A propane truck carries its fuel tank over the counterweight.
Is this forklift operator training?
No. It teaches names only. In the United States, 29 CFR 1910.178(l) has the employer give each operator formal instruction, practical training and a workplace evaluation, and evaluate each operator again at least once every three years.
Which kind of forklift is this?
A sit-down counterbalanced rider with a propane engine and pneumatic tires, which OSHA lists as Class V. Class IV is the same truck on cushion tires. A Class I electric truck has no propane tank: its battery serves as part of the counterweight.
Nameplate, data plate or capacity plate?
All three name the same plate. OSHA says nameplate and adds that it is also called the data plate. The manufacturer's manual we read says capacity plate and mounts it on the overhead guard.