Raw Materials
The body, cab, frame and boom of a telescoping boom rough terrain forklift are normally manufactured by a lift truck manufacturer. The most common material used for these subassemblies is steel, because of its incredible strength. At times steel forgings or aluminum are also used. It is common for non-metallic materials like nylon plastic blocks to be utilized as guides within the boom assembly. The other components are typically bought as finished products and the forklift maker installs them.
Pre-assembled bought products can comprise some of the following: seat, transmission, engine, axles, tires, wheels and hoses, lights, back-up alarms, hydraulic cylinders and gauges. Normally, certain materials like the fuel and lubricants and hydraulic fluids are bought in bulk. These liquids are added as required when the machinery is assembled and has passed the meticulous testing sessions.
Design
The narrow and long 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 rear of the machinery. The model's boom is mounted at the rear of the forklift off of a pivot feature that is elevated a few feet above the level of the frame. Normally, the cab is mounted on the frame structure's left-hand side. Normally, the bottom half of the cab 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 center-line of the vehicle, the engine and the transmission are mounted within the frame.
Different manufacturers have contributed their own unique designs beyond this basic configuration. Now, there are many different options available on the market. Certain units of forklifts make use of a single hydraulic cylinder in order to elevate the boom, and other models make use of 2 cylinders. Some models 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 allow the machine to compensate for extreme axle articulation. This is utilized 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 machine 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 left and right, in order to enable precise load placement.