Raw Materials
The cab, body, boom and frame of a telescoping boom rough terrain forklift are generally made by a lift truck manufacturer. The most common material used for these subassemblies is steel, due to its amazing strength. At times aluminum or steel forgings are utilized as well. It is common for non-metallic materials like nylon plastic blocks to be used as guides within the boom assembly. The other components are usually purchased as finished products and the forklift manufacturer installs them.
Some of the pre-assembled bought products consist of the seat, transmission, engine, axles, tires, wheels and hoses, lights, back-up alarms, hydraulic cylinders and gauges. Usually, certain materials like the hydraulic fluid and fuel and lubricants are bought in bulk. These liquids are added as needed when the machinery is assembled and has passed the meticulous testing sessions.
Design
The long and narrow 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 situated towards the back of the machine. The boom portion of the unit is mounted at the back of the forklift off of a pivot feature that is raised a few feet above the frame's level. Normally, the cab is mounted on the left-hand side of the frame structure. Usually, the cab's bottom half is low and situated between the tires. The hydraulic fuel tank and the fuel tank are mounted opposite the cab on the right-hand side. Along the vehicle's center-line, the transmission and the engine are mounted in the frame.
Beyond this basic configuration, various manufacturers have contributed to their own unique design. On the market these days, there are numerous options available. Certain models of forklifts make use of a single hydraulic cylinder in order to raise the boom, and other models utilize 2 cylinders. Some units utilize a side-to-side hydraulic frame leveling capability. This feature allows the frame to tilt up to 10 degrees relative to the axles in order to enable 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 machine are up, situated on a mound of dirt.
Fork attachments are one more common design feature capable of swinging both left and right up to forty five degrees, which improves the accurate load positioning.