Forklift Controls
One of the most common kinds of machinery you will see inside any warehouse is a forklift. These versatile machinery consist of a vehicle along with two pronged forks at the front that are capable of transporting and carrying bulky things.
Forklifts could maneuver in small spaces and capable of lifting items into up high, hard to reach places. Lift trucks are still really dangerous machines and must be utilized safely at all times, after proper training and certification has taken place.
When new to a forklift, make time to read the owner's guidebook and familiarize yourself with the controls. Be sure to take note of the location of each specific control and what particular feature it functions. The majority of lift trucks have two levers which control the forks. The first lever controls the fork height. In order to make the forks go down, you push the lever forward. To move the forks upwards, you simply pull back on the lever.
The forklift's second lever is used to tilt the forks allowing for better weight distribution across the forklift. This tilting action helps to keep objects stable and won't allow objects to fall off when driving. In addition, it helps items slide off while unloading in a more balanced way.
To be able to tilt the forks back, you pull the lever back and in order to tilt the forks forward, you just push the lever forward. Various forklift models are equipped with a third lever which controls the width of the forks. Every one of these levers is located just to the right of the driver's seat.
Inexperienced drivers must take advantage of experienced coworkers who could go over the controls with them. Be sure to do this when the forklift is turned off and not operational. Ask the qualified expert if you have any questions regarding how something works.
Observation is often the best way to learn new forklift skills. So take time to observe a coworker showing the function of each control. On hydrostatic lift trucks, notice that to be able to make the equipment go, you utilize the gas. And if you want to make it stop, you just release the gas pedal. There is no brake on these types of forklifts. There are some hydrostatic models that are outfitted with battery powered engines that turn off when the gas pedal is released. They start up once the gas pedal is pushed again.