Forklift Attachments That You Might Not Know About

It seems like there is a snowstorm hitting a segment of the United States every few days. Keeping the parking lot of a warehouse clean of snow is essential in assuring that weather does not close down operations.

Forklift Snowplow

A forklift plow, also known as a forklift snow blade, is a forklift attachment that can be connected to a traditional forklift, which can then be used to clear the parking lot, loading dock areas, and nearby roadways. This assures that warehouse operations can continue despite an unexpected snowstorm.

Common features of this forklift attachment include:

• Heavy-duty, reinforced and curved steel blade.
• Heavy-duty spring load that assures that the blade is not damaged and remains flexible during impact and use.
• Vertical blade that moves and flexes to permit contact between the plow blade and the ground when traveling over uneven surfaces to make certain that no snow is left behind.
• Heavy-duty design with low center of gravity assures better traction, stability and durability.
• Design that minimizes stress and potential damage to the front of the forklift.
• Standard ITA Class 3 and 4 hook mounting.
• Fork pocket mounting.
• Manual 30-degree pivot angle either to the left or right and mechanical stops.

If your warehouse operation in located in an area that is susceptible to snowstorms, then use the versatility of your forklift fleet to assure that no matter how frequent the snow, you have a forklift attachment on hand that keeps your business open.

Magnetic Sweepers

Another forklift attachment that could be essential to a warehouse operation is a magnetic sweeper. It is a forklift attachment that easily connects to any forklift as well as tractors, yard and shunt tractors, pick-up trucks, ATVs and other type of construction and industrial equipment.

If your warehouse inventories metal screws, nails, or lumber wrapper staples or your personnel have to deal with these tiny items, then a magnetic sweeper forklift attachment is an essential piece of equipment.

Cleaning these items off the warehouse floor is vital. That’s because they can cause flat tires and other equipment damage that could result in the interruption of warehouse operations. Moreover, a tire of a forklift could possibly kick up a forgotten screw from the floor and launch it at an unsuspecting employee causing injury.

One style of magnetic sweeper hangs from the forks of the lift using a chain or pockets designed to attach the item to the forks. There are also magnetic sweepers that are designed to hang down between the front and rear wheels of the forklift. A third style of magnetic sweeper hangs off the back of the rear counterweight of the lift via a chain and tow pins.

There are a variety of magnet grades that can be selected. The higher the grade, the more pulling power. In other words, the higher grade of magnetism will pick up metal items that are farther away.

Magnetic sweeper bars come in an assortment of widths. You choose the width you want based on where the bar will be mounted on the forklift and how much area you want the bar to cover.

Be aware that a wide magnetic bar will cover a large area in a short amount of time. However, it may be too wide to work in tight areas or where the forklift operator will have to tunnel it down into a row of products. You should also be aware that a magnetic bar could “bottom out” in areas where the surface is not very flat.