Toyota Recommends Customizing with Forklift Accessories

It’s not often that a manufacturer suggests that something might be missing from their product. When a material handling giant like Toyota says that purchasers of new Toyota lift trucks should look into customizing them with forklift accessories, it might come as a shock. Isn’t that like admitting there’s something wrong or missing from a new Toyota forklift?

An inexpensive dome mirror gives the forklift operator a 180 degree view

In actuality, there is nothing missing from a Toyota forklift. The point the company is making is that every working environment is different. Although all Toyota lift trucks are designed for maximum safety and efficiency, they are designed for an average workplace only – and there’s really no such thing as “average.”

While Toyota recommends equipping your new or used forklift with additional forklift accessories as needed, ANSI (the American National Standards Institute) and OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) demand it. What sort of working conditions may require forklift accessories other than those a lift truck comes equipped with when new?

These are just a few examples:

• Poor lighting may make it necessary to install better lights on your forklifts.
• If you have a forklift boom attachment, you may also need to buy a crane scale.
• A back-up handle is an essential forklift accessory in situations where the operator frequently has to drive in reverse.
• An inexpensive dome mirror gives the forklift operator a 180 degree view when traveling in reverse.

In addition to forklift accessories like these, there are forklift attachments that make the forklift safer and more efficient when handling materials that are not on pallets. Drum handlers, forklift booms and carpet poles or coil rams are examples of these. None of these come as standard features on a new or used forklift, but when used properly in accordance with OSHA safety standards, they can make a big difference in your forklift’s efficiency and safety.

A safe seat belt is an essential forklift accessory

If you have used forklifts in operation in your workplace, you should take a closer look and update them with replacement seats and other forklift accessories designed for operator comfort and safety. Ergonomically designed forklift replacement seats, for example, are not for show or to pamper your forklift operator. Theses seats are designed for greater comfort and safety, which together, add up to greater productivity. Modern safety seat belts are also designed to make sure the forklift operator always fastens his seat belt and is not restricted in any functional way when operating the forklift. When the seat belt is needed to keep the operator from falling or instinctively jumping out of the cage if the lift truck tips over, it can save his life.

If by “customizing”, you thought Toyota meant flame decals or chrome hub caps for your forklift, unfortunately, we can’t help you. If you need to customize with forklift safety accessories or forklift attachments and accessories to make your forklifts safer and more efficient, you’ll find everything you need right here on forkliftaccessories.com.