Trick Out Your Forklift to Enhance Safety and Comfort

There used to be a popular show on MTV that featured a custom car crew tricking out the cars and trucks belonging to famous rappers, athletes, and even ordinary people. The most entertaining part of the show came at the end when the customizers unveiled the amazing “before and after” transformation.

While it’s probably not advisable to add hydraulics that bounce your forklift up and down, a sparkly paint job that features an elaborate mural, or a horn that plays “La Cucaracha”, there are add-ons you can install on your forklift to improve safety and comfort for the operator.

Call it “Trick Out My Ride: Forklift Edition”.

Forklift Safety — Forklift Got Back

Some forklift accessories offer the dual benefit of making your forklift look cooler while at the same time improving safety. Among these are forklift carriage bumpers.

These helpful forklift accessories can be attached to the rear of your vehicle to absorb impact caused by collisions. Most feature energy-absorbing molded rubber that is secured to a steel plate, which can then be bolted directly onto the forklift carriage.

In the same way that a football player in full pads looks rougher and tougher than, say, a soccer player wearing only shorts and jersey, your padded forklift truck will look cool and be safer at the same time. And the more forklift carriage bumpers you install, the better and safer your vehicle will be.

Forklift Safety — Turn on the Lights

The rap star Future had a big hit with his song “Turn on the Lights”. But he could have been talking about another kind of forklift accessory that improves safety while tricking out forklifts more than ever — pedestrian warning lights.

One of the most popular ways to trick out a customized car is to add undercarriage lights that illuminate the ground beneath the vehicle as it does a slow roll down the boulevard. For forklifts, the equivalent safety feature could be pedestrian warning lights that light up the areas to the sides of the vehicle as it makes it way across the warehouse or dock.

Pedestrian lights come in a variety of colors. Some feature sensors that only trigger the lights when pedestrians are detected nearby. Others can be left on all the time for additional safety and security.

Forklift Safety — Touch the Sky

The final safety feature to consider for tricking out your forklift is a rain shield. In the same way that custom cars will often feature a window cut into the roof, the rain shield adds a see-through barrier between the forklift and the cabin that protects the operator from the elements.

When people see your forklift doing the slow roll down the warehouse aisle tricked out with carriage bumpers, pedestrian sidelights, and a rain roof, you will be the coolest and safest forklift operator in the building, for sure.