For forklifts today, there are many attachment options offered. Nearly all attachments are manufactured to be used on regular lift trucks and are designed to be used on VNA and reach trucks. It is really important to note that OSHA requires approval for any attachment that must be approved for use by the specific lift truck manufacturer.
The most vital common attachment is the sideshift and is considered to be standard equipment. The sideshift apparatus allows the fork carriage to slide right and left as well as allow for more accurate load placement. The sideshift enables the operator to be more versatile with the equipment.
Fork positioners are an attachment option which allows the operator to adjust the distance between the forks from the cab of the truck. This specific attachment is mostly used in high volume operations where there is a wide array of pallet and crate sizes handled.
The fork pivot allows the forks and carriage to rotate or pivot. Utilized for transporting and dumping hoppers which is especially designed. These attachments are extremely useful for many industrial applications.
Slip sheet attachments are a different attachment that are used where slip sheets that is a paperboard, or plastic or a sheet of cardboard which are used rather than pallets. The slip sheet attachments utilize a push and pull mechanism which clamps onto the slip sheet and pulls the load onto a thin platform. Then, the load is pushed off the platform when the truck reaches the destination.
Drum attachments come in many shapes and sizes, with some models able to handle 55 gallon drums. There are some smaller types of a paper roll clamps that go around the roll and also could rotate a full 360 degrees. There are other drum attachments which can pick up a variety of drums all simultaneously.
Tilt control is another option which allows you to preset fork tilt angles. The fork extensions are specialized extensions which slide over the existing forks on the truck so as to help you pick up and move longer loads. The Carton clamp operates like a paper roll clamp except rather than being circular, the clamping surface is flat.