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STRUCTURE AND STABILITY OF THE LIFT TRUCK
STRUCTURE AND STABILITY OF THE LIFT TRUCK
To operate the lift truck safely, and to prevent the lift truck from tipping, it is important to understand the
structure and stability of the lift truck.
A forklift truck consists basically of the lifting mechanism (the forks and
mast) at the front and the lift truck itself (with tires) at the rear.
The front wheels of the lift truck act as the fulcrum, and the center of
gravity of the lift truck and center of gravity of the load are kept in balance.
The relationship between the position of the center of gravity of the lift
truck and the center of gravity of the load is extremely important for
maintaining the safety of the lift truck.
The loads carried by forklift trucks come in various shapes (and
weights) from boxes to planks and long objects. To judge the
stability of the lift truck, it is important to distinguish the position of
the center of gravity for loads of various shapes.
For the lift truck to be stable, the position of the combined center of
gravity must be inside the triangle (stable range of center of gravity)
formed by the ground contact points of the left and right front tires and
the center of the rear axle.
If the position of the overall center of gravity is in front of the front axle,
the front tires will form the fulcrum and the lift truck will tip to the front. If
the position of the combined center of gravity moves outside the
triangle forming the stable area for the center of gravity, the lift truck will
tip in the direction where the combined center of gravity moves outside of the triangle.
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STRUCTURE OF LIFT TRUCK
CENTER OF GRAVITY OF LOAD
STABLE RANGE OF CENTER OF GRAVITY
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