Raw Materials
The telescoping boom rough terrain forklift's cab, body, boom and frame are generally made by a forklift manufacturer. Steel is the most common materials used to make these since they have tremendous strength. Sometimes aluminum or steel forgings are used too. It is common for non-metallic materials like for example nylon plastic blocks to be used as guides in the boom assembly. The other parts are usually purchased as finished products and the forklift manufacturer installs them.
Pre-assembled bought products can consist of some of the following: seat, transmission, engine, axles, tires, wheels and hoses, lights, back-up alarms, gauges and hydraulic cylinders. Most often, some materials like the lubricants and hydraulic fluid and fuel are bought in bulk. These liquids are added as required once the equipment is assembled and has passed the meticulous testing sessions.
Design
The long and narrow design of the telescoping boom rough terrain forklift is most common, with a set of wheels at the front of the unit and another set located towards the rear of the machinery. The boom part of the model is mounted at the rear of the forklift off of a pivot feature which is elevated a few feet above the level of the frame. Normally, the cab is mounted on the frame structure's left-hand side. Usually, the bottom half of the cab is low and located between the tires. The hydraulic fuel tank and the fuel tank are mounted on the right-hand side, opposite the cab. Along the center-line of the vehicle, the transmission and the engine are mounted in the frame.
Beyond this basic configuration, various manufacturers have contributed to their own unique design. On the market nowadays, there are many different options offered. Some units of forklifts make use of a single hydraulic cylinder to be able to raise the boom, and other models utilize 2 cylinders. Some units make use of a side-to-side hydraulic frame leveling capability. This feature allows the frame to tilt up to 10 degrees relative to the axles in order to allow the machinery to compensate for extreme axle articulation. This is used for example, when the tires on one side of the forklift are located down in a rut and the tires on the other side of the machine are up, situated on a mound of dirt.
One more popular design feature includes fork attachments that are capable of swinging up to 45 degrees both left and right, in order to enable accurate load positioning.