A Guide to Telehandler Forks
This is a guide to telehandler forks, what they bring to a variety of industries and applications and why you should consider telehandler hire through a contract plant hire service that gets the best out of your budget and project. Telehandlers play an important role in many different working environments, from construction to warehouses, agriculture and engineering. Understanding what forks that you need for various tasks and applications will help you to be more efficient in practice.
Are there different fork styles?
You might not realise if you are relatively new to using forklifts, that there are a few different types of fork styles that can be chosen and attached to industrial forklifts. The most common style of form is ITA/FEM which you’ll find on most industrial forklifts. These then come in 5 different classes, with 2-4 the most common, with different ground clearances from the undercarriage making the major difference.
A typical forklift will use Class 2 forks for a lift capacity of up to 2500kg, whereas if you require a forklift of 5000kg lift capacity it would be a Class 3 fork. Class 4 forks offer a weight capacity of up to 8000kg. Anything above that weight, there will be a shaft/pin mount or a propriety mount to offer greater lift capacity.
What about the size of the forks?
Once you have figured out the style and class of fork that you need to attach to your forklift, the next step is to consider the size of the forks. This usually depends on the type of industry that you are working in. For harsh environments, where there is a need for forks that are more durable and resistant to wear, the best choice is to go for thicker and wider forks. Thinner and lighter forks, on the other hand, are better for those tasks with lighter loads and on sites where space is limited, so in warehouses for instance.
What is the taper on a fork?
There are different ways in which forklifts can pick up a load, and this is down to the difference in tapers on the fork. In basic terms, the taper on a fork is just the difference that you see in the thickness from the tip of the fork and the gradient that it follows back to the shank. The following are the different tapers that you see.
- Standard taper – This is where the taper begins 400mm-600mm from the top of the fork, with no bevelling and a 3/8” tip.
- Full-taper – This begins from the heel of the fork and goes all the way to the tip. It is not too dissimilar to the standard fork and is great for picking up plywood and cardboard boxes.
- Full taper & polished – The fork is the same as the full-taper but is polished.
- Full taper with bottom bevel – The same as a full taper but with a bottom level bevel that is also known as a ‘chisel tip’.
Are there speciality forks?
Adding extra flexibility is important in certain industries and you can find speciality forks, such as block handling forks to help with high volumes of concrete blocks, bolt-on forks, coil handling, tyre handling, drum handling forks, and many other types of speciality forks for a wide range of applications and industries.
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