OPERATING PROCEDURES
29
OPERATING PROCEDURES
GENERAL
Know Your Lift Truck
The fork lift truck is designed to pick up and move materi-
als. The basic lift truck has a lift mechanism and forks on
the front to engage the load. The lift mechanism lifts the
load so that it can be moved and stacked.
In order to understand how the fork lift truck can pick up a
load, you must first know some basic things about the lift
truck.
The lift truck is based on the
principle of two weights bal-
anced on opposite sides of a
pivot (fulcrum). This is the
same principle used for a
see--saw. In order for this prin-
ciple to work for a lift truck,
the load on the forks must be balanced by the weight of
the lift truck. The location of the center of gravity of both
the truck and the load is also a factor.
This basic principle is used for picking up a load. The abil-
ity of the lift truck to handle a load is discussed in terms of
center of gravity and both forward and side stability.
Stability and Center Of Gravity
The center of gravity (CG) of any ob-
ject is the single point about which the
object is balanced in all directions.
Every object has a CG. When the lift
truck picks up a load, the truck and
load have a new combined CG.
CG Truck
Combined CG
CG Load
The stability of
the lift truck is de-
termined by the
location of its CG,
or if the truck is
loaded, the com-
bined CG.
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