OPERATING PROCEDURES
23
OPERATING PROCEDURES
GENERAL
Know Your Lift Truck
The fork lift truck is designed to pick up and move materials.
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 princi-
ple to work for a lift truck, the load on the forks must be bal-
anced by the weight of the lift truck. The location of the cen-
ter of gravity of both the truck and the load is also a factor.
This basic principle is used for picking up a load. The ability
of the lift truck to handle a load is discussed in terms of cen-
ter of gravity and both forward and side stability.
Stability and Center Of Gravity
The center of grav-
ity (CG) of any ob-
ject is the single
point about which
the object is bal-
anced in all direc-
tions.
Every object has a CG. When the lift truck picks up a load,
the truck and load have a new combined CG.
The stability of the lift truck is determined by the location of
its CG, or if the truck is loaded, the combined CG.
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