Accurate alignment counts
Damages are often caused when the operator fails to accurately align the forks or attachment with the load. Sideways alignment is determined by steering the truck, which is a skill that can be easily taught, and any errors can be corrected by using side-shift.
However, the operator’s seating position and limitations of the human visual system mean that all operators will struggle to correctly determine vertical (especially above 4m) and angular alignment.
Training cannot eliminate these problems, so it is inevitable that even the most experienced operators will occasionally fail to correctly align the forks, says ForkAngles.
"High lift reach trucks tend to have camera systems fitted and man-up trucks allow the operator to directly see the forks," explains the company. "However, counterbalance truck operators are generally expected to manage unaided.
"If you want your counterbalance operators to improve their efficiency and drastically reduce incidence of load damage, install ForkAngles mast-tilt indicators to your trucks, so the forks can be perfectly aligned first time and every time."
