Forks – Pallet and Full Taper

Forklift forks, also known as tines or blades, are used to lift and carry loads. They are an integral part of the forklift and ensuring you are using the correct ones and that they are in good condition is essential to both the safety of personnel, but also the forklift and the load. Forks are a frequently overlooked on a lift truck due to their how they simply work.  However, when you need a different sized fork or your old ones are past their prime.  It can be hard to know what you need to replace them.

Fork Wear (knowing when your forks need replacing)
You should check your forks to make sure they haven’t been worn too thin with a Fork Arm Wear Caliper regularly to make sure it is still capable of carrying it’s rated load.  Forks are considered worn beyond their carrying capacity once they are at 90% of their original thickness.  In order to check this, you apply the outer jaws of the wear caliper to the shank portion of the fork because it is rarely worn.  Then you apply the caliper to the heel of the fork and check to see if the inner jaws slip past at any point.  If so, they are worn past 90%.

The most common of fork is the ITA style which are divided up into classes.  These classes define the carriage height that they can mount to.

Class 2 = 16″ Carriage height
Class 3 = 20″ Carriage height
Class 4 = 25″ Carriage height

Typically any forklift from 1500-5500 lbs. will have Class 2 forks.  6000-11,000 lbs capacity lifts will be Class 3.  11,500-17,500 lbs capacity forklifts will be Class 4.  After that, most forklifts use a shaft mount or propriety mount.

For Forklift fork installation or servicing, Contact Palco Supply to find the best option for your forklift needs!