Indispensable Forklift Accessories
The forklift is the most indispensable pieces of equipment in the warehouse or factory. This is the vehicle that makes modern materials handling so efficient and cost effective. The forklift makes it possible to lift heavy pallets of goods from pallet racks and move them anywhere they need to go, quickly and easily. Forklift accessories make it an even more indispensable piece of equipment.
Fork extensions add extra length to the forks. Made from heavy gauge steel, the forklift operator simply drives into them and gains extra length for lifting wider or bulkier loads. They come in either five or six foot lengths. Before purchasing these, make sure your forklift is designed to be able to use them.
A similar product is the polyethylene fork blade protector. While these do not add length to the forks, they are attached in a similar fashion. They are designed to protect more delicate loads, where the steel forks may damage the goods. 
Other useful slide-on forklift accessories include round and triangular fork extensions. When you need to carry rolled goods, these will cradle them safely between the forks. They also provide a wide surface area when materials are stacked across them, allowing for more delicate handling.
Another useful forklift accessory is the sweeper attachment. Easily mounted, inexpensive and a highly efficient way to quickly clean the warehouse floor, the sweeper or broom attachment measures 4 feet wide. The polypropylene bristle attachment is replaceable and with the optional dust mop, you can even clean up fine particles on polished floors.
A forklift drum attachment is an indispensable forklift accessory in any factory or warehouse that stores or handles drums. Easily mounted to lift truck forks, a drum lifter or gripper is the only safe way to move drums. The forklift operator can pick up and deliver drums without even leaving the driver's seat. Compare this with the danger and time involved in manually moving drums and it's easy to see how a drum attachment pays for itself in no time at all.
There are many other forklift accessories that are designed for specific uses that can be invaluable in certain applications. These include carpet poles, forklift booms and many others. Then there are inexpensive yet important dock accessories, safety signs and other accessories whose small cost is far outweighed by their usefulness.
Of all the forklift accessories, possibly the one that is used more than any other is the hopper. Hoppers come in sizes ranging from a fraction of a cubic foot internal capacity to up to several cubic feet. They come in light, medium, heavy and even extra-heavy duty models and are made from polyethylene or several different gauges of steel, depending on their size and function. For waste removal and the moving of large amounts of loose materials, the self dumping hopper is the most invaluable of all forklift accessories and a low profile self-dumping hopper is perfect for safe and convenient loading and dumping of all kinds of materials.
Bahrns Equipment, our parent company, is a leader in materials handling. Check out their website and find all of your materials handling needs, from packaging materials to forklifts.
