{"id":570,"date":"2013-04-15T14:42:44","date_gmt":"2013-04-15T14:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/?p=570"},"modified":"2023-11-14T21:21:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T03:21:58","slug":"using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the Brakes on Your Forklift"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Using<\/a>

Using your forklift breaks is imperative in all phases of material handling.<\/p><\/div>\n

Inexperienced forklift operators often struggle to recognize the sheer force of a forklift truck. In fact, it is easy for a fully-loaded forklift to have a destructive force in excess of 100,000 pounds. One way that this manifests is with using the brakes, and because forklifts are inherently unstable vehicles, it is easy for the vehicle to tip over. In this post, we review essential facts involved in using your forklift brakes, as well as what you can do to stay safe and prevent an injury when coming to a stop.<\/p>\n

Generally, it takes .75 seconds for a forklift operator to become aware of a hazard, and another second for the body to respond. For this reason, you really want to leave 3 vehicle lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you. At a speed of 10 miles per hour this means that it will take 22 feet to come \u00a0to a complete stop. It is actually recommended that you go no faster than 8 miles per hour (3 miles per hour if there are pedestrians involved), and the observed speed limit should be posted at the work site.<\/p>\n

Keep brakes in working condition<\/h2>\n

Making sure that your brakes are in optimal shape is also crucial. Inspecting brakes is an essential component of the pre-use inspection, and you also need to check and see that the horn and back-up alarm are in working condition (as a side note, you should also post signs <\/a>reminding operators to use their horns.) It is also a good idea to clearly demarcate the traffic lanes for each forklift, as planning ahead will prevent accidents before they occur.<\/p>\n

Forklifts can be dangerous, and you need to be mindful of how much room to leave between you and the next vehicle, as well as how fast you should be going. Ultimately, if you keep your speed down to a safe level and keep your brakes in good condition, you should be safe and free of accidents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inexperienced forklift operators often struggle to recognize the sheer force of a forklift truck. In fact, it is easy for a fully-loaded forklift to have a destructive force in excess of 100,000 pounds. One way that this manifests is with using the brakes, and because forklifts are inherently unstable vehicles, it is easy for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,39,24],"tags":[326,124,125,126,64],"class_list":["post-570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forklift-driving","category-forklift-parts","category-forklift-safety","tag-brakes","tag-forklift-brakes","tag-forklift-force","tag-forklift-horn","tag-forklift-speed"],"yoast_head":"\nThere's More to Using Your Forklift Brakes Than Just A Pedal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explains how much space you should leave when driving a forklift. 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Also discusses the importance of keeping brakes in good working condition.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ForkliftAccessories.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-04-15T14:42:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-15T03:21:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/10492130-forklift-driver-handling-goods-in-distribution-warehouse-1-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mathew V\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ForkliftItems\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ForkliftItems\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mathew V\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mathew V\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/#\/schema\/person\/2533e19323049bffe413da032693b401\"},\"headline\":\"Using the Brakes on Your Forklift\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-04-15T14:42:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-15T03:21:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/\"},\"wordCount\":350,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/10492130-forklift-driver-handling-goods-in-distribution-warehouse-1-300x200.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"brakes\",\"forklift brakes\",\"forklift force\",\"forklift horn\",\"forklift speed\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Forklift Driving\",\"Forklift Parts\",\"Forklift Safety\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/\",\"name\":\"There's More to Using Your Forklift Brakes Than Just A Pedal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/using-the-brakes-on-your-forklift\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/10492130-forklift-driver-handling-goods-in-distribution-warehouse-1-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-04-15T14:42:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-15T03:21:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forkliftaccessories.com\/forkliftblog\/#\/schema\/person\/2533e19323049bffe413da032693b401\"},\"description\":\"Explains how much space you should leave when driving a forklift. 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