Most forklifts spend their days moving pallets from one location to another and not much else. Slides the right attachment onto the forks and the same machine empties skips, lifts slung loads, sweeps the yard, spreads grit in December. For the price of an attachment, you get most of the usefulness of a machine you didn’t have to buy.
An attachment changes what the truck is and what it can safely lift. That part gets skipped surprisingly often, so it deserves some of the focus it gets before the kit itself.
An attachment changes the truck’s Capacity
Almost every type of attachment changes the load center, and/or adds weight further ahead of the forks. Both changes reduce the amount of weight the truck can safely lift, and cause the reduction to be significant in some instances. For example, a truck that is rated to have a lift capacity of 2,500kg is definitely not lifting the same 2,500kg with a jib arm that is extended off the front of it. In order for a truck to the lift the same 2,500kg with an attachment, an attachment would be required to give the truck a capacity plate, and an amended rating, along with supporting documentation from the manufacturer of the truck and the supplier of the truck. Just because an attachment “fits,” doesn’t mean the truck and the attachment can do whatever they please.
Another general point is that fork attachments should be secured to the forks properly using the design’s specified components (i.e., heel pins, T-bolts) and not just relied on friction after being slid on. Most attachment incidents are due to a combination of factors overloaded, or an attachment that came off the forks.
Tipping skips
Probably the most widely used attachment in the country. A tipping skip sits on the forks, is used to collect swarf, offcuts or general waste, and empties itself into a container by tipping, either by a manual release or automatically when a catch is tripped. The things to consider when choosing one of these are the volume and weight capacity (a skip full of steel swarf looks full long before it is at a full weight), the direction the skip tips, if it will be a suitable place to dump, and the quality of the skip at the tip, because this is the part that will wear out. Another sub-type of swarf skips is those that have a perforated base that allow the draining of coolant back out and are worth having in machine shops.
Jibs and Lifting Attachments
Forklifts with hooks or jib attachments can transport loads similar to cranes, however, hook and jib attachments pose capacity issues because a jib extends the load a significant distance. At full reach, a truck’s capacity can be reduced by 50% or more. Jibs also introduce the use of slings (see our lifting slings guide for more information). If multiple lifts are done at the same site, it may be better to install a jib crane to free the truck (see our jib crane post). If lifts are done infrequently throughout a site, a fork-mounted jib will be difficult to outperform.
Man-lift Baskets
Forks with lifts are especially hazardous. Lifting people creates significant liability, and, under LOLER, lifting people has its own set of regulations, such as baskets being required to have a six month thorough test (whereas other lifting equipment is required to have a twelve month test). HSE does not allow a non-integrated basket on a lift to be used as a normal method of working at height. If a lift is going up often, then a proper lift would be the correct method (and a lift basket would be an incorrect method). If a basket is justified, then it must be purpose built with a confirmed capacity.
That’s the short version. Don’t settle the question just because the basket accommodates the forks.
Bin tippers, brushes, scoops and the rest
These are the most common tools. Wheelie bin tippers fit and dump standard bins into large containers. It’s not flashy, but it’s a back-saver for sure. Brush and sweeper attachments make the truck a yard cleaning kit. Scoops and buckets manage loose material. Grabs pluck ferrous debris from the ground. Snow ploughs and gritting machines make their money about two weeks a year — exactly when nothing else will. These don’t require much specifying besides their width, capacity, and fork pocket dimensions. Though, the capacity plate point still applies to all of them.
Telehandler attachments
Telehandlers take attachments built on the same logic, scaled up. Buckets, jibs, sweepers, and the reach makes jib attachments very popular. The same two rules apply, and with greater emphasis. The capacity chart for the truck-and-attachment combination becomes even more critical on a machine whose capacity changes with reach, and the attachment needs to suit the telehandler’s carriage, which as a rule is not standardised to the fork pockets.
Attachments that lift like jibs, hooks, and baskets are accessories that require thorough examination as per LOLER regulations. Like all things, truck accessories are examined as a whole. Simpler attachments are still examined under PUWER: keeping them in a maintained and suitable state, ensuring they are used by suitable people, etc. Pre-use checks are executed on a daily basis, and for attachments, this means examining the wear points — the pivots on skips and the securing pins on everything.