In today’s job sites, there are a variety of attachments available for your telehandler to pick up, load, stack, lift, carry and place job site materials. With the variety of options available, fork and carriage attachments remain the most popular tools implemented on these machines.
With a variety of sizes, widths and styles of fork and carriage attachments to choose from, let’s dive into some of the different options available for your telehandler.
Fork and Carriage Attachment Options
If you need to move or place a load with no special features, a standard carriage will do the trick.
With added features, the carriage can provide additional positioning of the load. As an example, a side-tilt carriage can position th load precisely for transport across rough or uneven terrain and can also pick or place loads that are not on a level surface.
A side-swing carriage provides placement for loads in angles from 50 degree - 90 degrees on each side from the middle. This is a great feature when the machine is unable to provide a direct path to the load when working in tight spaces.
Fork-positioning carriages provide the ability to situate the forks at the correct spread for pallet loads, without the operator having to leave the cab. Along with this, side-shifting carriages can shift the full carriage and fork in either direction. This is a popular attachment if positioning the machine side-to-side isn't possible when picking up a load or if the lateral placement of the load is required.
A 180-degree swing carriage has the ability to get loads into small areas. It's dsigned to allow for the maneuvering of loads through tight spaces such as windows or scaffolding. If the telehandler can't fit through a restricted space (2 buildings for example), the 180-degree swing carriage allows operators to manipulate the load at the end of the boom and place it in the needed location.
The 90-degree swing carriage is designed as a solution to this problem but is limited in its swing capabilities (45-degree swing to the left and right). For more flexibility in smaller work spaces, the 180-degree swing carriage is an offset pivoting attachment, giving operators the ability to rotate outside the machine's wheels. If the attachment is centered at the end of the boom, the load may interfere with the machine's structure or you will need to lift the boom to avoid interferences. This is why the swing carriage is designed to allow operation when the boom is extended.
Specialty Fork Attachments
There are a variety of specialty fork-mounted attachments that exist to meet specific job site applications.
Let's use an example! While telehandlers are designed to lift objects and materials, it can be difficult to move long pipes from one area of a job site to another. If the items are not completely centered on the attachment, pipes could fall off and the travel speed could be limited. With that said, operators requested an attachment that would hold pipes in place while meeting time constraints. The pipe grapple was designed specifically for this task, to handle and move various pipe diameters and lengths. Very similar to a carriage, the pipe grapple has 2 arms taht fold down onto the pipes, securing the load from rolling off or tipping over. This allows operators to move pipes security from one area to another. If no items need to be held down, teh arms can be placed in an idle, vertical position, which allows you to use the telehandler for general pallet loads.
A fork-mounted work platform can be installed on a carriage and used to lift personnel for those jobs that require hands-on work at heights.
Another great attachment are fork-mounted trash hoppers for telehandlers that are being used to keep job sites clean and safe. They come equipped with a feature that allows the operator to empty the hopper's contents without leaving the telehandler cab.
The sheet material handler attachment is ideal for construction projects, giving operators the abiliy to lift and place a variety of materials. The attachment can be used for picking and placing drywall, sheetrock, and other sheet materials. A quick-coupler mounted sheet material handler attachment can lift up to 3,000 lbs and offers a 72-nch maximum fork spread, allowing the operator to lift heavy and wide materials to levels of height.
Choosing the Tool for the Task
When choosing the right tools and equipment for the tasks at hand, it's important to understand the nature of the work that needs to be done and the capabilities of various fork and carriage attachments.
Examples include: what type of material do you need to handle? How much material needs to be moved? Where will the material need to be moved? The answers to these questions will help you determine the appropriate size and type of fork and carriage attachment for the work the telehandler needs to do.
Having the correct attachment to complete the work that needs to be done maximizes the benefits of a telehandler and contributes to a safe and productive job site.
About All Access Services
Serving construction projects throughout Southern California with heavy equipment rentals, we have 3 locations in San Diego, Orange County, and Riverside to serve our clients. Each location carries a fleet of scissor lifts, telehandlers, boom lifts, and forklifts available for rent at affordable rates. We strive to provide the best customer service in the industry and hope to earn your trust and business!