[OT] - Lift Trucks

Exactly, you'd be liable for the loss and they wouldn't. In fact, I'll bet they don't cover the nonmedical portion of such a loss at all.

Fork lifts are rated by the manufacturer using a bunch of criteria Dan. These ratings reflect the balancing act between build cost and the cost to build to the max capacity of the strongest component. There are also huge overbuild/derating premiums built in to account for degredation over time. Most fork lifts will handle twice their rated load but you will have to put back some of the mass removed by the original design team to get an acceptable service life out of things like the suspension and steering systems.

Got it? The big risk is tipping the thing over or unexpectedly busting the steering gear, not mast or fork failure. Stability is a given within the rated limits. Exceeding those limits makes them unstable to the degree that you push the actual lift to failure capacity of the system. That's the key, these are systems - just like your machines.

Reply to
John R. Carroll
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D Murphy wrote in news:Xns9807EFA66969CBW12BU20MU38SY@130.133.1.4:

Keep your eye on Ebay for a 15,000lb truck.

Reply to
Anthony

Dan, have you ever tried "cribbing" the load just to get it up on trucks/rollers? You can get a 12,000lb machine onto the trucks using a

4,000lb fork lift if you want to.
Reply to
Joe788

Check with CAT on Monday. I made a counter weight for a Fork truck, I think it was a CAT brand. I made the counter weight, the dealer installed it and provided a new nameplate for the truck so everything was "kosher". I had to prvide a paper stating that the peice of steel I sent to them weighed 500#. If you state that you need it to move machine X and will will be only lifting it 2" high, you should be able to get their blessing.]

I forget if the idea was to increase the load capacity or relocate the CG out farther.

Thank You, Randy

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Reply to
Randy

Is there any chance of constructing the machine on the platform it needs to be moved to? Even if it means elevating the area around it on a temporary basis, this might end up saving a step.

Also, is it possible your lift truck came with a counterweight (that it no longer has) in order to get its 12K rating?

"Chip"

Reply to
Chip Chester

"Joe788" wrote in news:1153582215.781962.20750 @i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

That's how we moved it this time. But it does the floor no good. We have an epoxy painted floor that we need to keep looking good. So skates, rollers and such aren't a good option.

To compound the problem, the two deck height loading docks aren't free and clear enough to use. Plus the trucks more often than not will have other stuff on the bed, so we have to unload from the middle of the truck.

What I'm really after is whether I can safely add weight to move stuff around the shop. It would be a bonus (but not required) if I could lift high enough to load/unload from a truck. The more I think about that, the less I want to do it. Usually you have to pick way off center on the fork truck in order to reach the center of the bed of the trailer. Due to the size of the machine, I'd need longer forks and a lot of weight. It's not worth it. For pick up and delivery hiring a rigger is no problem.

Reply to
D Murphy

Anthony wrote in news:Xns98086F8617CD1acziparle3sp835@216.77.188.18:

I would. But we honestly don't have that kind of room. With the park we're in I can't keep it parked outside either.

Reply to
D Murphy

Overloading the ass end of a forklift will indeed screw up the steering and suspension system if you keep the weight on it when you are not using it to move the machines.

Gunner

The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong.

In the past few decades, a peculiar and distinctive psychology has emerged in England. Gone are the civility, sturdy independence, and admirable stoicism that carried the English through the war years . It has been replaced by a constant whine of excuses, complaints, and special pleading. The collapse of the British character has been as swift and complete as the collapse of British power.

Theodore Dalrymple,

Reply to
Gunner

It's funny you mention the floor. We used a 10,000lb capacity forklift to move a 50,000lb+ HMC. The right rear truck/roller pulverized the concrete through the entire building. It made a 4 inch wide, .5 deep canal of concrete powder for about 300 feet. That right rear truck was underneath the 180 tool ATC. I guess that corner was a little too heavy!

Reply to
Joe788

"Joe788" wrote in news:1153601753.412197.55420 @s13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

That's why I'm thinking about air pallets.

You don't need a fork truck and one guy could get it moving on his own. Stopping the machine from moving OTOH...

Reply to
D Murphy

If you are only moving the same shaped item every time, I would suggest a custom made trailer that can pick up the unit and also move it from place to place.

If your floors are that smooth, a piece of nylon plate under the machine and it will slide real easy. Oil helps.

John

Reply to
john

It's been my experience that when you do this with a used machine, the first thing to go in the transmission. All of these thngs need to be considered before strapping on counterweights. Basically, you will be cutting the service life of the fork lift - perhaps significantly. The only real no-no I'm aware of is screwing with the pump to increase the hydraulic pressure to gain lift capacity. I've done it in a pinch to fill a cavity in a molding machine and it's basically an insane thing to do. I was just lucky the few times I did it. Some guy here in Torrance got cut in half by a hose rupture - 2" OD - a couple years ago and I wondered at the time if they'd run the pump pressures up to 2500 or 2700 psi. I don't know if the pumps on fork lifts have the volume that injection circuits on molding machines do but I doubt it.

Hot enough for ya' Gunner?

Reply to
John R. Carroll

They used to move 2500 ton molding machines around the plant an Ford/Milan that way in the 80's. Kinda of weird to see the millwrights bringing the machine to the mold.

Reply to
John R. Carroll

D Murphy wrote in news:Xns980890A46B306BW12BU20MU38SY@130.133.1.4:

Sounds like you need to move :P

Reply to
Anthony

"John R. Carroll" wrote in news:TTwwg.71097$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:

I was thinking more along the lines of just putting the weights on when I need them. Our truck gets very little use on a daily basis anyway. The weights add to the overall length of the truck. That's a real problem too.

I'm going to price out some air casters.

Reply to
D Murphy

"John R. Carroll" wrote in news:jZwwg.71098$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:

I've used these at two other facilities in the past. It's probably the best solution given our current situation. We had lots of room and now we don't. That's unlikely to change anytime soon.

Reply to
D Murphy

Anthony wrote in news:Xns9808B510877FBacziparle3sp835@216.77.188.18:

Yup. Not an option for 30 months or so.

Reply to
D Murphy

Overhead cranes are nice. I got to put one in myself one of these days.

John

Reply to
john

115F at 4:57 pm

35% humidity.

The swamp cooler is barely making headway.

Gunner

The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong.

In the past few decades, a peculiar and distinctive psychology has emerged in England. Gone are the civility, sturdy independence, and admirable stoicism that carried the English through the war years . It has been replaced by a constant whine of excuses, complaints, and special pleading. The collapse of the British character has been as swift and complete as the collapse of British power.

Theodore Dalrymple,

Reply to
Gunner

I'm on the coast so it's cooler here - about 95 - but the humidity is stifling. I'm a noodle LOL

Reply to
John R. Carroll

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