How Moffett Truck Mounted Forklifts Achieve Stability?

Almost all of the accidents or incidents involving forklifts occur when they tip over. Either because the weight of the load was beyond the lifting capacity of the forklift or because of the incompetence of the operator, forklift accidents occur on a regular basis.

In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimated that there are around 35,000 serious injuries every year because of forklift-related accidents. Yet, there are some forklifts that provide much better stability and safety than others. The example, in this case, is the Moffett truck mounted forklift that has gained immense popularity among businesses for their efficiency but more importantly for their ease of use.

These forklifts are used in all kinds of industries and have greatly reduced the risk for operators and employees while enabling them to complete the task effectively and efficiently. In this article, we shall take a look at how the Moffett forklifts achieve stability.

Design of Moffett Forklifts

      Hydraulic Stabilizers: The most important aspect is the design of the Moffett forklifts that helps them beat their predecessors in achieving better stability. These forklifts lack the counterbalance used in conventional forklifts that were used to offset the weight of the load. Instead, the Moffett truck mounted forklifts have hydraulic stabilizers that act as the point of pivot for the forklift when it lifts the load. These hydraulic stabilizers play an important role in providing stability to the forklift as well as allow the operator to lift the load.

      Horizontally Moving Mast: The other part of the design involves a horizontally moving mast that can be outstretched to pick up loads but it serves a dual purpose. When the mast is at its lowest height, close to the ground and fully outstretched it lowers the center of gravity of the forklift making it stable. Though this decreases the lifting capacity of the forklift when the hydraulic stabilizers lower the mast can be retracted and allow the maximum load to be lifted.

Due to these features, Moffett Truck is widely used across the United States in all kinds of industries. Of course, this does not mean they are completely impervious to tipping over. If the operator lifts a load that exceeds the maximum lifting capacity of a Moffett piggyback forklift, the forklift will tip over because the center of gravity will move out of the triangle of stability. These two concepts are important to understanding if one is to understand how Moffett forklifts achieve stability.

Why is the Center of Gravity Important?

The center of gravity is where the entire mass of the structure rests. The center of gravity for a typical forklift is located at the center of the triangle of stability. If the center of gravity moves out of the triangle then the forklift tips over. The lower the forklift, the closer the center of gravity is to the ground which means it would be more stable.

When the load is lifted by the forks, the center of gravity of the load also influences that of the forklift. It is, in the end, the “combined” center of gravity of the load and the forklift that determines whether the machine remains stable or tips over.

So if you are looking to buy a used Moffett forklift for sale, be sure to buy it from a trusted retailer such as Moffett Truck who can guarantee that the machine is in an optimal state of performance.

What is the Triangle of Stability?

The triangle of stability is made up of the three points of suspension. The first two points are in front of the front wheels of the forklift while the third point is at the midway mark between the back wheels. If you were to draw an imaginary line between these three points, it would make a triangle.

As long as the center of gravity is inside the triangle of stability, the forklift is stable and will not flip over. The problem occurs when the load is lifted by the forks. The center of gravity of the load pushes the forklift’s center of gravity outward. The key for stability, which the Moffett piggyback forklifts have achieved, is keeping the combined center of gravity of both the load and the forklift inside the triangle.

The Moffett truck mounted forklifts achieve this by extending the mast fully outwards while picking up the load which moves the center of gravity out of the triangle and then retract the mast which brings it back into the triangle. The hydraulic stabilizers also act as points of pivot for the forklift when it is lifting the load and prevent it from flipping over. In this way, they keep the forklift well balanced and the operator safe to do their job in the best possible manner.