I was recently at a warehouse conducting onsite forklift training in Surrey and one of the trainees asked me how to change the forks on a forklift when it comes time to replace them. Fortunately i have lots of experience doing this so i was able to demonstrate. With that being said, you should never try to change the forks unless you have been properly showed how to do so as they are heavy and can cause injury if not done properly.
Forklift forks are the basic foundation of any material handling operation. There may be a time when you need to change the forks on your forklift, during you daily forklift pre-trip inspection you may have found cracks, bends or damage and there may be times you just need to put on a longer set of forks. These are the basic steps for changing the forks and will have a video at the end for more in depth replacement.
- INSPECT- Before you replace the forks you should carefully and thoroughly inspect all elements of the forks and the carriage of your forklift. If the forks have been damaged there also may be damage to the carriage of your forklift.
- RELEASE- Newer model forklifts have quick change forks and are pretty easy to change. Older model forklifts use a standard hook system with a top and bottom locking mechanism. You want to release the forks in accordance with the manufacturers specifications. potential risk or hazard can occur if failed to do so. Once forks have been removed you should immediately mark them damaged so they are not put to future use.
- PLACEMENT- To install the new set of forks you have to reverse the actions you did when releasing them, and again you must do so in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. Once the new forks have been installed always make sure they are secured properly and locked before using them.