For forklifts these days, there are many attachment options available. Most attachments are manufactured to be used on regular lift trucks and are designed to be used on reach trucks and VNA. It is essential to note that OSHA requires approval for any kind of attachment which should be approved for use by the particular lift truck manufacturer.
The most important common attachment is the sideshift and is considered to be standard device. The sideshift apparatus allow for more accurate load placement as well as allows the fork carriage to slide left and right. The sideshift enables the operator to be more versatile with the machinery.
The fork positioner is a different attachment option which allows the operator to adjust the forks' distance without having to get off of the truck. This specific attachment is mostly utilized in high volume operations where there is a wide variety of crate and pallet sizes handled.
Fork pivots makes it possible for the carriage and forks to rotate or pivot. These attachments could be specially designed for transporting and dumping hoppers. These attachments are extremely useful for many industrial operations.
Slip sheet attachments are a different attachment which are used where slip sheets that is a paperboard, or plastic or a sheet of cardboard that are used instead of pallets. The slip sheet attachments use a push and pull device that clamps onto the slip sheet and pulls the load onto a thin platform. Then, the load is pushed off the platform when the truck reaches the destination.
Drum attachments come in numerous shapes and sizes, with several models able to handle 55 gallon drums. There are some smaller versions of a paper roll clamps that go around the roll and also are capable of a full 360 degree rotation. There are other drum attachments which are able to pick up various drums all simultaneously.
Another option is tilt control, which enables the operator to preset the fork tilt angles. For extensions slide over the forks to help lift and transport longer loads. The Carton clamp operates similar to a paper roll clamp except instead of being round, the clamping surface is flat.