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The right lift
for your business

Supplying forklifts since 1976

What we do

Since 1976 H&F Trucks have provided local business with high quality materials handling solutions. For nearly four decades we have achieved steady growth year on year, enabling us to provide superior service to our customers from a stable & sustainable business platform.

Understanding Forklift Weight Limits and Capacities

 

One of the main causes of forklift accidents is the misuse or ignorance of a forklift truck’s weight limit and its capacity. By making your workforce of forklift drivers aware of how to discover and calculate these figures and what additional elements may affect them you are providing them with an invaluable preventative tool for the future. Let’s take a quick refresher course as to what exactly constitutes a forklift weight limit or capacity, and what can affect these figures.

Forklift Load Capacity

This is quite simply the maximum weight which a forklift can carry safely, and this information can be found on the load capacity data plate. You should never exceed this load under any circumstances whatsoever, but there are additional considerations to be made based on what you are carrying and how you are carrying it.

Forklift Load Centre

Load centre is one of the main things which effects how much your forklift can carry, and this information can once again be found on your load capacity data plate. This figure instructs you on the maximum size of your load’s centre of gravity and should not be exceeded as it can cause your forklift to tip. If a large centre of gravity cannot be avoided you may still carry the load, but a new load capacity must be calculated. See our guide here for more information on how to do this.

Forklift Attachments

The use of an attachment to your forklift may alter both your load capacity and load centre, so you should make sure you have access to this information when and take it into account when calculating your maximum load capacity and load centre. Avoid using attachments which do not provide this information, as the resulting difference to your load capacity and load centre can be wildly unpredictable.

Lift Heights

Generally speaking a forklift truck with a high mast will have a data plate containing two different load capacities; one for a low height and one for its maximum carrying height. This allows an operator to use a single truck for both low-level heavy loads and high-level lighter loads, and your drivers should be made fully aware of how dangerous it is to test these limits.

If every forklift truck driver was made aware of and adhered to each load capacity and load centre as stated on their equipment load plate, then the number of serious accidents would be reduced dramatically, and the costs of these incidents would be avoided. In order to assist your drivers warehouse owners should supply forklifts with slightly larger capacities than what is required, and ensure that drivers are given adequate time to make informed decisions on how to operate their forklift truck safely and efficiently.

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Testimonials

H&F have supplied us with all our fork lift equipment for in excess of ten years now, and have maintained it in accordance with our stringent operation requirements. During this time they have provided a consistently high level of service (including short term hire when required) whilst never failing to support us in a totally honest and professional manner.

Ashley Basset, Director
R G Bassett & Sons Ltd

H&F Lift Trucks are a pleasure to deal with. All staff, Technicians, Sales and Directors have hands-on experience of all ranges of vehicles they supply. From initial assessments and listening to all users of a potential new vehicle requirement, they keep us informed of all aspects of specification and lead times through to delivery. Their maintenance service is superb – they organise suitable times around our busy working day with our Yard Managers. Any accidental damage or operator error faults are always discussed with me and dealt with fairly – not like some unscrupulous suppliers who seek to profit at every service visit! In a cut-throat market, where we are offered “good deals” a few quid cheaper every day, we are never tempted to stray.

James Hipkins, Managing Director
Emerys

Pym and Wildsmith have been working closely with H&F Fork Trucks for many years. Their service is excellent, ranging from prompt callouts to breakdowns through to the supply of new trucks. We would not hesitate to recommend them.

Ian Pym, Operations Manager
Pym & Wildsmith

We cover a 30 mile radius