The use of these attachments sometimes results in forklifts being mistaken for a different type. Forklifts can actually be fitted with a wide range of attachments for many different tasks. Some popular forklift attachments include:

Carpet spike - Used for handling roll type loads such as carpet, textiles, steel, etc
Drum clamp attachment - Often has to be manually clamped to move around individual drums, attachments may also rotate (manual or powered).
Drum beak attachment - Used for transporting individual drums, the beak and jaw mechanism is designed to mechanically close and grab the drum when weight is placed on the jaw from the drum lip.
Fixed jib attachment - Used for lifting loads where a crane type attachment is needed, e.g. lifting a heavy steel grate out of the ground.
Fork positioners (not to be confused with sideshift) - Used to move the forks- widen or narrow, via the hydraulics while the forklift is in operation; useful for heavy duty forklifts or when many different pallet sizes are in use
Sideshift - Has become a standard attachment on the vast majority of forklifts; allows the moving of the forks and carriage left or right to increase accuracy in load placement or retrieval
Multiple tynes - Usually twin tyne or triple tyne; these attachments allows for handling of two or more loads at the same time
Fork slippers/fork extensions - Like the name suggests, slips onto the fork tines for extended fork tines to handle large loads (e.g. plasterboard) or handling two pallets at the same time.
Get to know what attachments are on offer.
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