Seatbelts, people. Wear 'em!

[Roert42]

Most common rule for forklift horns is any time you come to an intersection you have to honk.
Always drive backwards when possible.

A lot of companies are installing the blue lights that point ahead in the path to give people a visual indication that a forklift is coming.

 

[Curious Hound]

Most common rule for forklift horns is any time you come to an intersection you have to honk.
Always drive backwards when possible.

A lot of companies are installing the blue lights that point ahead in the path to give people a visual indication that a forklift is coming.

The driving backwards thing is for when you have a load that obstructs your view forward and when going down a ramp. Load should always be uphill.

 

[Snoranger]

You should always honk the horn and slow down at an intersection or a pedestrian walkway.

Weight should always be uphill. Empty, you want the forks downhill; loaded, you want the forks uphill. This also keeps the load against the backrest, where it’s less likely to fall.

 

[Roert42]

The driving backwards thing is for when you have a load that obstructs your view forward and when going down a ramp. Load should always be uphill.

The mast on the forklift can create significant blind spots even when empty.

 

[Curious Hound]

There’s a big hole right there in the middle.

seriously, though. If you’re more comfortable going backwards, that should be fine. The official training courses just require going backwards as we outlined above.

 

[Snoranger]

The mast on the forklift can create significant blind spots even when empty.

View attachment 101376

That’s called a full free lift mast… they’re designed to give you the best visibility.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You should always honk the horn and slow down at an intersection or a pedestrian walkway.

Weight should always be uphill. Empty, you want the forks downhill; loaded, you want the forks uphill. This also keeps the load against the backrest, where it’s less likely to fall.

In tractor world that makes you less likely to flip over backwards too.

I have carried many a hay bale with the front wheels in the air or close to it steering with the differential brakes...

 

[Roert42]

There’s a big hole right there in the middle.

seriously, though. If you’re more comfortable going backwards, that should be fine. The official training courses just require going backwards as we outlined above.

Depends on who put together the safety course I suppose.

 

[Snoranger]

Depends on who put together the safety course I suppose.

If a forklift was meant to be always driven in reverse, why doesn’t the seat face the other direction and just make that the front?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If a forklift was meant to be always driven in reverse, why doesn’t the seat face the other direction and just make that the front?

The stand on one's they had at a place I used to work had the driver sideways so they could go both ways.

 

[Roert42]

If a forklift was meant to be always driven in reverse, why doesn’t the seat face the other direction and just make that the front?

Just because a tool is designed to be used one way doesn’t mean the safety people like it.

Although you could make a decent argument that if someone spends most of their day sitting and trying to look behind them that there is a significant ergonomic concern for the operator.

 

[Curious Hound]

The stand on one's they had at a place I used to work had the driver sideways so they could go both ways.

Those are called order pickers and they’re just plain weird.