The Mast of A Forklift

The mast of a forklift is mainly composed of an inner mast, an outer mast, a fork, a fork frame, a sprocket, a chain, a forklift mast bearing, a lifting cylinder and a tilting cylinder.

Inner mast and outer mast: The inner and outer masts of a forklift are portal frames formed by connecting two left and right columns respectively through different numbers of cross beams at the top, middle and bottom. The column is not only the main component of the mast, but also the guide rail for the fork frame or the inner mast to move up and down. The cross-section of the columns of the inner and outer masts has groove, I-shaped and other special shapes, and the materials are mostly low-alloy steel. The left and right columns are connected by two to three cross beams to form a frame structure, and then nested together, relying on the rollers installed on the inner and outer masts to make the inner and outer masts roll along the outer mast columns.

Forks and fork frames: The fork is the most basic and most common picking device of a forklift. Generally, a forklift is equipped with two identical forks. The fork is installed on the fork frame, and its appearance is an L-shaped rod, which is divided into two parts: a horizontal section and a vertical section. The horizontal section of the fork is used to insert into the bottom of the cargo or pallet, and after the fork is lifted, it is used to carry the cargo. The vertical section of the fork is used to connect with the fork frame. According to the different forms of connection, it is divided into two types: hook type and handover type.

Sprocket, chain and forklift mast bearing: These components together constitute the mast transmission system, which is responsible for the lifting and lowering of the cargo.

Lifting cylinder and tilting cylinder: The lifting cylinder is responsible for the vertical lifting and lowering movement of the cargo, while the tilting cylinder controls the tilt angle of the fork to facilitate the loading and unloading of the cargo at different angles.

These components work together to enable the forklift to efficiently complete the loading, unloading, stacking and transportation tasks of the cargo.