Forklift Safety

[NIKOLAT]

I’m new to these forums and see that many folks use forklifts for their home and business shops. Through the 1980s I was an engineer and later served as in-house expert witness for a forklift manufacturer, and I offer some brief suggestions for safe vehicle operation. Please try to obtain an operators manual and a parts manual for your lift. Learn safe driving and load handling technique, especially operating on poor surfaces, grades, and when lifting loads. Regardless of age or brand name of your 4-wheel sit-down rider forklift, check the stops that limit the motion of the pivoting steer axle. If they are not an integral part of the frame structure, make sure they are not missing or broken off. A tip over could occur if the stops are missing or broken. There’s a lot more to forklift safety than room to tell, so please be diligent to be safe in using and maintaining your forklift.

NIKOLAT

 

[Hot_wrench]

I appreciate the thought. My current machine is a Pettibone-Mercury badged Transitier made in the 50's, maybe? If you have a source for an operators or parts manual, I'm all ears.

 

[michiganbuck]

...and mention that Steel on Steel is like skates on ice.

 

[Conrad Hoffman]

My first job was driving a forklift. We got basic pointers, but not much else. It was in a paper warehouse and we were often working at the limits of the machines. That was almost 50 years ago. I heard that today you have to have a license or some kind of formal training if you do it for a business.

 

[michiganbuck]

I had/took the OSHA forklift training and one thing was to have hand signals so you don't have to depend on voice, and the most important signal to be agreed on was "stop".
In the best forklift team, the driver looks at his guide ..and any time he can't see his guide he stops and waits until he can.
Yes, this is in tight situations like moving stuff in a tight space.
I was never a forklift driver but had to take the training because I had an electric truck to take broach bars that I built out to the machines.

The broach bars were so heavy that if loaded not all the way up/forward on the bed, the front wheel would lift.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Ex-employee/friend (pictured) sent me this pic from back in the 90's, we were picking up this machine from KAFB, I said they needed to get a crane, the 4 forklift jockeys insisted they could load it

 

[Garwood]

I rented a shop with a storage loft. So I bought a forklift. My first time ever driving a forklift was unloading that forklift off my trailer. A couple people told me to be safe, always lower your forks- Whatever I thought. How dumb do you think do I am?

Within the first few days of owning that thing I fast walked right into the sharp end of one of the forks I'd left in the air. Knocked my ass out cold. Woke up in a puddle of blood thinking I'd speared my brain there was so much blood. A few stitches at the ER and I have never left forks up again.

To me, with some serious forklift seat time now, forklifts are incredibly capable, versatile tools. I never would have thought I'd come to rely on them like I do.

 

[john.k]

Funny,I did exactly the same .....and Id been driving my old fork (H80) for years......there is still a divot out of my skull and the skin has never healed properly..........best ,I reckon ,is I caught one of the kids doing drifts with a forklift ......I pulled him over and said "If that fork flips ,it will squash you like a cockroach"......Kid says "Wow.that would be cool"

 

[dkmc]

Please try to obtain an operators manual and a parts manual for your lift.
NIKOLAT

Yes, that would be great. Problem is, now days the old tattered ones on Ebay are priced at $150 and up. I think the manuals should be provided as a free download on the mfgr's website.

 

[NIKOLAT]

I appreciate the thought. My current machine is a Pettibone-Mercury badged Transitier made in the 50's, maybe? If you have a source for an operators or parts manual, I'm all ears.

Hi Hot Wrench, Pettibone is long-gone, but you might check on-line sites for Trupar and Unique Forklift parts for parts and manuals.
Good luck, NIKOLAT

 

[Garwood]

Yes, that would be great. Problem is, now days the old tattered ones on Ebay are priced at $150 and up. I think the manuals should be provided as a free download on the mfgr's website.

Lol! I bought a $100 "reprint" of a Hyster H80C manual and it was garbage. A bunch of random old hyster shit scabbed together in random order. I sent it back it was terrible.

Hyster doesn't even have manuals for the old machines.

I had to pay $250 for a real, original manual in fair shape. Hard to believe with the thousands they made there aren't more out there.

 

[john.k]

I got news for you ....Fords factory manual for my Ford is $400 ,and is a random collection of old bulletins ....not even stapled together...........anyhoo,I repaired ,repowered ,and rebuilt forklifts for 50 years ,and never had one document about anything,bar the motors........the only free forklift info stuff is for the Cascade special masts and carriages and handling devices .

 

[dkmc]

I got news for you ....Fords factory manual for my Ford is $400 ,and is a random collection of old bulletins ....not even stapled together...........anyhoo,I repaired ,repowered ,and rebuilt forklifts for 50 years ,and never had one document about anything,bar the motors........the only free forklift info stuff is for the Cascade special masts and carriages and handling devices .

I just bought a 1960 RC150 I'd like a manual for it, but its as simple as it gets. Even more so with the Chevy 292 and 4 sp truck trans thats in it now. Used good condition manuals used to be reasonable on Ebay. I've gotten them for both my older Yales and small Hyster 3 wheeler for $50-ish. Over the last few years they seem to have appreciated considerably.

 

[Steve in SoCal]

I just bought a 1960 RC150 I'd like a manual for it, but its as simple as it gets. Even more so with the Chevy 292 and 4 sp truck trans thats in it now. Used good condition manuals used to be reasonable on Ebay. I've gotten them for both my older Yales and small Hyster 3 wheeler for $50-ish. Over the last few years they seem to have appreciated considerably.

Does your RC150 look kinda like Bertha the big girl? I have a manual For an RC200, there isn't much to it after the engine sections.

 

[dkmc]

Does your RC150 look kinda like Bertha the big girl? I have a manual For an RC200, there isn't much to it after the engine sections.View attachment 385231

Yes it does.....except for the extra counter weight on the back from a Bay City crane. Rear tire is not low, it's sunk in the ground that much.
Is yours a 150 or 200?

 

[Steve in SoCal]

My lift is a 200, with a Hercules engine I think 56 or 7 build?

They are really good out in the yard kinda clumsy in tight quarters. I will take a look at the manual in the AM what are you looking for if any thing in particular?

Do you have a wet clutch?

Steve

 

[dkmc]

My lift is a 200, with a Hercules engine I think 56 or 7 build?

They are really good out in the yard kinda clumsy in tight quarters. I will take a look at the manual in the AM what are you looking for if any thing in particular?

Steve

I was expecting a Herc when I lifted the hood. The Chevy was a pleasant surprise.
Actually I mostly just like reading thru them if nothing else. Might pick up some tips, might learn an important bit of info, adjustments, capacities, etc. Neighbor has a 25K Clark, that thing is clumsy.

Edit
I do not think it's a wet clutch, maybe I wish it was? The wet clutch in my 1970 Yale 4k truck has been trouble free. I think (the RC150) has got the Chevy Muncie SM420 truck 4 speed behind (in front?) of it as well, plus the orig. reverser box. I think I'd really like a fluid coupling like my 1953 Yale has, seems the best for pushing on machines, rigging, etc. Stall speed can be 'adjusted' by the level of fluid in the coupling. The RC150 is scheduled to show up this weekend, I haven't gone over it real close yet. I do know there is only a hint of brakes as the pedal hits the floor....

 

[john.k]

Ive done engine swaps in all the Hysters shown....replaced the flathead with a Perkins 4 or 6.........I even did two Clarks for the army ,nearly new Hercules JXLD engines ,they wanted diesel ,so I swapped in two new 6/354/4 Perkins motors........Clark claimed it was impossible ,at the same time as they sold Perkins powered models in other markets.

 

[Strostkovy]

My old Clark developed cracks in the lifting chain at the pins.

 

[Garwood]

I just wanted the manuals for the Hystermatic sections. Testing, adjusting, rebuilding. Hyster was happy to send me PDF's of what they thought were the manuals I needed, but nothing they had was even close.

The old H series Hysters are great outside. They're long, wide and pretty heavy. Hard to get into trouble as long as you have the room for them. My H80C is 16' long with 5ft forks. I'd imagine an H150 or H200 is atleast a foot or two longer.