FAQ
- The complete CLARK truck serial number.
- The type of lift truck upright (mast) if it has been changed.
- Any attachments or devices mounted on the lift truck.
- Any modifications made to the lift truck.
CLARK advises against the use of lift trucks as personnel elevators. Improper maintenance and operation of lift trucks or improperly designed platforms can cause accidents. CLARK's recommendation is to use equipment designed for the job.
CLARK's general-purpose lift trucks are not designed as personnel elevators. While the OSHA and ANSI safety standards permit such attachments to be used, CLARK does not itself sell safety platforms and does not permit the use of platforms on lift trucks. CLARK warns against the use of lift trucks for elevating people in its operator's manuals, in training courses and manuals, and in labels on the machines.
If you decide to use lift trucks as personnel elevators, be sure to review the OSHA and ANSI safety standards and procedures that must be followed in the course of such an application. In addition, please refer to the sections on personnel elevators contained in the CLARK's Employer's Guide to Material Handling Safety, especially the section on training necessary for operators of lift trucks used in this application. Please know that the CLARK's Employer's Guide to Material Handling Safety is available from your CLARK dealer.
Again, CLARK strongly advises against the use of lift trucks as personnel elevators. There are specific products designed to raise people for overhead work, and CLARK believes that these machines are better suited for this work.
There are five basic points you should know for operating on grades
- Use only equipment designed for operation on grades, such as sit-down lift trucks, stand-up counterbalanced lift trucks and pallet trucks. Narrow aisle and very narrow aisle trucks should not be used on grades.
- Stand-up counterbalanced trucks are appropriate for short grades, such as dock plates up to 15%, but are not to be used on long grades.
- Travel up and down grades slowly. Never turn on a grade or cross a grade sideways. Turn only on flat surfaces.
- In general, all lift trucks except pallet trucks should be operated with the load upgrade. Unloaded trucks should be operated with the forks or attachment downgrade. The load should be tilted back and raised only as high as necessary to clear the surface.
- When using pallet trucks, always keep forks downgrade and in the raised position when working on a grade. Do not ride pallet trucks on a grade. Pallet trucks are designed to travel up to a 5% maximum grade with load.
"Floor loading" is often a misunderstood term. It is a measurement of the amount of weight a floor can withstand under given load conditions. Only qualified architectural or civil engineers can determine floor loading. Wheel loading, the amount of weight carried on each wheel of an industrial truck, is one of the factors used to determine floor loading. “Wheel loading” is not synonymous with “floor loading.”
The Industrial Truck Association and the American Institute of Architectural Engineering agree that "Building construction varies widely, and it is impossible to make a precise recommendation without a detailed technical study of the building involved. It is always recommended that a qualified civil or architectural engineer study the building in question to determine the weight of the truck that would be permissible under the specific conditions involved." This is also the position of CLARK.
There is no simple rule or formula that will allow you calculate floor loads and you should not try to devise one. If floor loading stipulations are necessary, a civil or architectural engineer should compute them based on truck specification data available or provided by CLARK.
Wheel (or axle) loading data are supplied on specification sheets for current production CLARK models, as well as many older models. If you require floor loading information, however, it is your responsibility to have this done by a qualified civil engineer or architect.
CLARK current production model specification sheets provide front and rear axle weights in the both the loaded and unloaded condition, as well as tire information. This is all the information you will normally need for a civil engineer or architect to determine the suitability of a lift truck on a given floor or slab. This information applies to both cushion (solid) and pneumatic tire trucks.
Specifications for a late-model CLARK lift truck are available from your CLARK dealer. Please be prepared to provide the complete CLARK serial number to your CLARK dealer.
Specifications for older CLARK lift trucks are available by sending an e-mail request to webmaster@CLARKmhc.com. Please provide the complete CLARK serial number.
Operator restraint retrofit kits which include seat belts are available for many older CLARK lift trucks. Please contact your CLARK dealer for details.
Note: Due to their design, some older electric CLARK lift trucks cannot be fitted with a seat belt because the battery cannot be properly restrained. These CLARK electric lift trucks include the TW20/25, TM10/15S (24V), TM12/15S (48V), ECA17/30, EPA20/30, and early EC500-20/30 and EC500-30/55 trucks with ‘Y’ design overhead guards. Seat belts must not be installed on a CLARK electric lift truck if the battery cannot be properly restrained.