Section 1 Forklift Training Manual

FORKLIFT SAFETY TRAINING MANUAL • LESSON 1 • INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW TO FORKLIFTS

Load Centers The data plate may read: MAXIMUM LIFTING CAPACITY: 500 lb. at a 24 inch LC at 104 inches.What does it mean - LC, 104 inches? LC means load center and 104 inches indicates how high a load can be safely raised. Most data plates provide more than one safe lifting weight.The reason for this is that the operator will probably be lifting many odd sized and shaped loads. Therefore, understanding how these odd size loads can affect the safe lifting capacity of the forklift is an important part of safe operating practices. The data plate information example below shows how the operator can safely lift a 5,000 lb. load utilizing a 24-inch load center which can be raised to the maximum height of the forklift. In this case it is 10 inches. The data plate also shows how to safely at 4,000 lb. at a 36-inch LC at 104 inches and 3,000 lb. at a 42-inch LC at 104 inches.

SERIAL# 12345678 MODEL#XYZ MAXIMUM LIFT1NG CAPACITIES: 1. 5,000 LB at 24" LC - 104" 2. 4,000 LB at 36” LC – 104” 3. 3,000 LB at 42” LC – 104”

The load center of a fork lift is the distance from the face of the forks to the load’s center of gravity.

24”

The load center is the distance measured from the center of the load to the vertical face of the forks. A standard size pallet size is 48 x 48 inches. Measure from the center of the load to the vertical face of the forks and obtain a 24” measurement. Therefore, an evenly distributed load on a 48”x48” pallet would be considered 24”.

As the load center increases, the lifting capacity of the vehicle decreases.

If the data plate indicates the maximum safe lifting capacity of 5,000 lbs. at 24” load center (LC) then the operator can safely lift 5,000 lbs. of an evenly distributed load measuring 24 inches.This 5,000lb load can safely be lifted to the maximum height of the forklift. Ensure the cargo is using load center as despite the weight an unevenly distributed cargo load can cause instability.

Lesson 1 • Page 11