Fork Scissoring – What Is It and What’s Worth Knowing?

What is fork scissoring? We invite you to read this article where you’ll find the answer.

Forks are one of the basic elements that make up the construction of a forklift truck, and their proper operation requires maintaining them in good condition. Unfortunately, forklift forks are exposed to a number of damages related to their twisting, wear, deformation or breakage. Therefore, proper operation of a forklift truck requires carrying out routine inspection activities, which allow for determining the suitability of the device for safe operation. One of the key parameters that should be checked when assessing the condition of forks is fork scissoring. What is fork scissoring? What else is worth checking during routine inspection activities? We’ll tell you!

Forklift Condition Control

Forks are a basic equipment element of forklift trucks that allows for using this type of equipment during a series of operations carried out within warehouses or production facilities. However, allowing forklift trucks to operate requires ensuring control of their condition, which is subject to inspectors from the Technical Supervision Office.

Fork Wear in Forklift Trucks – How Does Their Control Proceed?

Intensive operation of forklift trucks and their use in various conditions can lead to fork wear, which manifests itself in the loss of proper angle setting and thickness change. In order to ensure control of the condition of forklift trucks used during work, wear tests are carried out, which are subject to the Technical Supervision Office. The UDT inspector during each forklift truck inspection should also check the condition of the forks – according to the standard, the permissible wear value of fork teeth is their wear at the level of 10%, and this value cannot exceed 5 mm.

Fork Condition Assessment – What Should Be Checked?

Assessment of the condition of forks that make up the forklift truck equipment is a process that requires checking a number of parameters. The most important ones include checking the features and technical parameters of forks, such as:

• Presence of Damage and Non-Factory Changes in Their Construction

Assessment of the general condition of forks requires checking the presence of mechanical damage, cracks, welds, and non-factory drilled holes or other visual changes on the fork surface.

• Maximum Load Capacity and Safe Center of Gravity

Maximum fork load capacity and their safe center of gravity are values that are usually stamped on the side in the upper part of the fork.

• Deformations

An important step in checking fork condition is determining whether the vertical or horizontal part of the forks has been deformed. Deviation from vertical exceeding 0.5% of the vertical height or deviation from horizontal greater than 0.5% of fork length means they should be replaced.

• Fork Wear

Verification of forks in terms of their wear is crucial for ensuring effective and safe forklift operation. When inspecting the forklift, it’s worth checking the level of fork wear by measuring the vertical and horizontal parts of the forks at points located about 5-15 cm from the fork heel. The difference between the initial value and the thickness measurements made should not be greater than 10%, and its value should not exceed 5 mm.

• Fork Scissoring

The last measurement that should be carried out during fork condition control is checking fork scissoring. To perform the measurement, the forks should be moved together using the fork control element or manually. Then, at a height of about 1 meter, you should run your foot over them. When we feel a step, it’s worth reaching for calipers and measuring its size – a step between fork planes with a value exceeding 2 cm means that the forks do not meet the requirements set for them.

What Is Fork Scissoring?

When assessing the condition of forks from a forklift truck, we will certainly encounter the concept of fork scissoring, which may not tell us much. What is fork scissoring? Fork scissoring from a forklift truck is nothing other than the distance between individual upper fork planes measured at the fork ends.