Forklifts with Ladders

There are many forklift accessory manufacturers but many concentrate on accessories that enable forklifts to lift objects of various shapes. In short they concentrate on accessories for the forks of the forklift. If not fork accessories then these manufacturers sell safety accessories such as harnesses and safety gears.

Forklifts and Scissor Lifst are Not Always the Answer

I remember when I used to work in a warehouse and have to get small items on the upper levels of the warehouse storage racks. Each level of the storage racks were about as tall as a standard forklift and we cannot climb into it without using ladders. Sometimes we would need to use the Scissor Lift if we have to get a lot of items.

The scissor lift has a great disadvantage. It is clumsy to use and you would spend a lot of time manoeuvring it in the warehouse. Its lift also ascends and descends very slow and sways giving you an uncomfortable feeling. These are the reasons most of my coworkers do not want to use it. It is good only for jobs where you reach and work at a high location for a long time.

Ladders too had the disadvantage of being clumsy to carry and are relatively difficult to transport. We had to work in pairs to use it. One holds it in place while the other steps into it and use it to reach the higher levels of the storage racks. Then the amount of items you can carry up or down with it is limited because you have to hold the ladder with one hand and the other hand holds the goods from the warehouse.

The forklift is the best option for reaching the upper levels of the storage racks quickly. One person drives the forklift while the other uses a protective cage attached to the fork of the forklift and is lifted by the driver of the forklift to the upper levels of the storage racks. This is still clumsy as it takes 2 persons and you must first attach a protective cage in the forklift.

The last solution and normal solution will be to completely bring down the entire pallet from the storage racks using a forklift. But this also takes a bit of time to do. There are those who cheat and use the forklift to climb the upper levels of the storage racks. This is not only dangerous but also illegal in many countries’ occupational safety laws.

We Need Ladders

All the previous problems are a selling point to why we need ladders that attach to forklifts. The ladder can be located anywhere in the rear or sides of the forklift. From these positions they can be used by a single person who drives the forklift in the warehouse, parks the forklift near the front of the storage racks and then uses the ladder to climb the storage racks.

The ladder can be attached to the forks of the forklift to make it even reach higher levels. The ladder can have a movable basket that can be moved up or down to store and retrieve goods so the person climbing the ladder can use two hands in climbing the stairs and therefore will be more safe. Only 1 person is needed to do all of this and this is another advantage.

The very heavy weight of the forklift causes it to become unmovable when stationary and ensures that the ladder when secured firmly to it will not sway causing the person climbing the ladder to be relatively at ease and secure. This makes for a safer work environment for the company.

As can be seen this setup is especially advantageous for small businesses who do not move goods by the pallet but piecemeal. Usually the warehouse will only have one storeperson or storeman who manages the entire warehouse and solely drives the lone forklift. The warehouse would most likely be cramped full of goods that there is little space to load and unload pallets.

The cost for adding the ladder is relatively inexpensive too. A normal ladder can be modified to be attached and work on a forklift. Building an attachment mechanism for the ladder in the forklift is relatively simple too. Forklifts are primarily designed to have a “box” shape and have minimal curves so a skeletal steel frame should do for an attachment to the ladder.

The issue of why we need a ladder accessory for the forklift has been clearly discussed. The ease of use issue of the ladder has also been clearly discussed. The issue of how easy it is to implement or construct it has also been clearly discussed. This product should clearly be created because there is a need and a market for it.

The product can be created by even a small company. All they need are just basic welding equipments to weld together the skeletal frame for the forklift attachment. They can even just buy normal ladders and modify them a bit so they attach to the forklifts. All these companies need is to convince their buyers of the uncommon idea of ladders attached to forklifts...

Conclusion

This is however such a simple idea that anyone can do it. Those with extensive financial, marketing and manufacturing resources have the upper hand just like in any business but the manufacturing aspect is so simple it can be done even as a backyard business. Even the owners of the forklift if they have the knowhow and facilities can do it themselves.

Note: If you are interested in other forklift accessories try my article titled Forklift Accessories.