What are hydraulic attachments for forklifts?
Hydraulic forklift attachments are hydraulically powered accessories that can be picked up by forklift tines to extend the capabilities of the forklift.
Forklifts already use the power of hydraulics to lift, shift and handle a wide variety of items and materials. But with the help of hydraulically powered forklift attachments, the functionality of the forklifts on your site or in your warehouse/factory can increase exponentially.
These hydraulic attachments come in many forms and are built for a wide variety of applications. They can also be operated from the driver’s seat of the forklift, greatly increasing both the safety of the user and the efficiency and productivity of your workplace.
Types of hydraulic forklift attachments
Hydraulic attachments for forklifts come in a number of forms. Four of the most popular include:
Forklift rotator
Attached to the fork hoist, forklift rotators allow you to rotate the tines of your forklift, and therefore whatever load you may be carrying, a full 360 degrees in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
Forklift rotators are most commonly used for turning, pouring and emptying bins of loose loads and liquids, though they can be used for conventional loads too. This is a popular hydraulic attachment in industries such as food and beverage, chemicals, waste management, recycling, construction and general manufacturing.
Drum rotator
A drum rotator is a forklift drum handling accessory that uses hydraulic power to tip 205L (55 gallon) drums. Where a forklift rotator will turn the forklift tines, a drum rotator turns only the drum while keeping the tines level.
This drum handler accessory enables a user to easily empty drums and place them in whatever orientation is best for storage.
Wire mesh lifter
Wire mesh lifters are hydraulic attachments that allow your forklift to safely load and unload one of the most bulky, heavy and awkward loads: reinforcing mesh.
The hydraulically powered arms can be placed above a bundle, extended out, lowered down, then brought back in to grab the mesh securely. This minimises the health and safety risks that can come with more manual methods that see workers climbing onto truck decks and manually attaching chains to loads. Wire mesh lifters also make the process of handling mesh exponentially more efficient.
Loader bucket
A hydraulic loader bucket can transform your forklift into a front end loader. This attachment slips onto the tines and is powered by hydraulic couplings that connect directly to the forklift.
Hydraulic loader buckets aren’t just useful for picking up and shifting loose materials – with a full backwards tilt you can transport liquids too.
Helping New Zealand manufacturers safely solve their lifting challenges with the best local and global solutions.
By selecting the right hydraulic attachments for your forklift, you can make your warehouse, factory or site far safer, more efficient and more productive. But with a wide variety of hydraulic attachments available, it can be tricky to know which will make your business better. That’s where we come in.
At Stratalign we’ve spent years helping Kiwi businesses identify and secure the hydraulic forklift attachments they need to work smarter, quicker and safer. Home to an extensive range of forklift accessories, our team has the knowledge and expertise you need to identify the ideal hydraulic attachments for your situation.
And once you’ve made your investment, we’ll be there to provide all the support you need to maximise your return.
