Attachments turn a general-purpose truck into one that suits a specific job, and most operations that handle anything other than standard pallets end up needing at least one. They also derate the truck — twice — which is the part that gets discovered after purchase rather than before. Worth knowing both halves before specifying.
Side-Shifter
Moves the forks laterally without moving the truck. The most commonly fitted attachment and the one with the clearest payback: instead of repositioning the whole machine to line up with a pallet, the operator nudges the carriage a few inches.
Worth it when: almost any operation placing pallets into rack or loading trailers. It reduces cycle time and, more importantly, reduces rack and product damage from repeated repositioning.
Fork Positioner
Adjusts the spacing between the forks hydraulically from the seat. Without one, changing fork spacing means an operator getting off the truck and moving them by hand — which in practice means it does not happen, and loads get handled on the wrong spacing.
Worth it when: you handle varied pallet or load sizes. Building products, contractor supply, air cargo and any operation where what arrives is not standardised. Frequently combined with a side-shifter in one unit.
Clamps
Grip the load rather than supporting it on forks. Several types for different materials:
- Carton clamps — appliances, boxed goods handled without pallets
- Paper roll clamps — rolls handled on their axis without crushing
- Bale clamps — recycling, textiles, compressed materials
- Drum clamps — handling drums upright without a pallet
Worth it when: the product does not need a pallet, or pallets are a cost you would rather not carry. Clamps carry the largest capacity penalty of the common attachments and need trained operators — clamping pressure is a real variable, and over-clamping damages product while under-clamping drops it.
Rotator
Rotates the carriage, usually to invert a load. Used for dumping containers, emptying bins and turning product in process operations.
Worth it when: the operation genuinely needs to invert. It is a specialised attachment with a significant capacity cost, and it is not something to fit speculatively.
Boom / Jib
Extends forward from the carriage to lift suspended loads on a hook. Common in manufacturing and construction where material has to be placed rather than stacked.
Worth it when: you are lifting things that cannot sit on forks. Note that a boom extends the load center dramatically, so the capacity penalty is severe and the load chart matters more than usual.
Fork Extensions
Slip over existing forks to handle longer loads. Cheap and useful, and the attachment most often misused.
The rule: extensions should not exceed roughly 150% of the original fork length, and the load must still be supported by the base fork for at least two thirds of its length. Extensions also move the load center out substantially, which derates the truck sharply. They are a solution for occasional long loads, not a substitute for the right truck.
The Capacity Cost, Which Applies to All of Them
Every attachment derates the truck in two ways simultaneously:
- Its own weight comes directly off available capacity.
- It moves the load forward, pushing the effective load center out, which derates again.
The combined effect can be substantial — enough that a truck specified without the attachment in mind will not do the job with it fitted.
The data plate must reflect the attachment. A truck fitted with an attachment requires a capacity plate for that configuration. The original plate is no longer accurate, and operating to it is operating beyond the rating. This is both a safety issue and a straightforward inspection finding.
Hydraulic Functions
Attachments need hydraulic circuits, and trucks come with a limited number. A standard truck typically has two functions — lift and tilt. Each additional powered attachment function needs another, and adding them later is more expensive than specifying them at purchase.
If there is any prospect of adding an attachment during the truck's life, specifying the extra function up front is cheap insurance.
How to Decide
Tell us what you are handling and how it has to be presented to the next step in the process — not which attachment you think you need. The right attachment is frequently not the one people expect, and occasionally the right answer is a different truck rather than an attachment on this one.
What we need:
- What the load is, its weight and its dimensions
- How it arrives and how it has to leave
- Whether it is palletised, and whether it has to be
- How often — an operation doing this twice a week may be better served by renting an equipped truck than by fitting one permanently