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With the aid of
MSE-TOOLS you can work out which KOOI-REACHFORKS® you could use for (for example) one-sided loading/unloading of HGVs/Trucks or for stacking pallets double-deep in your warehouse. MSE-TOOLS calculates the capacity required, the retracted length, stroke, centre of gravity when retracted and extended, and so on.
Unfortunately, we cannot deal with all the available information using the MSE-TOOLS calculation program; sometimes it is necessary to think beyond a ‘standard’ telescopic fork
due to certain client-specific restrictions such as:
- Thickness and/or width of the ReachForks in connection with the insertion aperture of a specific pallet/crate/rack;
- Turning circle of the forklift truck;
- Special suspension for use with fork positioners/spreaders;
- Etc.
In addition to the client-specific restrictions, telescopic forks have limitations because the capacity in combination with a certain cross-section is limited. Furthermore, there is a limit to how long the cylinder and/or oil channels can be on telescopic forks.
For one-sided loading and unloading or stacking pallets double-deep the ReachForks should be made as short as possible and the stroke length as long as possible in order to minimise the turning circle of the forklift truck. After all, palletstops often have to be fitted and this increases the truck’s turning circle. Example: If the pallet has to be pushed out to 2,400 mm (T), the retracted length becomes 1,375 mm and the stroke 1,025 mm. The palletstop then comes to be positioned at 175 mm from the fork back, assuming a pallet size of 1,200 mm. These dimensions are arrived at by making use of the standard overlap.
‘Overlap’ refers to the difference between the retracted fork length and the stroke length. This overlap is necessary to ensure that the outer sleeve remains in place on the inner forks when fully extended and is also strong enough not to bend. The small the overlap, the more easily the outer sleeve will bend and the more difficult it will be to retract the outer sleeve due to the resistance encountered. (The outer sleeve will ‘stick fast’).
Tip / point with minimal overlap (click to enlarge):
The overlap is therefore determined by a combination of factors. MSE-FORKS has introduced a type of KOOI-REACHFORK®, the TFG2 30, which has an overlap of only 250 mm. The maximum capacity is 3,000 kg, while the cross-section of the outer sleeves is the same as for the RGN2 35, which has a greater capacity (3,500 kg with a load centre at 600 mm). There is a reason for the limited capacity. The overlap of the TFG2 30 is 50 mm less, but this results in increased resistance when the outer sleeve is retracted. To overcome this extra resistance, the TFG2 30 has been given a bigger internal cylinder to exert more traction. You also have to remember that, in theory, the TFG2 30 is somewhat slower than single-cylinder ReachForks such as the RG2 30 or RGN2 35 because the cylinder has become thicker.
The latest scion in the ReachForks family is a three-section telescopic fork, the TRIPLE-FORK. This ReachFork approaches the ideal, because the overlap is only 50 mm. To achieve the 2,400 mm mentioned in the example, you have to take the type TRG2 30 1225/1175. The thickness could be considered as a ‘disadvantage’, but considering that most pallets have an insertion aperture of at least 100 mm, this should present no problem.