Can Forklift Forks Be Welded?
Owning a forklift, it can sometimes be frustrating when you need to undertake something that is just out from your forklift’s capabilities. Whether it’s height, reach or weight restrictions, it can be a tiresome exercise when you realise that your forklift can not achieve what you need it to. If this occurrence happens enough that it becomes a problem you need to rectify permanently, most people will either turn to attachments or a new forklift to remove these restrictions. New tynes (or forks as they are often referred as) may be another solution that helps with the problem at hand. When fitting new tynes, however, some may wonder about the viability of welding forks onto the forklift’s carriage. In this article, we discuss whether this should be done.
Can it be done?
In a short answer, no, as they are heat treated when made and any modifications to them will compromise the tynes. Forklift tynes should not be welded onto a forklift unless by manufacturer for various reasons. The first reason is concerning the safety of welding tynes to the carriage. While an employee may be an experienced welder, it is not recommended that they weld tynes to the carriage as the tynes may not be suitable for that carriage. In the event that they are not, cracks may begin to form on the welding job and if it manages to break, then both product and human safety will be at risk. The second reason for why forks should not be welded on is regarding forklift warranty. Most forklift warranties do not allow for tampering on the forklift and if anything is tampered with, this will likely make that warranty voided. Attachments and accessories are different as they are simple ‘Add-ons’ to a forklift but for forks to be physically welded to a carriage, then this changes the nature of the work completed.
So can forklift forks be welded? No. Even for an experienced welder, nine times out of ten it would be recommended that forks are not welded. There may be a small percentage of people that could do the job well enough, but the safety and warranty risks are too great for this to be a recommended practice. It is instead recommended to contact your local forklift dealer/technician, explain your situation and let them do the work on what will be your best option to solve the problem. It is recommended to solve the issue through this method as opposed to trying to weld the forks and compromising the integrity of the forklift, human safety, product safety and the warranty contract.