Forklift Attachments
Forklift attachments turn a standard forklift into a lifting, handling and site maintenance machine, so one truck covers work that would otherwise need a crane, a loader or a sweeper. The HERMEQ range covers fork-mounted road sweepers, work platforms, lifting hooks, jibs and scissor grabs, along with fork extensions, drum lifters, bulk bag lifters, scoop buckets and snow equipment. The attachments are built for construction and sitework, warehouses and distribution centers, waste and recycling operations, facilities maintenance and public works.
Types of forklift attachments
Jibs and forklift booms
A jib, also called a forklift boom, carries a swivel hook out beyond the fork tips so the truck can lift and place loads it cannot reach with the forks themselves. HERMEQ supplies fixed, extending, articulated and low profile jibs. The forklift jib crane has a fixed beam with set hook positions, and the extending forklift jib telescopes to give more hook positions from the same attachment.
Fork-mounted lifting hooks
A hook attachment gives the truck a single rated lifting point for slings and chains, which is the simplest way to pick up machinery, bundles and other loads that have no pallet. The adjustable forklift hook slides along the fork blade so the lift point can be set over the center of the load. The economy forklift hook adjusts the same way in a lighter build for lighter duty, and the fork-mounted lifting hook locks straight onto the forks.
Fork extensions
Fork extensions sleeve over the existing forks to support loads longer than the forks themselves, such as pipe, steel sections, doors and long crates. They are sized to the fork they fit, with the standard fork extensions made for smaller forks. Wider and thicker forks take the fork extensions for 6 in forks, available in a choice of lengths, or the heavy duty fork extensions for the heaviest long loads.
Four-fork carriers and carpet poles
A four-fork attachment mounts on the existing forks and spreads a load with no pallet across four tines, which keeps long, flexible material such as lumber, tubing and sheet goods from sagging at the ends. For rolled goods, the forklift carpet pole, also known as a carpet ram, rug ram or forklift boom, slides through the core of carpet, fabric or paper rolls and carries them without crushing the outer layers.
Bulk bag lifters and filling hoppers
A bulk bag lifter mounts on the forks and hangs a bulk bag from four lifting points, so sand, aggregate and other bagged material can be lifted and set down without straps looped over the tines. The sand bag lifter gives the same four-point lift but hangs from a fork-mounted hook by its center eye, which suits a truck already fitted with a hook. To fill bags on site, the bulk bag filling hopper holds an open bag beneath a wide funnel and is moved around the site on the forks.
Scissor grabs and ring lifters
A scissor grab closes on a pack as the truck lifts and opens again when the pack is set down, so brick, block, pavers and curb can be moved without pallets and without anyone releasing the grab by hand. The scissor grab for brick and block packs suits block yards and site placement of standard packs, and the forklift scissor grab handles denser loads such as double layers of block, pavers and curb. For precast concrete, the manhole ring lifter grips manhole and storm chamber rings with self-closing jaws and needs no slings.
Drum lifters, drum tilters and cylinder cradles
Drum attachments move steel and plastic drums with no one handling the drum. The forklift drum lifter locks onto the top rib of a closed steel drum automatically, while the rim grip drum lifter grips the rim of steel or plastic drums, open or closed, and is the one to choose for open-top drums. Where the contents have to be poured, the forklift drum tilter lifts the drum and tips it under control. The gas cylinder cradle carries a single cylinder held by a strap and a spring-loaded lock.
Work platforms and personnel cages
A work platform, also called a man basket or personnel cage, raises workers on the forks for maintenance, inspections and inventory checks at height, with guarding, a non-slip floor and harness anchor points. The forklift work platform comes with a lift-up bar or a side gate for entry, and the folding work platform collapses for compact storage between jobs. The forklift man basket is an enclosed cage for high-level maintenance in plants and warehouses, and the crane and forklift personnel cage is rated for both lifting methods.
Scoop buckets
A forklift scoop bucket, also called a forklift bucket or fork-mounted shovel, lets the truck load and move sand, gravel, topsoil and aggregate without a loader on site, and its toothed edge works into a pile. The underslung scoop bucket hangs below the forks to bring the load closer to the truck and shorten its overall length, which suits confined yards and tight jobsites.
Dumping hoppers and concrete buckets
Fork-mounted waste and material containers, including self-dumping and bottom-dump hoppers, have their own range of forklift dumping hoppers. For concrete placement where no crane can reach, the forklift concrete bucket discharges through a side gate, and other pouring buckets are in the concrete buckets range.
Waste cart lifters, tippers and dumpster compactors
Cart attachments let the truck lift and empty wheeled waste carts without anyone tipping them by hand. The waste cart tipper empties large carts fitted with side trunnions under control from ground level, and the hand-crank cart lifter lifts and tips smaller carts. The waste cart stacker moves stacked carts or a single large cart in one trip, and the dumpster compactor presses bulky waste down inside an open dumpster so each container holds more before it is hauled away.
Sweepers, magnets and snow equipment
Fork-mounted sweepers, which buyers also call forklift brooms or brush attachments, clear sand, soil and grit from yards, roadways, walkways and warehouse floors. The forklift sweeper is a broom with interchangeable brushes, and the hydraulic sweeper collector adds a powered broom, a collector bucket and a water tank for larger areas. The forklift magnetic sweeper picks up nails, screws, wire and metal shavings before they puncture tires, and it can hang from the sweeper frame so both work in one pass. For winter, the forklift snow plow clears parking lots, access roads and loading docks, and the forklift salt spreader spreads wet or dry salt over the same ground.
Goods cages, crates and roll container lifters
Loose tools, cable, fittings and parts travel in a goods carrying cage, which has mesh sides so the load stays visible, or in a forklift crate, which adds lockable doors for high-value equipment. The roll container and pallet lifter is a fork-mounted platform for loading roll containers and pallets onto trailers.
Hook, jib or bag lifter for loads below the forks
For a load that hangs below the forks, the choice depends on how far the hook has to travel from the carriage and what shape the load is. A fork-mounted hook keeps the load close to the mast, which leaves the truck the most capacity, and suits lifts where the forklift can drive right up to both the pick point and the set-down point. A jib is needed when something stands in the way, such as a wall, a stack of material or the inside of a bay. An extending jib suits work where the reach changes from one lift to the next, and the articulated extendable jib angles its beam upward to add hook height for loads lifted onto a deck or over a high obstruction. The low profile forklift jib and the low profile extending jib sit low on the forks for work under low ceilings, inside buildings and wherever headroom is tight.
Bulk bags need a bag lifter, which spreads the bag across four points so it hangs level, where a single hook would let it tilt. Rated capacities across the hooks and jibs reach up to 11,000 lb, and the rating falls as the hook moves out along a jib, so the hook position decides the attachment as much as the load weight does.
Matching lift truck attachments to the forklift
Fork section and fork spread
Every attachment in the range lists the largest fork section its pockets accept and the fork centers it is built around. Measure the width and thickness of each fork at the heel and the distance between fork centers before ordering, and confirm the forks are long enough to engage the pockets fully. An attachment that sits loose on undersized forks, or will not slide onto oversized ones, cannot be secured properly with its heel pins or twist screws.
Capacity with the attachment fitted
An attachment adds its own weight to the front of the truck and moves the load further from the front wheels, so the forklift lifts less once it is fitted. Each listing gives the attachment's weight and center of gravity, and the truck's net capacity with the attachment is worked out from those figures and the forklift's load chart, or confirmed by the truck's manufacturer or dealer. The lower of the truck's net capacity and the attachment's own rating is the working limit.
Mechanical or hydraulic
Almost the entire range is mechanical: it slides onto the forks, locks in place and works by gravity, a crank, a chain or the truck's own lift and tilt. The salt spreader and the hydraulic sweeper collector are the exceptions, since both run from the truck's auxiliary hydraulic service. Before choosing either, confirm that the forklift has a third valve with hoses run to the carriage.
Forklift, telehandler or crane
Several attachments are rated for more than one machine. Some hooks and jibs, the dumpster compactor and the forklift concrete bucket also work on a telehandler, while the goods carrying cage, the forklift crate, the scissor grabs and the ring lifter can be lifted by a crane as well as a forklift. Each listing names the machines an attachment is rated for, and tools made for telehandlers are in the telehandler attachments range.
Popular Categories
Dumping Hoppers
View Products >
Lifting Attachments
View Products >
Telehandler Attachments
View Products >
Frequently Asked Questions
Forklift attachments are also called lift truck attachments, fork truck attachments, forklift accessories and forklift implements. The terms describe the same thing: equipment that mounts on or replaces the forks so the truck can handle loads a plain pair of forks cannot.
Fork extensions are legal when they are rated for the forks they fit and used within their limits. The extension has to match the fork section, be secured with its retaining pin and carry no more than its rating, and the overhang beyond the parent fork has to stay within the limit stated for that extension.
Yes, lifting attachments are supplied with a rated capacity, and the forklift's capacity plate is updated to show the truck and attachment combination before the attachment goes into use. Attachments are then inspected on a regular schedule, with load-bearing welds, pins, hooks and fork pockets checked for cracks, wear and deformation. An attachment that fails inspection comes out of service until it is repaired or replaced.
A forklift can lift people only in a work platform built for the purpose and locked to the forks, never on bare forks or a pallet. The truck's manufacturer has to approve it for personnel lifting, and the worker in the platform wears a harness clipped to its anchor points. The operator stays at the controls with the truck stationary for as long as anyone is raised.
Operators are trained on each attachment they use, because an attachment changes how the truck handles, how much it can lift and what the operator can see. A certified forklift operator still needs instruction on a new attachment's fitting, limits and operation before using it. Retraining follows whenever a different type of attachment is added to the truck.