Lesson 1 - Overview of Carriage Types
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Carriage Types
ITA Carriages
ITA Carriage standards represent the only commonality to be found across the varied lift styles and brands. Typically found on warehouse type trucks, ITYA Carriages are characterized by parallel "Fork Bars" onto which forks and attachment "Hang" using opposing "Hooks". Most times, forks and attachments can be interchanged between lifts of the same ITA Carriage "Class".
Pin-Type Carriages
Pin-Type Carriages have nearly unlimited variations, and are found on lifts from very small, to extremely large. Pin Type carriages are characterized by a single large diameter "Pin" running across the top of the carriage. Dozens of variations in styles and dimensions across capacity ranges and manufactures means that special attention must be given to replacing forks or mounting attachments to pin-type carriages. There are even manufacture who use two parallel Pins" at the top and bottom of the carriage for mounting.
Roller Carriages
Most commonly found on Kalmar Lifts, roller carriages are animals unto themselves. Even within this lesser common mounting arrangement, there are dozen of variations. Roller carriages are characterized by sets of rollers at 90deg angles to each other that lock onto a profiled top carriage bar, and heel rollers near the bottom. Roller carriages are the most expensive mounting style to adapt new forks or attachments. The stub shafts, rollers, shims, and keepers should always be provided by the lift OEM to ensure appropriate capacity and metallurgy.
Terminal West Carriages
Typically found as a variant to Roller Carriages. Terminal West Style Carriages separate the expensive to replace components of roller carriages from the forks or attachments. The roller assemblies remain a part of the carriage itself and replacement forks hang on the roller assemblies with proprietary LARGE upper hooks and lower keeper pins and retainers. The downside here is that mounting attachments is a challenge and often owners are forced to give up the advantage of the roller assemblies to employ attachments.
Floating "Pin" Carriages
Almost always found on telehandlers or off-road lift variants, floating pin carriages are characterized by a singular mounting pin just like regulars pin-type carriages with one major exception. The pin is mounting in "slots" on the carriage that allow it to move within the carriage. This simple modification allows off road lifts to pick and drop loads on un-even terrain more easily because the forks can "float" up and down along with the pin. Fork replacement here is no more complex than traditional pin-type forks, but caution must be used when considering a carriage mounted attachment. The center bar and floating pin often cause issues.
This is certainly not a comprehensive representation of all Carriage types, but it does show case the most common types, and helps us start to think about mounting as an important part of our consideration for equipping or upgrading a lift.
After a quick quiz, we will take a deeper dive into several of these carriage types to understand the intricacies of the most common types of carriages to equip you to ask the right questions, and gather the right information from the lift before reaching out to an attachment supplier.
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