The Benefits of Truckmounted Forklifts

By Thomas Morva
Truck mounted forklifts can make transportation of goods and materials much easier.  A truck mounted forklift insures that the truck driver won’t have to waste valuable time waiting for someone to unload the cargo once it is delivered to its destination.

Truck mounted forklifts are mounted on the truck during the transportation of the materials.  Once the cargo is delivered, the truck driver can unload it independently and not have to wait for anyone to help.  The truck driver just disengages the forklift from the truck, unloads the cargo, reconnects the forklift, and is free to leave.   
A company called Moffett-Kooi invented the first truck mounted forklift in the Netherlands nearly 40 years ago.  Their original idea was to create a way for truck drivers to independently unload their cargo of tulip bulbs to farmers.  The early models of truck mounted forklifts have since evolved into revolutionary tools that save businesses an immeasurable amount of time and money.
The forklift is nearly always attached to the back of the truck.  Sometimes the forklift is secured in the bed of the truck, but this is fairly uncommon.  The forklift is usually attached to the back of the truck by sliding the forks securely under the bed.  The forklift is further secured with hooks, chains, or latches that keep the forklift from shifting or moving when the truck is in motion.  Trucks must be high enough off of the ground to allow the forklift to be suspended in the air, and the rear axles need to be far enough away from the back of the truck for the front wheels of the forklift to be able to fit under the truck.  It is important that truck drivers have a professional install a truck mounted forklift system to insure it is compatible with the truck