02 Forklift load check
Can the truck carry this load this far out?
A forklift's rated capacity holds only at the load centre on its data plate. A deeper load puts its centre further out and the safe capacity drops. Four numbers from the plate and the load give an estimate that usually comes out at or below the maker's chart, but not always.
How the estimate works, and where it stops
Capacity is scaled by the ratio of the rated load centre to the actual one (the "load moment" rule). This assumes an evenly spread load sitting against the backrest, centred on the forks; if the load is uneven or pulled out from the backrest its real centre is further out than this page assumes. The estimate usually comes out lower than the manufacturer's chart, but the chart can be lower still because of lift height, mast type, attachments or the truck's structural limits, so never use this figure where the chart gives a lower one. It does not know your mast height, attachment, tyres, slope or the load's own balance. The truck's data plate, and its maker's capacity chart, always govern; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(o)(1) says only loads within the rated capacity may be handled. Ohio Lift is not OSHA and not any forklift maker.