Introduction to Electric Forklift Mast

The following is a relevant introduction to the electric forklift mast:

Structural Composition

Electric Forklift Outer Mast: Its lower end is hinged to the forklift frame, and its middle part is hinged to the tilt cylinder, serving as the hinged support for the mast's tilting movement. Generally, the outer section is fixed (non-lifting) and provides support and stability for the entire mast structure.
Electric Forklift Inner Mast: Equipped with rollers, it is embedded in the outer mast. When the inner mast rises, it can partially extend out of the outer mast. Driven by the lift cylinder for lifting and lowering, and guided by rollers, it acts as a guide rail for the fork carriage's vertical movement.
Fork Carriage: Fitted with rollers, it is embedded in the inner mast and can move up and down. Forks are mounted on the fork carriage, which is used to pick up and carry goods.
Lift Cylinder: Its base is fixed to the lower part of the outer mast. The piston rod of the cylindermoves up and down along the guide rod on the inner mast. A chain wheel is installed at the top of the piston rod, which drives the fork carriage and forks to lift and lower via the lift chain, enabling the elevation and descent of goods.
Tilt Cylinder: Tilt cylinders are installed on both sides of the rear of the mast. Through extension and retraction, they tilt the mast forward or backward, with a typical tilt angle of 6°-12°. This facilitates goods picking and stacking while ensuring the stability of goods during transportation.

Structure: The simplex mast is the simplest type, featuring a single channel. It consists of one outer mast and one vertically movable inner mast.
Characteristics: It has a simple structure and low cost but limited lifting height. It is generally used in scenarios where the required lifting height is not high, such as simple outdoor loading and unloading operations. Since it lacks free lift functionality, the entire mast needs to be raised to lift goods.

Structure: The duplex mast has two channels and is composed of a simplex mast and a free-lift cylinder. The free-lift cylinder serves as the first stage, allowing the fork carriage to be lifted to a certain height without raising the inner mast.
Characteristics: It has free lift functionality, enabling goods to be lifted in limited spaces. It is suitable for places with space constraints, such as warehouses. When operating in low-height compartments or containers, the duplex mast can use its free lift function to raise goods to a certain height without lifting the inner mast, facilitating loading and unloading.

Structure: The triplex mast has three stages, including two inner mast channels and one free-lift cylinder. Based on the duplex mast, an additional inner mast is added to further increase the lifting height.
Characteristics: It offers a relatively high lifting height and good passability, meeting the needs of most warehouses and logistics sites. It can achieve a high maximum lifting height with a relatively low overall height, making it a widely used mast type.

Structure: The quad mast has four stages and is composed of three inner mast channels and one free-lift cylinder. It is a relatively complex mast structure.
Characteristics: It can provide an extremely high lifting height, making it suitable for special high-rack warehouses or scenarios requiring high-altitude operations. However, due to its complex structure, it has a higher cost and requires higher stability of the forklift.

Goods Lifting and Lowering: Driven by the lift cylinder, the inner mast and fork carriage move up and down along the outer mast, realizing the elevation and descent of goods to meet the needs of goods storage and transportation at different heights.
Goods Picking and Stacking: The mast can tilt forward or backward. When picking up goods, the mast tilts forward to allow the forks to be smoothly inserted under the goods; when stacking goods, the mast tilts backward to maintain the stability of the goods and prevent them from falling.
Improving Space Utilization: Different types of masts can be selected according to the height and spatial layout of the warehouse. They enable multi-layer stacking of goods in limited spaces, thereby improving the space utilization of the warehouse.

Lifting Height: Select the appropriate mast type based on the maximum height required to lift goods in actual work. Generally, a certain safety margin needs to be added to the height of the highest shelf.
Operating Environment: If used in an indoor warehouse, factors such as the warehouse door height and aisle width need to be considered; if used outdoors, the impact of weather conditions on the mast also needs to be taken into account.
Goods Weight: Different mast types have different load-bearing capacities. The mast that can bear the corresponding weight should be selected according to the weight of the goods to ensure the stability and safety of the forklift.
Operating Efficiency: Some mast types have faster lifting and lowering speeds, which can improve operating efficiency. If high operating efficiency is required, the corresponding mast type can be selected.