SUDDEN SERVICE, INC.
3637 North Church Avenue • Louisville, Mississippi • 39339
(662) 773-8056 • FAX (662) 773-9157
FORK INSPECTION, REPAIR, AND TESTING
Forks in use shall be visually inspected daily and must be magnetic particle tested (magna-fluxed) for
cracks at intervals of not more than 2400 hours or whenever any defect or perma-nent deformation is
detected.
When forks are used in pairs, the rated capacity of each fork shall be at least half of the manufactur-
er’s rated capacity of the truck, and at the rated load center distance shown on the lift truck name-
plate.
Fork inspection shall be carried out carefully by trained personnel with the aim of detecting any dam-
age, failure, deformation, etc., which might impair safe use. Any fork which shows such a defect shall
be withdrawn from service, and shall not be returned to service unless it has been satisfactorily re-
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paired.
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The fork shall be thoroughly examined visually for cracks and if considered necessary, sub-jected to a
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non-destructive crack detection process, special attention being paid to the heel and welds attaching
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all mounting components to the fork balance. This inspection for cracks must also include any special
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mounting mechanisms of the fork blank to the fork carrier includ-ing bolt type mountings and forged
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upper mounting arrangements for hook or shaft type car-riages. The forks shall not be returned to
service if surface cracks are detected.
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The straightness of the upper face of the blade and the front face of the shank shall be checked. If
the deviation from straightness exceeds 0.5% of the length of the blade and / or the height of the
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shank, respectively, the fork shall not be returned to service until it has been repaired.
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Any fork that has a deviation of greater than 3˚ fork angle from the original specification shall not be
returned to service.
The difference in height of one set of forks when mounted on the fork carrier shall be checked. If the
difference in tip heights exceeds 3% of the length of the blade, the set of forks shall not be returned to
service until repaired.
It shall be confirmed that the positioning lock is in good repair and correct working order. If any fault
is found, the fork shall be withdrawn from service until satisfactory repairs have been effected.
The fork blade and shank shall be thoroughly checked for wear, special attention being paid to the
vicinity of the heel. If the thickness is reduced to 90% of the original thickness, the fork shall not be
returned to service.
The support face of the top hook and the retaining faces of both hooks shall be checked for wear,
crushing, and other local deformations. If these are apparent to such an extent that the clearance be-
tween the fork and the fork carrier becomes excessive, the fork shall not be returned to service until
repaired.
If the fork marking is not clearly legible, it shall be renewed. Marking shall be renewed per in-struc-
tions from the original supplier.
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Each fork shall be clearly stamped with its individual load rating in an area readily visible and not sub-
ject to wear. Only the manufacturer of the fork or an expert of equal competence shall decide if a fork
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may be repaired for continued use, and the repairs shall only be carried out by such parties.
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It is not recommended that surface cracks or wear be repaired by welding. When repairs ne-cessitat-
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ing resetting are required, the fork shall subsequently be subjected to an appropriate heat treatment
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as necessary.
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A fork that has undergone repairs shall only be returned to service after being submitted to and pass-
ing the test procedures. The test load shall correspond to 2.5 times the rated capac-ity of the fork.
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Fork strength shall permit the following loading and method of test.
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(a) The test load F shall be applied to it at the applicable distance D from the front face of
theforkarmshank(seeFigure1).
(b) The fork arm shall be restrained in a manner identical to that used on the forklift truck.
(c) The test load shall be applied twice, gradually and without shock, and maintained for 30
seconds each time.
(d) The fork arm shall be checked before and after the second application of the test load. It
shall not show any permanent deformation.
F
D
Figure 1
SSI-141-2 11/20)
