Easy Operatation Forks

A design concept that can easily be integrated into the modern world without drastic changes, by Joseph McGahee from Tallulah Falls School.

Fusion 360

For my inspiration, I wanted to make something that can improve an operator's view of what they are trying to do better. I thought about how forklift operators can see the ends of their forks, but it may prove very difficult to gauge how far they need to pull up to get the pallet all the way on the forks without ramming it into the forklift's cage. From prior experience operating a bobcat, there is a remarkable difference in how much more can be seen from operating a skid steer with a more open fork frame and shorter fork frame design. My design was a mixture of the best of both worlds, and to make the distance between the forks change easier, I added a hydraulic that can make the forks be spaced from inside the cab without having to get out to change the distance.

Staring the design is no doubt the most crucial part of any project. Everything in the project can arguably revolve around the initial design. This part took the longest, but I was able to design enough in this sketch that I could consistently go back to this sketch for all of the dimension references that I needed in the entire project.

One main aspect to consider when designing is "is it practical, cheap, and reliable?" From an engineer's perspective, all of these are essential for people to want your product.

For practicality, the design needs to be designed in a way so that it is not "clunky" and is still able to support a large amount of weight. One aspect to consider is that the more the fork weighs, the less it will be able to carry because the forklift motors will have their limits.

If a product is cheap, it will be able to integrate into the working forklifts easier and quicker. The less material used the better. There doesn't need to be massive blocks of materials for something to be strong, as long as it is designed correctly. Sometimes there is even more strength that can be gained by using less material, but in smarter ways.

Finally, can the product be reliable? If something isn't reliable, nobody will purchase it. In the designing stage, this is something that must be considered. Is there support where there needs to be, and are the joints good, or are they going to lead to problems?

In my design, I constantly considered all of these aspects, and was able to incorporate all of them into the design.

Before finishing my design I looked for any and all flaws that could lead to malfunctions. The main spot that I focused on was the sliding of the forks along a rail. With a linear rail bearing, pinching and contorting should be eliminated. Without the bearing, the power of a hydraulic spacer may destroy the rod or fork eyelet when a pinching action occurs. The trouble shooting process is a must before publishing a design.

This final product should be able to be easily implemented into the working forklifts, and enable all of the new forklift operators to learn easily, and see what they are doing.