Fork Positioners
Hydraulic fork spread for constantly changing loads
Fork Positioners allow the forklift forks to be positioned hydraulically. They are particularly useful when the width of the load changes constantly, allowing the operator to align forks with pallets faster for more effective handling.
A fork positioner moves the fork arms in and out hydraulically, so the spread is set from the seat rather than by an operator climbing down and dragging steel across a carriage. Most units also side shift, which means one attachment both centres the load and matches the fork spacing to it.
It earns its place wherever pallet sizes change through the day — a mixed inbound yard, a distribution centre taking euro and standard pallets on the same shift, or a production line feeding two different footprints. Because the forks can also be closed onto a load or opened wide to straddle it, the same attachment handles awkward non-palletised items that would otherwise need a second machine.
Also known as: Hydraulic fork adjuster · Fork spreader · Positioner with side shift
Benefits
- Increased productivity
- No manual adjustment of forks
- Reduced pallet damage
- Improved load handling times
Where it is used
- Mixed-pallet inbound and outbound handling where footprints change load to load
- Handling two pallets side by side, then a single pallet, without stopping to adjust forks
- Straddling crates, drums, castings and other loads that sit outside standard fork spacing
- Any site where manual fork adjustment is a lifting or pinch-point risk
Specification
- Function
- Hydraulic fork spread
- Options
- Integrated side shift
- Mounting
- ISO Class II–IV
Capacities, jaw ranges and rotation are model-specific — the exact figures are confirmed against your truck and load when we quote.
Fits ISO Class II, III and IV fork carriages
In service on Toyota, Linde, Hyster, Jungheinrich, TCM, Manitou, JCB, Feeler, Yale and Komatsu trucks across the region.
- Hydraulic attachments run off the truck’s auxiliary services; where a truck has too few, an additional service or a solenoid selector can be fitted.
- Mechanical attachments slip over standard fork arms and need no hydraulic connection at all.
- Fitting an attachment changes the truck’s rated capacity, so the derated capacity plate is confirmed as part of the quote.
South Africa & Zambia
Attachments are supplied from Nelspruit for South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho, and through the Kitwe branch for Zambia, the Copperbelt and the southern DRC corridor.
- South Africa — head office, warehouse and service in Nelspruit, with stockholding in Johannesburg
- Zambia — branch office and warehouse in Kitwe, plus a supply depot in Solwezi
- Cross-border freight and documentation arranged per consignment where the destination requires it
Fork Positioners — questions
- 01What is the difference between a fork positioner and a side shifter?
- A side shifter moves both forks together across the carriage. A fork positioner moves each fork independently to change the spread between them. Many positioners include side shift as well, which is why the two are often quoted together.
- 02Can a fork positioner handle two pallets at once?
- A standard positioner opens and closes the forks; handling two pallets in one cycle with four forks is a single-double pallet handler, which is a related but separate attachment we also supply.
- 03How many hydraulic services does a fork positioner need?
- One double-acting service for positioning, and a second if side shift is integrated. Where a truck is short of services, a solenoid selector valve can share one circuit between functions.
- 04Is it available for electric as well as diesel forklifts?
- Yes. Fitment is determined by carriage class, capacity and available hydraulics rather than by the power source, so counterbalance electric, LPG and diesel trucks are all catered for.